How will you handle friends that did not prepare?

a reply to: Irishhaf

while talking with the wife I realized I do not know how I would deal with people I have known for years... I know the spouses and the kids... showing up at my door step with hat in hand looking for help.

If theres some kind of disaster and you don;t help others with your supplies or whatever, then its called hoarding and they and the authorities will bust in your bunker to appropriate it and share it equally.

I think its a law, somewhere...

I thought the first rule of prepping was to keep your preps to yourself?

When people get desperate, those who you thought were your "friends" will kill you, take your food, and rape your wife and kids. A true post apocalyptic scenario is not going to be pretty. Desperate people will do desperate things when faced with death and starvation. People don't realize how fragile society is and what seemingly civilized people will do when SHTF.

Once the thin veneer of civilization wears off and people realize there aren't any consequences for robbing, stealing, etc, all bets are off.

The problem is everyone is going to have a sob story. Especially if you are anywhere near civilization. You cannot and will not be able to feed everyone.

There is a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction that addresses this very scenario in the OP.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Friends are the family we choose.

That's all the answer I have, or need.

a reply to: Edumakated

I get that, but when your trying to build the team you have to give up some information to convince other preppers that you are trying to build supplies and skills.

I never gave out specifics on what I had and usually tried to steer the conversation to things like extended power outages due to tornadoes hurricanes etc, and how to feed the family during that time.

But if someone is going hungry they may convince themselves that I have years worth of food, and like you mentioned that can lead to bad situations.

a reply to: Irishhaf

So the question is how will you handle people showing up looking for a handout because they knew you prepared and they didn't bother to?

Get the following cookbook



Kidding aside , I would have a lot of trouble turning people away as well.

Are they cute? Just kidding, I ask my wife this question and I like her answer. If the friends will contribute we would have a working village. Pretty smart gal, my wife.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Most people would go into shock if shtf. After a month or so, the majority would begin to get severely wrestless and turn on each other.

The clowns might taste funny though.

If things ever came to that, it would probably be a situation of inevitably succumbing to the situation for everyone, prepared or not. You may be able to prolong it, but poisoned air, no food and crazily desperate people would take it's toll eventually. I think I would let anyone in that I trusted, as there is power in numbers if you are forced to fight.

a reply to: Nickn3

Exactly.

The contribution doesn't need to be all that much, either. Hell, pulling weeds, cultivating the radishes, and doing the laundry are all contributions worthy of note. It needn't be worthy of an Arnold movie to be more than worthy.

Most of my friends all have skills worth bringing into a village or hamlet, or grouping of tents...most are gardeners, hunters, fishermen. They're mechanics. They can repair small radios and engines. All of them are smart. Among my ten or twelve closest friends are, at the least, ten different languages.

...and even if they couldn't contribute in any meaningful way? They're still my friends--and that's a cool contribution in and of itself.

It's not like I have so many of 'em that I can afford to throw 'em out.

a reply to: seagull

It's not like I have so many of 'em that I can afford to throw 'em out.

I agree and that would not be the time to go making enemies. As the old adage says, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It sounds good when you are pissed, even though in a SHTF scenario it would be a huge mistake to believe it.

a reply to: Irishhaf

In my opinion, preparation meaning "storage of stuff" is for short term. Anything beyond a few weeks and what you need are skills, determination and an ability to persevere more than anything.

Every "leadership test" I've ever taken pegs me squarely and undoubtedly as a "Field Marshal", as do my life experiences. Essentially, that means I'm the guy that assesses resources (human and otherwise) and figures out the best way to use them.

So what would I do with the "unprepared?" - put them to use. Everybody has something they can contribute, whether they realize it or not. Learning and adapting will be needed, but we will find the ideal role for everyone.

Plus, I have a fairly large group of "post apocalyptic dystopia" geeks, along with myself, sworn to come together if the S ever H's the F, for over 20 years now. So I have my key leadership positions already filled. Let's do this! -erm, I mean, let's hope it never comes to it!

Interesting responses, I'd like to hear how some preppers would answer this question: would you ask for a help from a prepper if TSHTF while you were far from home base? Let's say you're traveling on business or for a wedding or whatever and blamo!

