Could You Turn Friends/Family/People Away When the SHTF?

Let’s say you’re one of those “survivor” nuts like myself or the many others on ATS thinking some day the "S" will hit the fan. You have food, supplies, and ammo to hold out for a year with your immediate family not know how long it will take for things to get back to “normal”, whatever that would be after such an event.

Let’s say you been warning friends and family for months about impending doom but to no avail they did not prep, and let’s face it, there’s a lot of us in that boat right now.

What would you do when that day comes and the SHTF and those same friends/family/people, come to your house asking for your families food and water supplies after months of you warning them about stocking up. Would you bring them in? Would you shelter them? Or would you kick them to the curb?

Myself personally, if I’m stuck and I’m not able to make it to our retreat, where we are able to replenish our food and water supplies, I would have to send who ever knocking on my door away. I would help them out and give them a few bottles of water and #10 can of food but that’s about it. I would then ask them to leave and if they came back, they’re not getting anymore supplies.

If I was able to make it to the retreat and the same people came to me, I would have to evaluate their skills, make sure they can contribute to the group, put them on a performance notice of one month, and if they can contribute, accept them to the group. The only problem with this is we can only bring in so many people. After awhile I would have to resort to giving them minimal supplies and putting them on their way to never return.

What would you guys do?

You have to think about the well being of your immediate family. You did warn those after all so you cant feel guilty right?

reply to post by camaro68ss


If it's immediate family come on in otherwise your on your own buddy, sorry. Although I could see having some sort of equal swapping of supplies with other prepared people.

At the rate things are going, I'm going to have to say

HECK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!



*Finally have some peace and quiet.

reply to post by camaro68ss


Interesting philosophical thought experiment.
Tough choices to make in those situations that no planning will prepare you for.
For me the art of survival has always been flexibility. Analyzing each situation on its own merits and adapting to create the best outcome.

If you find yourself in that dilema, then you are way way too visible and need to find a safer place to hold up.

An offshoot of your question might be: "Are you willing to fight your friends and relatives for the right to utilize your own stores in the absence of theirs, rather that sharing it with them?"

Difficult decisions are the fate of those who do the right thing and prepare for hard times. In older times, people banded together in groups -- they were the original Mutual Assurance Group (MAG), and they fought hard against intrusion into their stores.

In modern times, the best we might be able to do is emulate those times, with a new slant on it. We can discuss and sometimes are fortunate in creating a 'group' with like-minded people. With such organizations come rules that all create and agree upon -- that much has not changed. An individual standing alone, even with a stockpile of weapons, cannot hold against a mindless mob forever.

It seems to me the only recourse is to try and tip the scales in your favor prior to the as-yet-unidentified event. Another possibility is the lone survivor, and there are those that can sustain themselves without a society, however rare they are.

To an extent, I have done this with my family and close friends. The more we share a common ideal, the more we can watch each others' backs, however ours is a weak system at best, because we choose to hope like hell that TSHTF doesn't occur, and that diminishes the impact of our choices. Still, a weak group can possibly be more cohesive than a disorganized mob.

Originally posted by jcord
If you find yourself in that dilema, then you are way way too visible and need to find a safer place to hold up.

well by me telling everyone to get ready, there going to know im prepping, and there close friends and family so they know were i live, plus its hard to "hide" for a year, you need movement and land to grow food and cattle.

It would depend on what they brought to the table. Maybe they didn't believe society would fall. Maybe they couldn't afford to prep. The question is are they now asset or liability? How much additional liability can you handle before you endanger yourself and your immediate family?

I have thought of this quite a few times. I have given my immediate family directions to our little hideaway, which is quite hard to find even if I gave them the address and told them to look it up on Google maps. Heck, even the Fed Ex people had to try 3 times before they found it to deliver a package, and we gave them verbal directions.

With the exact directions, I also told my family that, if TSHTF, to bring drinking water, non-perishable food, and any guns and ammo they had. I have a small family, as does my husband, so I'm not too worried about scores of family descending on our place like locusts. Most of our friends have their own places out here and don't need our help. Some have cattle, goats, chickens, etc., so I have things to barter with in order to get some fresh meat, eggs and milk.

Besides, we draw our water from a well, so I'm not as worried about water shortages. I would be a lot more freaked out if I still lived in a metropolitan area. That would be like being a captive in a zoo, where everything you require must be brought in by somebody else, and a shortage of food or water would mean fighting among the animals for survival.

i'd starve to death before watching someone else starve to death

So everyone needs to decide on a personal level what level of "screwed" they are comfortable with.

