survival -- plan and prepare? or LOOT and BOOT?

reply to post by Jinglelord
Thanks. Let me look and see if anybody is close by.

reply to post by darrman


What happens when the Looters are a band orphaned children?

Will you shoot them too?

reply to post by Jinglelord


This is rubber hitting the road territory.

Without antibiotics and such, you could lose a member to an infection. So watch someone die of gangrene or loot Wally World, or CVS? I know what I pick.

Any group trying to survive are not going to be ironmen; they will be ordinary people, with ordinary frailties such as an asthmatic kid who needs her meds, a diabetic, maybe an epileptic - you name it. Men, women and children.

Pharmaceuticals will be needed.

I would not be part of any group that just writes these people off without trying to help, and I bet you wouldn't either.

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


You know I wouldn't be writing off anyone. My goal would be to get people together and as far from danger as possible. Medication will be an issue for sure. But pharmacies will be emptied soon and some of the most bitter fights will be around them if there is mass looting.

I know it is possible to make your own antibiotics and most prescription meds will need some kind of solution. Coffee makes a good sub for an inhaler.

To me everything goes back to making yourself as valuable as possible. If you want you and your family to survive you must find a place in a community and help guide that community to survive. Looting is too dangerous. I can't help my family if I'm killed in CVS because someone else decided they needed that prescription I just nabbed.

Also I have successfully treated many infections with warm water and salt.

Also I always have several bottles of hydrogen peroxide around the house. This should be in every BOB by the way. It helps everything from a wound to a dental abscess.

A person can remain combat effective for about five days with what he can carry on his back. After that, your water is finished, and a few days after that you'll feel your belly button rubbing your backbone.

Water/Food/Weapons/Ammo/Tools/Shelter mix is so very difficult. Every ounce feels like a pound at the end of the day.

Looting. Lots of gang-mentality looting in the early weeks. Not just food and weapons, but women. The numbers of gang-mentality looters will be whittled down as weeks go by - by either other gang-mentality foes or well-prepared and dug-in defenders.

Movement in a SHTF scenario will be very limited with something like 90% of the population limited to somewhere between 45-60 miles. If you think you're going to drive to escape or get to another distant destination - think again. You'll be walking. And if you take a logical, easily anticipated line of approach, every mile will be contested.

Think about water. Then security. Then food.

Some things aren't worth the fight before you. It may look like a stalemate, but if you get injured, your chances of survival are reduced to one tenth of what they were.

In a face to face where no one is exactly trigger happy yet, some things can be tossed as sacrificial things enabling escape.

But I'll be poisoning my "throwaway" food items. The SOB's will not change their nature, so I'll change it for them.

reply to post by FarArcher


Great points Fararcher!!

hmmm a dummy BOB is in my works!!

Originally posted by TriggerFish
reply to post by darrman

 

What happens when the Looters are a band orphaned children?

Will you shoot them too?

no,, not unless they shoot first..

This is the entire problem with human beings today.
I had to read three pages just to get what seems to be the same reply.

Dog-eat-dog world.

I really believe that those who choose to steal and plunder to survive will only make it worse. I know all this will take place regardless of the situation, but that's my point. Why on Earth do we (and I mean everyone) think that stealing will help you survive any situation? If we 'serfs' had any clue on what it really would take to withstand a SHTF scenario, we'd chase after the people who caused the mess; not each other.

The more people stick together and try to work things through, the better off we'd be.
Humans are resilient creatures.
Able to build colonies out of nothing but woods.
Entire farms and fisheries out of one bay.
Why wouldn't we be able to survive anything?
(besides an Earth Ending Event)

I fear for those who choose to loot and boot.
You can only steal so much.
After your loot runs dry you will have to make do with what you have.
If you never aquired skills in the past, theivery will be all you know.


Either way it will be interesting to see what takes place.
Or what people will resort to.
And if I would perish defending anything on my persons...
They needed it more than me.

reply to post by wtf1is1happening


Those, who have been preparing for a long time,
have already thought all these scenarios out.

Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by wtf1is1happening

 

Those, who have been preparing for a long time,
have already thought all these scenarios out.

I have been "prepared" for many years,, but until this morning,, when i realized i overlooked the human element ,, when i got so upset,,that intelligent people, HERE on ATS, were actually planning to steal for their family, instead of planning to prepare for their family...

it knocked my socks off------

I just cant go out and buy Everything i need ,, im not "rich",,, but over time i put away enough to satisfy any concerns about "making it through"...


under-estimating humans could be MY biggest failure as of yet..

i planned for water,,, food,,, crops,,,, shelter,,,,, hunting,,,,

Thank God i still have time to prep for the "human-element "




I for one do know the difference between KILLING and MURDER...........
I will not murder.....
i am mentally able to kill

i hope .......pray.........warn.......aim.................fire...

reply to post by darrman


Frankly I think most people that are planning to steal from others will not and haven't thought their plan through. I am only moderately worried about theft from man and more worried about getting a community through a disaster.

I know I'm not the only one and your local community will doubtless have many that will step up when TSHTF and you will be pleasantly surprised.

I feel like the only areas where this should be a major concern are poverty stricken urban areas where people literally know nothing other than food stamps and convenience stores. If you live in one of those areas then get out before anyone else knows whats up.

Now there will be exceptions of course but I think if you stick to your community and work hard you will be good.

But be mindful there are criminals and there always will be, but from the sounds of people here there will immediately be a horde coming to steal, rape and pillage. I doubt that will happen.

I moved away from the city a few years ago, just in case.

reply to post by sonofliberty1776

Unfortunately the jobs are in the large population zones, so living two hours away is not a real option for most people.

You don't have to live hours away. Just have a place you can retreat to hours away when TSHTF. One way to do that is to get some like minded folks together and go in together on a place. Or if you have friends or family that live in a good place make arrangements with them. Store food and necessities there etc.

reply to post by darrman


I am willing to prepare and I am prepared to defend me and mine
end of story -

Aliens are going to lure you stupid humans onto their ships before this happens... you are too valuable of a commodity. End of story.

Originally posted by TriggerFish
reply to post by darrman

 

What happens when the Looters are a band orphaned children?

Will you shoot them too?

Although you aren't questioning me I would say that if a group of 12-13 year old kids with sticks and knives came at me........ Yes. I would shoot them all.

Any kid that is younger wouldn't last too long on their own. A group of "kids" that have lasted any time at all should be viewed as a possible threat. They survived that long somehow.

Whether they came unarmed and asking for help or as a group demanding something would make a difference.

If you are a threat to my family I don't care if your 12 or 80....... Your still a threat. Period.

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by WeirdOldDude

 

My dogs would protect me...Even my 18 year old cattle dog would go after someone he didn't recognize..

Staying in the area I'm in when the SHTF is not a good option for my wife and I.

One of my dogs is a blue Heeler as well (only half as old) ! Best dogs in the world The other one is (will be) a Kangal (born only a few weeks ago, but they grow faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast...).

Being female and only five foot tall I have taken into consideration that in such circumstances I will become a target/commodity. One of the first things i did as a teenager was learn to defend myself unarmed - then I packed a bob

People are welcome to come and try to loot my place.
I can use their corpses to sandbag my house and in a month no one will be able to stand to get near

Say Fred, what's that pyramid over there made of?

You Loot - I Shoot

Well lets say something does happen........i sure is hell ain't going allow my home to be raided by selfish fools who feel like i should hand over my supplies and pay for their ignorance and stupidity when it came to being prepared.

Whats mine is mine especially when it comes to such a time of need and just thinking about people trying to take my supplies that i got together with my money and time makes my blood boil.