Is Costco a trend follower or leader? Survivalist Supplies now on sale

[John Ranalletta]

[upflying]

I have my home generator, water and guns. Anxiously awaiting Armageddon and the apocalypse.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I don't think I'd want to survive if I had to eat the same food for every meal for a year.

 

Confused on their math:

 

they claim 5011 servings, enough for one person for one year. That's, uh, 13.7 servings per meal? :confused:

[John Ranalletta]

"I don't think I'd want to survive if I had to eat the same food for every meal for a year." You've only been married 5 years. Just wait.

[rad]

"I don't think I'd want to survive if I had to eat the same food for every meal for a year." You've only been married 5 years. Just wait.

 

[SeanC]

Confused on their math:

 

they claim 5011 servings, enough for one person for one year. That's, uh, 13.7 servings per meal? :confused:

 

5,011 servings would be 13.7 servings per day, which is on the low end, calorically -- less than 1,600 calories/day, which is what would be recommended for seniors and sedentary women. Active men (as well as teenage boys and very active women) require something in the neighborhood of 2,800 calories per day, or roughly 30 servings/day (divided, of course, among the appropriate food groups).

 

Anyway, 5,011 servings would probably be okay for subsistence/survival for a year, but you'd probably lose a lot of weight.

[Hank in WV]

Try C-rations for a year.

[1springer]

I wonder about the shelf life...5....10....20 years?

[Matts_12GS]

They were the world's largest wine seller for a number of years... And now look what's happened. Maybe they are apologizing

[Couchrocket]

Try C-rations for a year.

 

Ah, C's heated over a lump of burning C-4 stuck to the fender of an M151-A1 w/ an M-60 mounted amidships.... love that smell.

[elkroeger]

Best thing to do is stock up on canned beans. Drink the water, eat the bean, collect the gas, stay warm.

 

Actually, I'm of the opinion, if you live in town, that ammo and smokes is all you really need. Lots of both. And maybe a well organized militia between you and your neighbors...

[russell_bynum]

Best thing to do is stock up on canned beans. Drink the water, eat the bean, collect the gas, stay warm.

 

Actually, I'm of the opinion, if you live in town, that ammo and smokes is all you really need. Lots of both. And maybe a well organized militia between you and your neighbors...

 

Katrina taught us that if you live in town, the govt will confiscate your weapons and ammo, leaving you to fend for yourself.

 

Best case is get the heck out of dodge. A community would be helpful, but it needs to be away from the reach of big brother.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Confused on their math:

 

they claim 5011 servings, enough for one person for one year. That's, uh, 13.7 servings per meal? :confused:

 

5,011 servings would be 13.7 servings per day...

 

What, are you some kinda math expert or something!?

 

 

 

[Mike]

Confused on their math:

 

they claim 5011 servings, enough for one person for one year. That's, uh, 13.7 servings per meal? :confused:

 

5,011 servings would be 13.7 servings per day...

 

What, are you some kinda math expert or something!?

 

 

 

It's all way beyond me.

[Mike]

I was interested in the fact that there are actually some reviews of this stuff on the Costco website, indicating that some people are already breaking into their survival cache(????). Here are a couple of comments from the reviews:

 

 

-"Excellent Product, buy while you can. If you can't see what's comming, buy some glasses."

 

-"Concerned as we are about Wiemar Republic-like hyperinflation, we bought this product. One can had cracked open at its bottom due to blunt force trauma during shipping."

 

-"I would buy each of my children a supply for Christmas!"

 

-"My only complaint is the food tastes so good that it is hard to keep in storage!"

 

When the you-know-what hits the fan, I'll probably be among the first to die. My cache of food is restricted to a big pantry. I've only got a couple hundred rounds of ammunition on hand. My only source of illumination will that bagful of tea lights in one of our cupboards. I'm screwed, but I'd rather go out to a few nice restaurants while the good times are here.

[Dave McReynolds]

-"My only complaint is the food tastes so good that it is hard to keep in storage!"