So #e is hitting it, you're far from home but spotted the signs of a prepper. What do you do?

a reply to: Irishhaf

I dont personally feel this way....but I can see something like this happening.

There will be no friends.

If you consider friendship on any level you are as good as dead.

Your Survival Groups Leadership will be tested immediately internally and there will be changes based upon violence....people react differently under stress and the cream rises to the top by going THROUGH the rest of the milk.

Nature has her ways.

I am just saying to not worry about it....no one will survive in a group with less than 50-100 people anyways....and believe me ,the second the last can of beans I have to feed my kids is gone I am a hunter of man and beast until there is more food in the larder.

So YOUR group MUST be prepared and planning to integrate with another group....from the get-go.....like I said the pecking order will change as people die.....it has to.

You handle family and friends who are not prepared by ENLISTING THEM immediatly with a clear understanding of this dynamic.

You come to the door with a hungry Family.....you are coming to work....that is all.You make a deal at the door....you surrender your arms and alliegences and at the first sign of trouble which could undermine the safety or integrity of the group you are either 86ed or banished...and when one of a micro-group goes they ALL GO....no traitors and internal strife.

Hard decisions will have to be made by hard people whose intentions are group survival at all costs.Simply because EVERY GROUP you encounter will have gone through the same evolution yours has and you shall inevitably be dealing with HARD MINDS EXPERIENCED IN MAKING HARD DECISIONS.

We cannot have every Uncle Harry spouting off and losing his temper every time he feels stress or danger....sooner or later he will spark a bingo which will get people killed with no returns......we cannot have crazy Aunt Bee who is bi-polar freaking out all the women and kids by projecting immense levels of anxiety or oppositionally defiant intentions........we cannot have every male thinking in their heads they can be Alpha......we cannot have Grandpa spouting off religous beliefs that everyone should simply fall to their knees and let the Lord take them to heaven when the going gets toughest.....we cannot let the animal loving teenager freak out the littler kids by refusing to eat meat .....not even once.

If you cannot quickly check your self-centered intentions at the door you could be checked out ASAP.

People will have to quickly learn that the groups toleration of individuality and the fight to have and project it will be met with terminal reply....you will be 86ed if you are a loudmouth liberal who wastes time debating your rights and undermining the group every time a decision has to be made.

So I think you give-take-and -enforce peoples WORD....you say what you do and do what you say.When people come for help they come unarmed and vulnerable and willing to concur to group needs.We all need each other in a SHTF scenario and no matter who we are our expiry date will remain permanently fluid.....so the sooner you learn and accept and embrace the fact you are now only a stepping stone to basic immediate short term survival for those younger than yourself the higher the chances you will in fact sacrifice all to act as a step to elevate your group.

I mean....I am only imagining this from what I have seen in so many movies but it could go down like this.

One at a time of course. You cannot plan for the end of the world., Are you that arrogant?

originally posted by: gription
One at a time of course. You cannot plan for the end of the world., Are you that arrogant?

Why would anyone plan for the "end" of the world......one would only plan for the "beginning" of the new world,right?

a reply to: one4all

I would like to respond slower, less offensive towards you,. My points are less than cooperative at this point.

I've been wondering about others too in a SHTF scenario. If I buy a bunch of survival food and neighbors come asking for handouts, are you prepared to defend your food against an angry hungry mob? In this situation, it might be better to take charge and organize others you give food to. They can defend the neighborhood and or be scouts on the lookout so that your group can fight off other groups. As one person, I can't imagine I can possibly hold off 100 or a thousand armed determined people willing to do whatever it takes to get the food I have. I believe after the initial chaos, some would band together to take whatever they can. If successful, the groups could grow bigger and bigger. The late comers might be first to be put on the front lines to go after the lone preppers who stocked up.

If I didn't want to share, the best scenario would be a well stocked bunker that nobody else knows about or can find. However, what kind of world survives after I come out would be another good question. If someone knew I had an underground bunker, they could attempt to throw smoke grenades down vent pipes or poison or cause lots of trouble.