prepper, SHTF, preparedness, survival, TEOTWAWKI
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So – you’re a prepper?

First off you will be pleased to know that you are not a nut case. Feel better?

Although preparedness is becoming more widespread mainstream preppers are still often looked at strangely by those that are non-believers. The vast majority of people today go through life with little concern with what the future holds.

If you are reading this then your opinion is likely similar to mine – those folks are wrong…..dead wrong. Bad stuff happens to good people every single day. Since we are good people and live in this world it seems pretty logical to take precautions in case something were to happen to disrupt our lives. No one thinks it’s crazy to buy car insurance.

One of the statements I have heard from family members and friends that find out I am a prepper is…..”You are just paranoid because nothing’s ever going to happen.” If you haven’t heard it yet get ready because it’s coming.

If you are preparing now or looking into it no doubt there is something on your mind that lead you here. So – why prepare? Maybe the better question is “What might happen?”

Here is a list:

power outage

severe winter storm

hurricane

tornado

severe drought

tsunami

grid failure

crime wave

terrorism

food shortage

pandemic

flood

fire

unemployment

EMP attack

solar flare

inflation

hyperinflation

economic collapse

nuclear war

terrorism

earthquake

nuclear power plant meltdown

gas/fuel shortage

overpopulation

martial law

hurricanepreparedness

Granted some of these are MUCH more likely to happen than others but the fact remains that the world is a dangerous place. It is not insanity to prepare for what might happen – it is a responsibility.

Everyone’s living situation is different. There are geographical differences, climate specifics as well as economic considerations. Someone living in Maine may very well prep for a grid down event in the middle of winter. That would certainly be different than someone else who lives in Arizona in the desert and prepares for an economic collapse and water shortage.

In summary, the decisions are your own and you should feel proud of yourself for taking responsibility for you and your family. It doesn’t matter if you are a senior citizen or just graduated high school – hopefully, the preparing that you do never pays off and no major life-changing event occurs. But if it does – you will be ready.

Take care –

Rourke

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23 Comments

  1. CaptTurbo says:

    I think that just living in a country half populated by socialistic inclined snowflakes should be enough to scare the shit out of any thinking person and reason to set a few things in order.

    Reply
  2. Badger359 says:

    Nice article JR and true
    In my life time of 57 years I have had e few encounters of the very things you listed at one time or another and some cases multiple

    Reply
  3. Gramma says:

    In Oregon, we prep for the offshore earthquake and resultant tsunami… and the strong likelihood of dams breaking.

    Imagine the rich fertile Willamette valley chin-deep in sea water. Now, imagine a cascading collapse of stored mountain water, a wall of mud at 30mph.

    Now, imagine a few million suddenly homeless residents of the former Portland. Those refugees cannot head north across broken bridges across the Columbia river, they won’t walk east along the river because that leads to hundreds of miles of desert… and cowboys and Indians, neither are particularly hospitable now. With dwindling resources, they might get downright cranky.

    So. South is their only route to perceived safety. We anticipate a few straggling refugees from the Oregon coast plus a few million from Portland and such.

    We heard a rumor. After the electricity quits, locks in jails and prisons and nut-houses automatically open. Because it’s the humanitarian thing to do.

    Those convicts are organized and they are vicious.

    We’re in for quite the rodeo!

    Did I mention the busted bridges and overpasses. The busted railroad tracks. Everything happens on foot. The overworked underpaid bureaucrats at Oregon Emergency Services estimate “3-6 months to re-establish power lines”…”12-36 months to repair or replace every bridge and overpass”. “Up to three years to re-build water and sewer lines.” Huh?

    Three years without clean water, living in sewage… chin-deep in salt water. If everything goes perfect all the time. If all the utility workers show-up, if all the road crews show-up with all their equipment. Huh?

    Where do they get the supplies? The fuel? Since they are an obvious target, who provides security?