And please note that prepping entails prepping for those you intend to help out. So integral to the "dilema" of turning someone away is the fact that someone you had not prepped for is hitting you up.

One more thing, most of the people who will find you will not be of the pathetic type. They will be ravenous scavengers. That is the way you need to think. MOst people will not prep and they will live off of those who have. Have fun with that.

Originally posted by camaro68ss

Originally posted by jcord
If you find yourself in that dilema, then you are way way too visible and need to find a safer place to hold up.

well by me telling everyone to get ready, there going to know im prepping, and there close friends and family so they know were i live, plus its hard to "hide" for a year, you need movement and land to grow food and cattle.

If I had the supplies for a year and control over the supplies then yes I would let them in.. Point of fact they are people as well. Plus though they may have thought you were nuts to be prepping they were still listening to you and your plans. Somewhere in the back of their minds they were thinking."SO and SO has this and this and lives here So if crap hits the fan I know where to go" That was their survival plan. Crappy of them I know but lets face it they are friends and family they know how you think and what you have planned. That make for the worse kind of enemy.

I could ration food and make it last as long as possible. With more mouths to feed you also gain more defense and more people able to go out on Looting/gathering/Hunting missions. You Gain more then you lose, expecially if some of them know similar stuff as you or even different. Uncle frank was an avid farmer. He will be great for the fields. Your friends wife was a Nurse. etc etc. If they have the same skills as you then that just doubles the chances of bring game home. IF they have no knowledge but willingly learn for their supper then teach them.

All things you do for them help you in the long term. Should you break a leg well now the family that's dependent on you for food will not die because of your accident. If at any point they become trouble instead of help well then you have to decide what to do. Different strokes for different folks. Do you calmly ask him to leave. Do you put him down knowing the future danger he might pose. Do you start keeping prisoners.. I am sure there is a hundred more things you can do. And it is all situation dependent so these are things you will have to make as you go along. Hopefully those decisions won't come back to haunt you later..

Therian

Sacks of rice and beans have gone up 3-4 dollars just this month.

If your worried about this question you should consider a #50 sack of each for each person your worried about. $60 each person. when they come give it to them. let them know you thought about them and thats it. No more. If you really thought about them you would have printed packets of info so when you hand them the grocery sack of fishhooks and snare equipment they have instructions.

I tell you the real truth and I have seen it with my own eyes. The ones in shock will die from no water in the first 7 days. most of the rest in 30 days once parasites do their work.Dirty water and poor sanitation as well as not bathing will take out more than any food issues.

Educate.

very immediate family=IN
friends, neighbors, etc=sorry you're out

I would have no problem using lethal force on friends, neighbors, etc..I have 2 kids to think about first and foremost. They get first dibs on everything, then me/husband, immediate family.

If they came in the spring and summer I may need help gathering food. If they are willing to work then I may spare them.

NO! Everyone is welcome!

Originally posted by SuzMc
NO! Everyone is welcome!

I take it that you have unlimited resources? No? You just condemned your children to starvation.

I believe in strength in numbers, a bunch of little groups of 3 to 5 fighting amongst each other would only hasten the end of the end. My folks are old, they live quite a drive off but if I could get to them, and my wifes folks for that matter I would. My only brother is a big strong guy and willing to work and of course he's my brother, he's in. I don't have a huge group of friends, but the ones I got are good ones and I know that if they came for help I would help them and they would find a way to reciprocate in kind, there is always work to be done in an emergency. With like minded neighbors and good country boy kind of common sense I believe my little country neighboorhood would be OK.
Now for those filching off society, living off the taxes paid from the sweat of my brow, well I know very few personally but if they showed up at my door begging, if I was not in a total bind, and in a good mood, maybe a little help on a work first, eat second deal, then again maybe not.

Family would definitely be in. Hard workers, skills and knowledge.

Certain friends with cabinets full of guns and ammo, and certain connections with the like would definitely be in.

Certain friends that were spoiled, lazy parasites (sorry I have to put it that way, but thats the best way to put it) in day to day life would be out.

reply to post by camaro68ss


Family yes, friends no.
I have my family as fate has willed it to be, there are some I truly do not like.
My friends I have meticulously hand picked and I have deemed them as good people.

will do as always have..
help out those who need it.

but stay in a group or allow a group to stay with me.. no thanks never been keen on crowds and I enjoy my solitude far from the insanity of the world...