 

 

That would be a good thing to verify, if you're going to spend $800 on some dehydrated food, considering that the probability of it's being used for its intended purpose is remote. The likely scenario is that some years down the road, you're going to get tired of looking at it and say, "what are we going to do with all this $hit?"

[CarrotNC]

...some people are already breaking into their survival cache...

 

Better to learn how to cook & season it, or identify food allergies, before actually needing it. Kinda like first aid skills...

[Mike]

I find this stuff a little goofy, but I freely acknowledge that I'll be the first one to start wimpering and crying if things start falling apart and I don't have any food.

 

One thing worth noting is that some people apparently do buy this stuff to eat on a day-to-day basis. Doesn't sound too appealing to me, but if you can feed yourself for the better part of a year for only $800, that's pretty cheap.

[bakerzdosen]

Well, FWIW, the initial intent of products like these is religious in nature. Shelf Reliance is a local (to me) company. They cater primarily to LDS customers (who have been counseled to have a years supply of food on hand) as opposed to those who are preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

 

It's not meant to prepare for a breakdown of modern civilization (though it would certainly be a good thing to have if that were to happen...) but for more realistic things such as loss of employment.

 

You can't tell me that if you lost your job that having a years supply of food for your family wouldn't at least put your mind a little more at ease.

[4wheeldog]

Try C-rations for a year.

 

Ah, C's heated over a lump of burning C-4 stuck to the fender of an M151-A1 w/ an M-60 mounted amidships.... love that smell.

 

It smells like.........VIctory!

[Ken H.]

I find this stuff a little goofy

Yeah me too. I think anyone who thinks they can somehow devise a plan to exist ‘stand alone’ when faced with an apocalyptic scenario is kidding themselves. At best.

 

Better to recognize up front that we all require a functioning society to exist, and in preparing for a disaster scenario it would be much more productive to plan on how to restore it ASAP, than plan on how to disconnect or protect one’s self from it.

 

[SeanC]

I think anyone who thinks they can somehow devise a plan to exist 'stand alone' when faced with an apocalyptic scenario is kidding themselves. At best.

 

Better to recognize up front that we all require a functioning society to exist, and in preparing for a disaster scenario it would be much more productive to plan on how to restore it ASAP, than plan on how to disconnect or protect one's self from it.

 

That's why it's also very important to stock up on ammo -- to protect yourself from all the people who expect society to look after them, who then panic when they realize the flaw in their thinking.

[Ken H.]

That's why it's also very important to stock up on ammo -- to protect yourself from all the people who expect society to look after them, who then panic when they realize the flaw in their thinking.

I didn’t say, “society to protect them,” I said a functioning society is required to exist.

 

But then we’ve covered this ground here before. Those that think they can exist with out others, and those that don’t.

 

Stock up on ammo – Can you eat bullets?

 

Stock up on food & water – How much for how long?

 

Grow my own – Where you going to get the seeds, tools?

 

Stock up on seeds and tools – What you going to do when the crop fails (e.g. weather) or one of the tools breaks?

 

Dig my own well – With what? What if there’s no water there?

 

Stock up on medicine – What if it’s the wrong one for what you got? Or broke?

 

I have my own generator – How much fuel for how long? What you going to do when it runs out?

 

I’ll go steal what I need – What you going to do when he has a bigger gun? And some has a bigger gun than his, and another bigger than that... How you going to get ‘there’ (where what you need to steal is)?

 

The list could go on forever. It’s actually kind of a fun game. For every, “I would survive alone because I...” There’s an easy counter as to why it wont work. The list inevitably starts with “stock up on ammo.” Like bullets are the solution for everything. Or even anything.

 

 

[Paul Mihalka]

After living through WWII, pennyless refugee/immigrant status and a couple of South American upheavals in my life, I find all this thinking/talking of a Apocalypse in North America absurd and almost funny.

[Husker Red]

 

A functioning society may be required, but fortunately that can be a really small community of skilled people. Really, once the zombies eat the easy pickings (people highly dependant on "society") the remaining folks should have a pretty easy time of it.