    Oh, and get this:
    The OES rally point for all of Oregon is a hundred miles east across a 7000′ mountain range at the airport in Bend. The weather in Bend is either freezing for nine months or scorching for three months. But getting to Bend from the valley requires crossing multiple bridges and dams across various rivers. [shakes head in wonder]

    We are on our own.

    Reply
    1. Capt.Michaels says:

      Wow. Talk about being in the most hostile environment. That’s pretty scary, hopefully you can get/are far enough away from the main suburbs to give you a fighting chance.

      Some people just can’t move. There is no other way. I would be all about defenese, guerilla tactical defense/offense, how I would move about based on my health, replenishment of those defenses, sniping, the art of camouflage and deception. I mean that would be as essential part to the prep as your living needs. They are one in the same. A person could have all the “tech”, food, guns, and ammo, and all it would take is one match from some idiot derelict who has nothing and poof..! burned to the ground.

      Reply
    2. Uncle George says:

      Get yourself good maps of logging roads and Forest Service roads. I do not know the route from Portland to Bend, but I drove from LaPine to Eugene in a beat up old two wheel drive Toyota Corolla (many moons ago) on nothing but logging roads and forest service roads. It would be worth looking into.

      Reply
    3. Deanna says:

      My husband works for the OR Dept of Corrections. The cells and doors will not open upon loss of power. They are chain driven and/or manual. The larger issue will be how they will care for them and feed them in the long term. As a former first responder I know that hospitals, law enforcement and corrections will get assistance as a primary response. The inmates won’t be the concern, but the sanitation, lack of water, and food rations from FEMA will be. As we have seen in Venezuela, people actually leave the rural areas for the cities in search of more assistance…

      Reply
  4. SingleMom says:

    I needed to read this today. I’ve been so frustrated lately that I’ve been tempted to just pack my bags and move to my bug-out location. Of course, it has no indoor plumbing or electricity, and I’d need to change jobs. The supportive daughter has flown the coop, and the rest of the close relatives have been pressuring me to stop prepping. One is naïve enough to believe that the only calamities likely to befall us will kill us instantly, so why bother? Another lives a bare-bones existence and just runs to the store every other day when she wants something. I’ve tried calling my preps a hobby, tried explaining that it brings me comfort to have these things on hand, tried pointing out that they’ve used my preps time and time again. And they just don’t get it.

    Reply
    1. Robert Sickinger says:

      Single Mom..you have it right so don’t sweat what others may think. I have a similar situation with my family but i know that they will be the first to come running to me for help when SHTF happens. if all your dependents have gone it might not be a bad idea to move to your bug out location especially if you can find work there. In the meantime just keep keeping on..your doing all right and its the rest of the world that’s crazy and misguided…not us.

      Reply
    2. Capt.Michaels says:

      Do not be discouraged or dissuaded.
      a : to advise (a person) against something
      … dissuading us from base thoughts, low ends, ignoble gains … —A. T. Quiller-Couch
      b archaic : to advise against (an action)
      2 : to turn from something by persuasion unable to dissuade him from going

      Early, early, Christians.
      Should these people have been dissuaded? Where they called loons? Probably. Where they called all kinds of “Conspiracy theorist”, (modern term for our era)? Probably. However, the Catacombs were not built quickly overnight and at such great engineering designs by idiots. The were created, in advance and during, for a reason.Death by lions and all the other horrible tortues was not an option for a sick, depraved society back then. *Cough, cough * Speaking of which. Just google the Christian Catacombs and marvel at what every day people “prepped” for back then.

      For what it’s worth, no offense meant to your relatives and not that you need this person’s backing, but Steve Huffman, the thirty-three-year-old co-founder and C.E.O. of Reddit, which is valued at six hundred million dollars is a prepper also. I guess he’s just some lucky sloth idiot that happened to fall into being rich. He’s a liberal, but even he’s prepping. Along with all the other billionares building private islands. Rich people don’t build these to be isolated, they love being pampered.

      https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/30/doomsday-prep-for-the-super-rich.

