Crisis spurs spike in 'suburban survivalists'

This is also happening in the UK. We have a caravan (trailer) parked on the drive beside our house. Over the coming months, we plan to prepare it for a six month trip - though we won't be going anywhere.

A small back-up generator will be used to recharge the 12 volt battery system when required - with spare batteries on trickle charge from a little wind turbine and solar panel.

We've already started to grow our own vegetables and collect rainwater for filtering and purification. Fortunately, it rains quite a lot in the UK.

It won't be that difficult to survive if and when power systems fail. We just have to learn how they did it a few hundred years ago.



[edit on 26/5/09 by Myrdyn]

reply to post by seabisquit


I just looked up MeetUp groups within 100 miles of my area, which would include Houston and there are none. All those people in Houston and no survival group listed?!!

I'm guessing you are in east Texas?

Yeah I find it "believable" that people in general don't take personal survival seriously or give it more concern than they do over what coffee to get each day! I was born & raised in Miami, FL and that in itself teaches you every summer...the comfortable way of life you know can be disrupted for weeks on end when mother nature struts her stuff all over the coast!

Now after 9/11 there's a new urgency to stock up and just have on hand everything you're going to need to ride out a social storm the likes of which you've never seen. I've been doing this for years and I'll tell ya when I moved to Central Florida and went through a mild hurricane such as Francis and it took out power and washed out roads and neighbors I knew in my old apartment complex lost their freakin minds!!

They had simple issues (well simple if you're prepared) like sanitation.."how am I gonna flush my toilet without water?" ....ok grab a bucket, head down to the pond out back, pour the water in your toilet...Voila! it's FLUSHED!...but hey if the sewer's backed up...(lift stations are electric) better have a camping toilet or 'things' are going to get deep and smelly!

Water, the most basic essential we ALL have to have, if you ain't stocked up on it before hand, you're DONE! I prep Arizona Tea jugs full of fresh water with an additive to preserve the water for months, you can even freeze some to make emergency ice packs to keep your cold stuff cold for a while...plus...COLD FRESH water RULES in an emergency.

I buy alot of canned goods, dry goods plenty of sterno and matches/lighters charcoal and a cheap grill, so after the storm I'm cookin veggies on my sterno stove and grillin and chillin and my neighbors had to take lessons from me...COOK your meats, they'll keep longer...eat everything perishable in your fridge then your freezer.

Handiest thing in my kit is a Steri-Pen, it's a compact battery operated UV light stick that will kill dangerous bacteria/viruses in drinking water...priceless!

So if you're like my neighbors...go check out SurvivalTime.org I've got it ALL down for you, just print the list or shop online and stock up (NOW) before that's not an option for you anymore.

I may not be a 'pro' but let me tell you this, if right NOW things fell to ruin, I could go on business as usual for months and months including being online (laptop w/car charger, mobile broadband) which I have taken into the deep woods and camped for days with all the comforts of home.

If you've got questions...visit my site and send me an e-mail I'll help you get yourself squared away quick!

Originally posted by warrenb
reply to post by FunSized

 

just curious, but once the dog food runs out, what do you do with your dogs?

What about people with cats, just curious as most indoor cats have been de-clawed and have no method for defense or catching food (not having claws sucks)

There are countless recipes that can be found online for homemade pet foods.. cornbread is basically the same as dog food.

reply to post by seabisquit


Ive been using these folks out in utah for years.
Good prices.
BePrepared.com

It's nice to see other 'girly girls' in the same scenario! They look at me strangely, as well. I went to an army surplus store nearby to check out gas masks (yes, a bit over the top, but hey!) and the guy at the counter said, "Are you going to play paint ball?" What the he@@?

My make up purchases are less than 10% of what they used to be, and when all the other girls are heading to Nordstroms, I'm going to the store to get more rice bags, iodine and salt!

Still though, I need so much more.. argh ...

Originally posted by Tentickles
It is great to see more people getting into this.

Although the story refers to it as a hobby, it isnt. It is realization that things can go wrong and people finally knowing that they must provide for themselves.

Maybe there is some hope for us yet.

I can't convince my husband of the importance of "planning for the worst" so I have to approach the subject as if it is a hobby. If I could find some way to puncture his bubble without causing too much harm, we would be much further along in preparedness. As it is now, I've got a dozen gallons of bottled water and a vegetable garden supplemented with medicinal herbs for cooking and drying. My pantry is full of staples and long-shelf life items.

Other than that, I've got a tent and a baseball bat. LOL