[Albert]

I think if we can get our production of Soylent Green up, we'll be OK.

[SeanC]

I didn't say, "society to protect them," I said a functioning society is required to exist.

But how are you gonna exist when society stops functioning? Just sit around and wait, hope for the best? Part of my plan is distancing myself and family from those whose plan is to hope society never stops functioning. Those people become dangerous soon after their tummies start grumbling.

 

Stock up on ammo – Can you eat bullets?

Bullets may lack nutritional value, but they are valuable when it comes to preventing others from stealing your nutrition. And of course, they're also valuable for acquiring nutritional things like meat on the hoof, etc.

 

Stock up on food & water – How much for how long?

We have two weeks of fresh water and food for four. Probably the bare minimum, but that's about the longest I'd sit in place. I have a well-stocked G.O.O.D. bag.

 

Grow my own – Where you going to get the seeds, tools?

I'll worry about hobbies like gardening when things settle down.

 

Dig my own well – With what? What if there's no water there?

I know how to find water. And where.

 

Stock up on medicine – What if it's the wrong one for what you got? Or broke?

Hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds, rubbing alcohol to disinfect, iodophor to santize, anti-inflammatory meds for pain, acetaminophen for fevers, and enough bandages, sterile pads, etc. Of course, if you have conditions that require specific meds, you should have enough of those on hand to last you a while. Fortunately, no one in my family requires specific medications.

 

I have my own generator – How much fuel for how long? What you going to do when it runs out?

A generator's nice, but how 'bout batteries? Do you have enough of those on hand to last a few months? Do you have a self-generating radio and flashlight? You might find some of the smaller items more valuable than a big generator.

 

I'll go steal what I need – What you going to do when he has a bigger gun? And some has a bigger gun than his, and another bigger than that... How you going to get 'there' (where what you need to steal is)?

Stealing shouldn't be part of your plan, regardless of the caliber weapon you're packing. In an emergency situation of the societal fail level, looters will be shot on sight. They certainly will be on my property (if I'm still there). Anyway, it's not the size of the weapon so much as having adequate ammo when you need it.

 

The list could go on forever. It's actually kind of a fun game. For every, "I would survive alone because I..." There's an easy counter as to why it wont work. The list inevitably starts with "stock up on ammo." Like bullets are the solution for everything. Or even anything.

It's not so much the solution they provide as the failure they help you avoid. Part of the reason this seems foreign to you may be due to the fact that in an emergency, you'll have no one to look after other than yourself. My wife and I have two children to care for, and preparation is paramount. If anything were to happen at their current age, the kids' safety would be our primary concern, and neither one of them would be able to assist us very much in those efforts. A few years from now, sure, they'll be able to put rounds on target as well as Dad, operate vehicles and machinery, locate food and water, etc. But in any case -- and especially at this point in their lives -- I'm not going to rely on "functioning society" to save us if disaster strikes.

 

The question is, what are you going to do when society stops functioning? Curl up in a fetal ball and try to think of how great things were? Run your generator to power your home entertainment system?

[Mike]

Well, FWIW, the initial intent of products like these is religious in nature. Shelf Reliance is a local (to me) company. They cater primarily to LDS customers (who have been counseled to have a years supply of food on hand) as opposed to those who are preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

 

It's not meant to prepare for a breakdown of modern civilization (though it would certainly be a good thing to have if that were to happen...) but for more realistic things such as loss of employment.

 

You can't tell me that if you lost your job that having a years supply of food for your family wouldn't at least put your mind a little more at ease.

 

Interesting. I was aware of the LDS doctrine, but didn't consider that this might be a response to a religious mandate. Nonetheless, it looks like some of the purchasers are survivalists.

[Dave McReynolds]

We don't agree on much, Ken, but I agree with you on this one.