      Oh, perhaps some Federal documentation you/one might ask. Sure, here:

      Leaked Memo Reveals Soros Plan for Federally Controlled Police – Breitbart

      A leaked document from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations exposes the level of involvement of the billionaire’s organization in attempting to build what it describes as a “national movement” to reform local police forces across the U.S. The reform largely consists of federal guidelines for local police forces.

      http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/08/30/leaked-soros-memo-federally-controlled-police/

      Remember paranoia, will destroy. So don’t let junk, truth or what not drive you into alarmist mode. Just keep plugging along. And…if nothing happens in your lifetime. Then you still win. Natural disasters happen all the time. If your being called home, so to speak. Just set what you have aside for the ones that you want to have it after you leave this earth. If they toss it or what not. You have Still have done your best and given them a chance over everyone else.

      Reply
    3. Oren says:

      I have a similar situation. However, I ignore the rolled eyes, the taunts etc. They will all have a full and up close understanding when it all hits the fan and I’m no longer here. I’ll be parts unknown. My wife gets very upset at me when I say things like this. She thinks I should drive approximately 120 miles to pick up my daughter, 3 grand daughters and self important son-in-law. Ain’t happening! I talked until I’m blue in the face. I bought books for everyone. I’ve even set up plans for them to use on a budget to get prep’d to no avail. I’ve even got a niece who told me if anything were to happen, she and her husband and dogs would show up at my home. Too bad. The naysayers are the ones who will be at your door first.
      Bottom line. If I had a place already, I’d be getting it ready and then just go. Beat the rush.

      Reply
  6. keebler says:

    for 32 years i lived at my BOL 20+ miles to a grocery store or hardware, so prepping was manditory. neighbors there now are all Amish,great people, I’m Now 125 miles from the BOL ,for medical reasons, i have brought most excess here. i still go there as often as possible taking fresh supplies,rotating needs there, I drained the water lines so it wont freeze ,causing unneeded damage,cases of water in the bathtub & sink. 3 days ago i went to check it out i had left the power & heat on low.Nice 52 degrees inside. I really miss being there. prepping is a life style I will always have, in town now & grocery stores are less than 3 miles either way, amazing how much stuff i have here too.
    I don’t care what my neighbors have or Don’t, in a emergency, i could easily Load BOV in a few minutes & be out of here.
    have a wonderful Weekend all.
    keebler.

    Reply
  7. Capt.Michaels says:

    Interesting topic Rourke. I’ve been very blessed in my lifetime to meet some very prominent people and/or people involved with significant historical events from all over the world. I’m just the average joe and put no “claim to fame” either. I’ve had a glimpse into such people and there knowledge. So I type all that to share about today’s topic. While at home for the holidays my mother invited some people over for dinner that had no families to spend the holidays with.

    Now my mom can be really crafty so I do know why she said or did what she did, but as we were done eating and started talking in depth. One of her guest was an older British lady that literally survived the Battle of Britian. She survied and saw what Hitler’s bombs did to the cities since she lived in London. Carefully and respectfully I asked if she could share a little bit. I was intrigued by what she did to survive with no heat, no food, no power. Wanting to know what kind of low tech ideas I could get out of it. What was really amazing was what she did for heat and how just using a wood burning stove did not provide as many things as I thought it would. I still want one, but my eyes are wide open to real life application of it now. As the questions and converstation went on for some reason my mom felt it necessary to let this Bristish woman know I was a prepper. This was spoken with little bit of exasperation. I’m pretty sure it was partly due to my mom finding our discussion boring. However, the British lady responded with, “Excellent. We should all prepare for such things. You never know when a catastrophe could strike.”

    The blank look on my mom’s face and everyone else’s at that table. The look like, “what, he’s right?” Lol…the affirmation was sweeter than sugar. I was very pleased. Even if the guest did not respond with something postive. I still would’ve said with complete contentness. “Yep, I live a perfectly normal life, I still go to the movies, I still buy nice things for myself every now and then, and like the other 6 Million preppers in the US, We prepare on the side.” A few weeks later my mom was playing bridge with her British friend and she went on to tell my mom what a pleasant young man I was. That she thoroughly enjoyed our converstation and to thank me for the making her feel right at home.

