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10 Ways to Prepare Your Community for Economic Collapse

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posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 08:36 PM
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Maybe you're already a prepper and have 6 months of food and water, solar panels, a woodstove, survival and firearms training and feel as ready as possible to deal with any upcoming disaster. Odds are good however that you do not live in isolation with no neighbors for miles around. Like most of us, chances are you live in a subdivision or apartment complex and have many people who live nearby.

This article deals with how to prepare along with your neighbors and discusses things that can be done collectively to better ensure everyone's odds of survival. Let's face it, there is safety in numbers along with a diversity of goods and skills that can make life easier, safer and more productive.

Could you deal with the catastrophic illness or severe injury of yourself or a family member? Maybe you're fortunate enough to have a doctor as a neighbor or at least a trained nurse or EMT. It's possible an herbalist lives in an upstairs apartment. Knowing such people could save your life. If your community is without power or isolated for weeks or months on end many skills would become critical as well as the knowledge of how to apply them.

My subdivision has around 300 homes, a stream and a single road access in and out. We have a rather ideal situation in many ways. We also have a neighborhood association and the next meeting I plan to hand out flyers that will ask if people want to be part of an emergency network, listing any special skills or tools that would be willing to loan to others.

As individuals or single families we're vulnerable to many things; together we can weather almost any disaster.


Alternative Water Sources: Water is the most important element for survival. If the grid goes down, public water will be sure to follow. Locate private wells that can be switched to hand pumps or generators, or streams, rivers and ponds that can be piped and stored near your community. Create a map of these resources for everyone in your group of volunteers to keep safe if crisis strikes. Educate your neighbors with flyers or demonstrations at block parties about having back-up water supplies, rainwater and greywater use, and water purification methods



Neighborhood Watch: All communities are unique and will require different levels of security in times of crisis. As we saw with Katrina and Sandy, the National Guard and the local police were no match for keeping the looters at bay. And, again, these were just temporary setbacks. A sustained economic crisis could bring many desperate people or worse – organized gangs – to your neighborhood. The cops will likely be preoccupied with much bigger concerns than your community assuming the locality can still afford their salaries. Start with a simple neighborhood watch to create a basic plan for deterring invaders. Make note of neighbors who are former military or hunters to recruit should things get dicey enough to require some firepower.


More here:
www.blacklistednews.com...

Related:
Good tips for the single person or family prepper -
10 Things to do before The Economy Collapses www.abovetopsecret.com...

Member SpaDe made a critical point and that is one should never reveal to others the extent of their prepping: how much food, water, guns, ammo, medicines, etc one has or you may have created a very bad situation for yourself. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out how this could go badly when people get desperate enough and they know you have what could keep them and their families alive.
edit on 3-12-2012 by Asktheanimals because: added comment

edit on 3-12-2012 by Asktheanimals because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 08:47 PM
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a homeowners association, i'd run as far as possible from that.

get ready for 300 dictator wives and 300 silent husbands who are still trying to find out where their wives hid their testicles.

these are the same people who call the police if your grass is 1/36 of an inch longer than outlined in the home owners by-laws.



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 09:09 PM
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Many of these things listed are good advice to use once you have already established your own personal preparedness. My big worry about turning to the community is the people who will be lazy and not prepare simply because they will just rely on what their neighbor has. Community is a good thing when it works, and a terrible thing when it does not. The last thing you want is two dozen lazy people sucking the life force out of your preps.



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 09:19 PM
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reply to post by SpaDe_
 


Excellent point. I would NEVER tell anyone the extent of my preps - how much food, water, medicine or ammunition I might have stocked up. Someone would most likely try to take advantage or you by begging or straight up murder and plunder should times grow desperate enough.

But if you have everyone co-operating on certain tasks such as security and a barter system established then having a group becomes an asset.

This is important enough I should edit the OP and add it.

Thanks!



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 09:26 PM
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reply to post by Asktheanimals
 


No problem. I do believe that a community working together has a far greater advantage over a single household going it alone, but that only works when everyone is contributing equally in some fashion. I would however turn to my community for something as simple as security. Being secure is a benefit to everyone in the community, so it would make sense that everyone would be equally invested in that.



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 09:31 PM
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reply to post by randomname
 


You would be pleasantly surprised by the people you meet at a neighborhood association meeting. There's a good number of older retired couples who are very knowledgeable - they lived through the depression. They remember how to grow gardens, raise chickens, fell trees, can vegetables, fix broken machinery and have a great deal of common sense.

Sure, there's a good deal of petty "we saw these creepy looking guys walking at night" types who obsess about whatever the TV tells them to be afraid of. I have a neighbor who is diabetic, 350 lbs and confined to a wheelchair - not much help one would think yet she's a master at sewing and makes clothing from scratch using scraps. It's all about utilizing the talents people have collectively to get by.

There's a good feeling that comes from knowing and helping your neighbors, you feel a sense of community that is sadly missing in most of the US anymore.



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 09:35 PM
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I have a BOL, and if I can't make it to that.....oh boy my life is going to suck.

I don't see communities coming together, I see complete chaos in the case of an economic collapse.



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 10:05 PM
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List of desirable skills My neighborhood has around 300 homes. Chances are good that nearly everything on this list is available and that there are people with the skills and knowledge to survive extended periods of time.

Leaders/managers - people who can convince others to do what is needed and accomplish tasks.
Security - marksmanship, tracking and observation
Food production - gardening, animal husbandry, aquaponics, hydroponics, wild food foraging, canning & preservation.
Health/Medical - Doctors, nurses, EMTs, herbalists, homeopaths, pharmacists, chemists, wild medicinal plants.
Mechanics
Machinists
Electricians
Plumbers
Carpenters
Blacksmiths
masons/bricklayers
arborists
Network/IT Professionals
Gunsmithing/reloading
Hunting/trapping
Fishing

Tools and equipment:
Firearms/reloading dies
Chainsaws
Tractors
Rototillers
Generators
Water pumps
Water purification
Log splitters
Radios/walkie talkies
Machine shop - presses, lathes, cutters, saws, various hand tools
Wood shop - saws, drill press, routers, sanders, lathes - non powered hand tools particularly valuable.
trailers, wheelbarrows, axes, mauls
Winches/ pulleys
Old school washing machines
Stills
Bicycles
Motorcycles

Night vision
Binoculars
Telescopes
FLIR cameras
Motion sensors
Remote cameras

Canning equipment
pedal sewing machines
leatherworking tools

Entertainment/sports
All work makes Jack a dull boy or makes neighborhoods less than pleasant to live in. Entertainment is important to keeping people's spirits and attitudes positive.
Community band
Theater
Storytelling
Sports
Celebrating holidays

That's just off the top of my head in 10 minutes.
Feel free to add any I may have overlooked.


edit on 3-12-2012 by Asktheanimals because: (no reason given)

edit on 3-12-2012 by Asktheanimals because: (no reason given)

edit on 3-12-2012 by Asktheanimals because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 3 2012 @ 10:10 PM
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reply to post by Asktheanimals
 


I put hand tools higher on my list of desired tools to have simply because they do not require electricity which may be in short supply in a collapse scenario. I have picked up old hand tools at yard sales and flea markets just to have around for such an event.



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