 

I'm probably better prepared than most to survive on my own, since I actually do it for some weeks or a month every year. What this convinces me of is that I would be in pretty sad shape if I couldn't come back to civilization to re-supply at the end of my trip. And that's without anyone trying to hunt me. There aren't that many people who hunt and fish, and the populations of game and fish are about adequate to accomodate the few people who hunt and fish for recreation, and the even fewer people who hunt and fish for survival. If any substantial number of people tried to support their needs by hunting and fishing, game would be scarce or nonexistent within a year.

 

I have no experience with subsistence farming, but without the support of laws and law enforcement, I would imagine small farms would be overrun and the farmers killed or driven off before they could harvest their crops. I would rather take my chances in the mountains, where I could move around.

 

That is not to say that I'm willing to just roll over and turn in my guns (or bows and arrows). I would try to survive as long as I could. I just don't expect it would be very long.

[CarrotNC]

Stock up on ammo – Can you eat bullets?

Bullets are a tool to protect the food you have, and to secure more from available wildlife.

 

Stock up on food & water – How much for how long?

Invest in a cistern and water filtration system. Learn to preserve food.

 

Grow my own – Where you going to get the seeds, tools?

Get them now. Really low cost to purchase now, and by using heirloom seeds the pitfalls of hybrids (not reproducing) can be avoided.

 

Stock up on seeds and tools – What you going to do when the crop fails (e.g. weather) or one of the tools breaks?

Already have a forge and the ability to make metal castings, and to form tools from raw stock -- it's amazing what you can do with an old leaf spring. If the crop fails, that's what a well stocked pantry/root cellar is for.

 

Dig my own well – With what? What if there’s no water there?

Dig it now, and take your time. If there's no water there then build a cistern and rain collection system. If even that is insufficient, move!

 

Stock up on medicine – What if it’s the wrong one for what you got? Or broke?

Well stocked medicine cabinet means you have assets for bartering to obtain the medicine you need. Even better is to get in shape now and prevent the need for certain medicines or treatments.

 

I have my own generator – How much fuel for how long? What you going to do when it runs out?

Learn to live without power -- think firewood for heat and cooking. If you must have power (oxygen generator or insulin fridge, etc) then get a diesel unit and figure out your usage needs. Solar panel is cheap now and coupled with a deep cycle battery can provide the power demands for the machines you need. And you have backup parts, right?

 

I’ll go steal what I need – What you going to do when he has a bigger gun? And some has a bigger gun than his, and another bigger than that... How you going to get ‘there’ (where what you need to steal is)?

Learn to trade with what you have; a marketable skill has amazing value for those in need. Example, learn how to sew and repair or make clothes, and trade that for what you need. Trading partners live a lot longer than thieves.

 

The list could go on forever. It’s actually kind of a fun game. For every, “I would survive alone because I...” There’s an easy counter as to why it wont work. The list inevitably starts with “stock up on ammo.” Like bullets are the solution for everything. Or even anything.

Simply thinking thru the options can put you into a position of personal power over your own destiny. Knowing what you can and can't do enables you to address weaknesses and reinforce strengths. Giving up on the thoughts process because it's too difficult simply ensures a complete lack of preparedness, and at the very least a rough time of things.

Surviving alone is nearly impossible for most people, small units are necessary for long term survival. The military figures 13 men (squad) is the minimum to provide security long-term, do you know 13 neighbors whom you'd join with if things break down?

 

In my opinion, when things break down we'll still see a society of some sort functioning, just at a highly reduced level, with significantly longer timelines, and relatively higher costs. Take a look at Argentina for an idea, here's a guy who's posted about it in a blog:

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/search/label/TEOTWAWKI

 

If that's too depressing then consider the experience of a typical person who escaped Katrina in New Orleans and wrote about it:

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/index.html

 

Great lessons to be gleaned from both those sites, and while I sincerely hope never to implement plans that won't stop me from preparing. Just like CPR or knowing how to use & having a fire extinguisher.

[Antimatter]

How about getting to know your neighbors?

 

And for all those folks who picture themselves as rugged individuals (while participating on a public forum on an electronic media invented by a government funded entity), why not take the apocalypse as an opportunity to step up and become a leader, so you can shape the society to one of your choosing? Going off into the woods alone hasn't had a lot of success, historically speaking.

