Are you a "Prepper"?

Rise of the Preppers, America's new Survivalists.

Are you a "Prepper"?
I'm a prepper, you're a prepper, wouldnt ya like to be a prepper too!
Great article and video here:
www.newsweek.com...

Lisa Bedford is what you'd imagine of a stereotypical soccer mom. She drives a white Tahoe SUV. An American flag flies outside her suburban Phoenix home. She sells Pampered Chef kitchen tools and likes to bake. Bedford and her husband have two young children, four dogs, and go to church on Sunday.

But about a year ago, Bedford's homemaking skills went into overdrive. She began stockpiling canned food, and converted a spare bedroom into a giant storage facility. The trunk of each of her family's cars got its own 72-hour emergency kit—giant Tupperware containers full of iodine, beef jerky, emergency blankets, and even a blood-clotting agent designed for the battle-wounded. Bedford started thinking about an escape plan in case her family needed to leave in a hurry, and she and her husband set aside packed suitcases and cash. Then, for the first time in her life, Bedford went to a gun range and shot a .22 handgun. Now she regularly takes her two young children, 7 and 10, to target practice. "Over the last two years, I started feeling more and more unsettled about everything I was seeing, and I started thinking, 'What if we were in the same boat?'" says Bedford, 49.

Does anyone have any survival tips or experiences to share?
I think I'm going to look into kerosene heaters for emergencies!
And dont forget the fuel!
Thanks ATS!

10 Ways to Prepare for Disaster

www.newsweek.com...



[edit on 29-12-2009 by dodadoom]

I imagine it would shock most of us if we knew all the friends and family we have that are quietly preparing for situations beyond our control.

I have gone to several seminars and even taught some that are chock full of Soccer Moms and Weekend Warriors just begging for information and contacts.

Go out and talk to your friends and neighbors, find out what they are doing to prepare for Hurricanes or Tornadoes or Floods... Form a group in your community and suggest an "Outdoor" trip.

There is plenty we can do alone, but so much more together.

Semper

reply to post by semperfortis

I agree big time SF! Thank you!

I was shocked to find out my sister and brother in law were also preparing!

That is great you are out there teaching it! I applaud you!

That is a great idea about forming a neighborhood group!

Thank you for the applause also!

A star and my very best wishes to you!
Also a big thanks to ATS and it's members!
Happy Holidays!

To tell you the truth I never have seen the need up until about 9 months ago. I did not by into the whole year 2000 thing or the Clinton is coming to take my guns thing or any of it. But something clicked in me about 9 months ago it was like I was a man on a mission to make sure my family would be alright just in case. I still have not completely come to understand it I was a eagle scout many years ago but this is not he same.

It is like I almost had a survival instinct kick in or something I never even thought about it to much. I am not sure if it is the government or the weather or the sun just something is just not right. Also I have noticed I am not alone it seems everyone is on edge and hope seems to be fading fast. I would like to know did anyone else have the instinct to survive kick in?


And also to answer the OP question the most important thing is a gun with ammo you can get anything else you need if you have the will to do it hopefully we are never put in this position.

reply to post by Subjective Truth


Remember it does NOT have to be an End of World situation.

Think how long the people of Indonesia had to survive after the catastrophe, or closer to home, Katrina.

Being prepared is just plain smart and getting that way can be fun and believe it or not, it can pull people together.

The one thing we ALL have in common is our will to survive.

Semper

It's funny but every once in a while I wonder if the stuff we stockpiled 50 years ago is still there.

One Saturday - early sixties - just post Bay of Pigs - my Boy Scout troop spent the day putting tins of crackers, cans of water, all manner of freeze dried foods into the basement of a Cathlic seminary near Princeton. Supplies for 75 people for the duration of an atomic apocalypse . Never heard that it was removed or disposed of. Wonder if it's still there?

Any seminarians from St. Joes on ATS?

reply to post by Subjective Truth

Yes, I did too ST! It just kicked in also!

I have always wanted to be self sufficient since moving to the farm.
I put it in high gear when I seen our choices for president and how neither one had a clue about the economy and then they vowed to put the same ones in charge that ran it into the ground in the first place!
I am surprised these band aid fixes have worked for this long!
I also was in scouts and that definately helps one prepare mentally!

Thank you for your post!

Originally posted by semperfortis
reply to post by Subjective Truth

 

Remember it does NOT have to be an End of World situation.

Think how long the people of Indonesia had to survive after the catastrophe, or closer to home, Katrina.

Being prepared is just plain smart and getting that way can be fun and believe it or not, it can pull people together.

The one thing we ALL have in common is our will to survive.

Semper

I just wanted to reiterate this if I may!

Katrina was a perfect example of disaster.
My brother lost power in florida for a week one time due to a hurricane.
He told me hated it so bad and said the worst thing was no TV or radio!
Now he is very prepared, complete with a generator!

It could be a week or even two before help shows up.
Look at the ice storms last year!
How many went for weeks with no power!

I agree also it can be turned into a project for the entire family!

It teaches so many good things such as thrift, responsibilty, resourcesfullness, economics, and organization.
As well as gaining real world experience with skills that are
crucial to survival in any situation.
Thank you for your help everyone!