    I stopped trying to convince people to prep or join me a looooong time ago. I’m to tired to waste my breath, time, or energy on people that refuse to see the obivious and would rather pretend everything is perfectly fine. You know? Like, Katrina in the Gulf on Friday at a category 3, then comes Monday. Yep, keep on partying, everything is just fine. Or perhaps like in WW2, nope, it’s to far away. Not even possible America will get sucked into a war again. Or better yet, why do you have car insurance. Do you think your going to get into an accident every, single, day? It’s likely, it could happen, but it doesn’t stop people from living life, while Prepparing, for an accident.

    Prepping is a lifestyle choice. A person only has to choose how much to invest and at what point to go totally off the grid, unless forced to by Natural disaster or SHTF. There are plenty of level headed like minded individuals that you can fellowship with, like adults, here. Or on other sites. Get what you need from what each can provide to you.

    Your conviction or self-identity choice is up to you. It is not based on what others think or tell you…it is.

    Reply
    1. Gramma says:

      re:
      “…Hitler bombed London…”

      Blaming furners for self-centered inadequacies of local bureaucrats?

      Hiding trapped in a government shelter operated by the government agents?

      Today’s newsletter by Selco at SHTF school echoes our experience with the government agents. In the post, “Nick” describes his time during hurricanes in Florida, and his experience investigating a government shelter operated by the government agents. (Hint: Did he take a quick look inside at all the nut-cases and bums, then decide he was safer outside camping in his truck?)

      The stories of the elderly Brit woman reinforce our experience:
      WE ARE ON OUR OWN.

      Reply
    2. joyce says:

      Capt.Michaels, sounds like you are getting a lot of mileage from your holiday visit…always a good thing to feel encouragement, (and no small bit of satisfaction as a bonus.) Those little unexpected jolts of high octane fuel for your spirit can sustain one in a climate of negativity when those you are around are a drain on your energy at best.

      You mentioned her comments on heat and that using a wood burning stove was not as provisional as expected. (Having heated with wood for years, even with an airtight wood stove, it takes a good armload of wood each day in cold winter weather. Have been hoping to find information on applying rocket stove technology to our existing stove so even less fuel is needed.) Would you expound on she shared please? No food/power was also mentioned. Hearing a personal account of dealing with the lack of these important items would not only be fascinating, but add much to one’s perspective on readiness. i would rather learn from someone who KNOWS than read about it in a book any day. So please share any/all you remember of her experiences.

      Single Mom, you cannot unlearn what you know and until they have their own ah-ha moment, changing a naysayers’ s mind isn’t productive. We DO struggle with a kind of peer pressure in preparedness…”do MORE, be MORE”from those who “support” this choice….then on the opposing side, “you are CRAZY! Stop already!” To you i say (again) STOP TO REST BUT DON’T QUIT. You can do this SingleMom…

      Gramma, you DO have to wonder who hired the decision makers since the logic is lacking in the plans it seems. Here in the midwest, the emergency evacuation plan for Cedar Rapids IA, in case of a problem with the nuclear power plant just to the northwest of the city, is to send everyone southeast to the Quadcities.(The winds blow out of the northwest most often…makes one wonder if they are trying to save the population or not.)

      John Rourke, hope to hear more about your current activities as well as your fitness progress. It’s encouraging to us as we all are working towards improvement. Have to go vote for 1776Patriots now…keep it moving towards overtaking the (stagnating) MSO.

      It’s the weekend…enjoy……

      Reply
      1. Capt.Michaels says:

        Thank you for your well worded and thought out comment. Ah…hmm, see if I can get my brain to remember accurately what she said. Her story was more of a reactive and not an overall learning skill like I was hoping for, but I sure did get eye opener about those stoves.