Edit to add this:

Residents who depend on electricity were without power - some for several weeks - leaving them unable to heat their homes, cook or refrigerate food.

www.redcrosswesterncolorado.org...


[edit on 29-12-2009 by dodadoom]

Originally posted by Subjective Truth

It is like I almost had a survival instinct kick in or something I never even thought about it to much. .

About 18 month's ago I had a feeling that something was too happen and I felt the need to prepare.
Since then I have made many good contacts and gone about preparing for the good of myself and my better half.

Originally posted by Subjective Truth
to answer the OP question the most important thing is a gun with ammo you can get anything else you need if you have the will to do it hopefully we are never put in this position.

Not true, not true at all ST.
The most important thing you need is your brain and be willing to learn, understand, accept and improve your own situation.

A gun can be useful but I would put a good solid knife so much further up the list than any gun.

Heres something that can be added to the thread this is the LDS family website it has some good links to follow for proper shelving and food rotation. It even has diagrams for building of them.

preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com...

and if you dont want to build them heres a place you can buy the racks pre assembled

www.shelfreliance.com...

Originally posted by semperfortis
reply to post by Subjective Truth

 

Remember it does NOT have to be an End of World situation.

Think how long the people of Indonesia had to survive after the catastrophe, or closer to home, Katrina.

Being prepared is just plain smart and getting that way can be fun and believe it or not, it can pull people together.

The one thing we ALL have in common is our will to survive.

Semper

Could not have put it better myself Semper.

I do like to see people returning to day's of old where they relied on themselves first then any govt help later.

Can someone please explain to me what on earth a Soccer Mom is?.

No one uses that term in the uk,is it perhaps the kind of woman who appears in the audience of Oprah...too good to be true,wearing home knitted clothes?

Originally posted by KANDINSKI
Can someone please explain to me what on earth a Soccer Mom is?.

No one uses that term in the uk,is it perhaps the kind of woman who appears in the audience of Oprah...too good to be true,wearing home knitted clothes?

Ah a fellow from the UK, how are you.

Right Soccer Mom.

Soccer Mom

I'm not here to be rude friend, but google is there for a reason bud.

My preparation is a couple of pocket knifes and a compass. I figure I can get the rest through out my house. If you need to get away from your house, how are you going to carry hundreds of cans? I'll just take the cans from the cabinet and stuff them in my backpack, grab a blanket, and anything else around the house. I'm not prepared, but I have all I need to get by just by grabbing it from wherever.

Originally posted by Phlynx
My preparation is a couple of pocket knifes and a compass. I figure I can get the rest through out my house. If you need to get away from your house, how are you going to carry hundreds of cans? I'll just take the cans from the cabinet and stuff them in my backpack, grab a blanket, and anything else around the house. I'm not prepared, but I have all I need to get by just by grabbing it from wherever.

Ok, take this situation, You have just found out that there is a major riot / civil unrest heading your way. you have less than 5 minutes to get everything you need and get out the area.
Now while some of us will get our go bags and be gone within less than a minute, you will be searching around trying to grab what you think you will need all the time wasting more precious time. This can also be adapted for earthquakes, flooding, fire etc.

Just take a few minutes to think what you need and then go round the house and time yourself how long it takes you to get what you think you will need.

What you have said you would do is ok if you have time to get yourself sorted. But just think, what if you don't have time on your side ?????

Originally posted by colec156

Originally posted by Phlynx
My preparation is a couple of pocket knifes and a compass. I figure I can get the rest through out my house. If you need to get away from your house, how are you going to carry hundreds of cans? I'll just take the cans from the cabinet and stuff them in my backpack, grab a blanket, and anything else around the house. I'm not prepared, but I have all I need to get by just by grabbing it from wherever.

Ok, take this situation, You have just found out that there is a major riot / civil unrest heading your way. you have less than 5 minutes to get everything you need and get out the area.
Now while some of us will get our go bags and be gone within less than a minute, you will be searching around trying to grab what you think you will need all the time wasting more precious time. This can also be adapted for earthquakes, flooding, fire etc.

Just take a few minutes to think what you need and then go round the house and time yourself how long it takes you to get what you think you will need.

What you have said you would do is ok if you have time to get yourself sorted. But just think, what if you don't have time on your side ?????

5 Minutes is more than enough time. I know where everything is, so there is no searching involved.

[edit on 30-12-2009 by KANDINSKI]

reply to post by Phlynx


Well if you are that sure that everything you need you can get pretty much in an instant then sir you should be suitably prepared.

Just don't take anything for granted friend. All the best.

Definately an article I will have to read up on further at home when I have the luxury time. Its quite impressive the number of folks I have run into lately who fall into the category of prepper or survivalist. A couple of guys at the local gun shop I frequent mentioned the have bags idential to my Maxpedition Colossus which is my GetHomeBag that goes everywhere with me and I have no doubt that their bags are filled with items similar to mine and are designed for a similar reason and task. I don't get the same looks today when I talk about being prepared as I did several years ago and that both makes me smile and slightly worries me at the same time.

[edit on 12/30/2009 by Helig]