        The first shocker to me was the wood stove and what you already said. She said it took A LOT of wood to keep them warm everyday. Especially, in rainy cold/wet England. I was under the impression putting small wood, then next size, and so on would burn for I don’t know, 2 to 4 hours? Not the case. Because I’m an intense researcher, I respectfully, said I hoped the newer “wood stoves” would allow the wood to last better. Trying to find the right one that was not to new, was made of a good iron, but today’s technology with venting, fans, air flow, etc. I didn’t want to be or come off as pompous.

        She said they had to hunt for wood that was not from buildings due to the paint, treatment, etc. Toxic fumes. For those in the city as herself, it was near impossible to find wood. What she and others hunted after like gold, was coal. ….silence and awe struck. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. This horrible earth product that the “media” and other made out as evil, was the perfect heat source. The awe struckness was the plain simple truth, people have been using it for hundreds of years for a good reason. My next thought was…how were you guys getting the coal? They scavenged for it and got what they could from places around England. I mean, I guess it was a lot more accessible like we find a gas stations today. Yes/no?

        She explained how long the fire would burn with coal compared to wood. I mean, I really felt stupid internally. Another great lesson to myself which leads me back to what I’ve always tried to base my prep on, low tech. However, dumb I felt, this…is why I’m always asking and trying to learn. I don’t want to miss an opportunity to learn something that could better or save my life. So now, I need to make sure I get a good wood/coal burning stove, where to buy coal, and start storing.

        Food? Well, as we’ve discussed here at multiple levels. More-so, for those in the city center. It’s very grim for people not bugging out. The didn’t eat quite often. People starved a lot. They ate a lot of potatoes. They also ate what vegetables they could steal from any local farm. Eventually, she moved out of London and I forget which part or rural area she went to. But yet again, people that gardened, lived away from city centers, people that were self-sufficient helped those who couldn’t. It was the best chance for survival. People, who were not self-reliant died or were lucky enough to survive. Which of course leads back to why we prep. I’m guessing she was clearly aware that prepping is Not a bad thing. She’s seen what happens when your not self-reliant. We spoke about smaller things she saw, how people acted during that crisis, how they actually helped one another. She talked about other products they used to wash clothes. Water was really hard to come by. There were always dead bodies everywhere. It was nothing to walk down the street and see them lying everywhere for days and not removed,(horrible). It was bad. Other things were at a premium back then and were like gold. Stockings, make-up, cigarettes, chocolate. It sounded like the simple pleasures of life were the desired things, you know? Which is another reason, I don’t think saving Gold/Silver is always the best investment. There are plenty of other things I can afford now, stock pile in mass amounts, and trade at good volume for batter later, IMO.

        I’m just guessing, but essentially, instead of going to an expensive prep class, spending tons of money on prep. Perhaps, spending one’s time with a rural farmer who doesn’t rely on tech or watching farming/homestead videos would be of a good help.

        Reply
      1. 3rdMan says:

        No, because saving for retirement is a fairly new concept, last 70 years or so. In years past parents relied on have a large number of children that would take care of them in their old age. So prepping for retirement is without a doubt the one situation most of us here will experience. Old age is come whether we like it or not!!!

        Reply
  9. rcoh says:

    That’s me! Just retired in June of 2016. Changes a few things on what to spend and really need or not. Good thing I have been doing this stock piling of important things for a while.

    Reply
  10. joyce says:

    Thanks for sharing that Capt.Michaels. Coal…that was what was used back in the day, even here in the Midwest. i don’t have experience with it but will be checking it out. Everything you related is food for MUCH thought. Thank her for ripples she created as well as your mom for “facilitating” an unexpected/unintended bonus.

    Mmmmmmm…..was just wondering when the “i have to take care of me, i don’t want to rely on my children” mentality began? Not that i fault it, I don’t want my kids to have to take us in either. We have planned it so we won’t have to load them with this responsibility. But sometimes, well, life happens hope it doesn’t detour the bus…

    Reply

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