 

I'm with Paul on this one. The US is far, far away from a 'zombie apocalypse'. Heck, we're not even close to the 1930's. Now, if you live in some place that is subject to large-scale natural disasters it might pay to stock up on a few weeks worth of essentials.

 

I myself have enough supplies and a contingency plan for dealing with a tornado or ice storm that knocks out power for a few days. I actually got to test that a few years ago when we lost power for several days and I had to go to my neighbor who had a generator to put a couple things in their freezer. Later that year, I took some stuff to the dump for them in return. Apocalypse averted!

[notacop]

"ammo and smokes is all you really need."

 

You forgot the cases of beer that make you man enough to use the guns.

 

When it comes to this, just shoot me. I'd rather not have to attend to this sort of rational. I hope someone can still shoot straight after a few beers of courage.

 

[bmurphypdx]

I live just several miles from a nuclear sub base, as the crow flies. My sense of well-being arises, in part, from knowing that if the sub base goes bang, I'll be in mid-sentence and never know what happened.

[bakerzdosen]

We don't agree on much, Ken, but I agree with you on this one.

+1 People aren't going to turn into cavemen over night.

 

[snip]

There aren't that many people who hunt and fish, and the populations of game and fish are about adequate to accomodate the few people who hunt and fish for recreation, and the even fewer people who hunt and fish for survival. If any substantial number of people tried to support their needs by hunting and fishing, game would be scarce or nonexistent within a year.

100% agreed on the final point, but your first point depends entirely upon where you live. Around here, you can tell when hunting season is by the lack of employees at work and students at school.

[bakerzdosen]

I live just several miles from a nuclear sub base, as the crow flies. My sense of well-being arises, in part, from knowing that if the sub base goes bang, I'll be in mid-sentence and never know what happened.

Man, if I knew I was going to die in mid sentence, I'd never talk (at least not in sentences. ) That's quite a burden to carry.

[David]

People aren't going to turn into cavemen over night.

 

Maybe. Maybe not.

 

Remember when Houston was evacuating for the hurricane? All the ATMs were out of cash and no one had any. It's amazing how unresourceful people can be and how little they plan.

[russell_bynum]

We don't agree on much, Ken, but I agree with you on this one.

+1 People aren't going to turn into cavemen over night.

 

I've seen it happen. And it didn't take "over night"...it took about 3 minutes.

 

I was in LA Union Station waiting for the subway. A train pulled in on another platform. It stopped. The well-dressed business people inside got up and walked to the door. The door didn't open. The train sat for a minute or so. People started to get impatient and fidgety. The train started up again and moved about 15-20 feet. People started to get really antsy. It stopped again. The door didn't open. It sat for another minute or so. Then it moved again...just a few feet. When it stopped, the doors opened, and I watched a bunch of well-dressed business people carrying laptop bags and briefcases go into a full-on stampede. Someone at the front of the cluster got knocked down and people literally stepped on him in their haste to get out of the train. Nobody even bothered to stop and see if he was OK.

 

Katrina saw pretty much mass anarchy.

 

Hell...in some cities, if their stupid ass sports team wins/loses, people go bonkers and start destroying their own stuff.

 

It would take a pretty big event to plunge the whole US into that level of disorder all at the same time, but on a local or even regional level, it doesn't take much and we've seen examples of it in action.

[steve.foote]

That's why it's also very important to stock up on ammo -- to protect yourself from all the people who expect society to look after them, who then panic when they realize the flaw in their thinking.

I didn’t say, “society to protect them,” I said a functioning society is required to exist.

 

But then we’ve covered this ground here before. Those that think they can exist with out others, and those that don’t.

 

Stock up on ammo – Can you eat bullets?

 

Stock up on food & water – How much for how long?

 

Grow my own – Where you going to get the seeds, tools?

 

Stock up on seeds and tools – What you going to do when the crop fails (e.g. weather) or one of the tools breaks?

 

Dig my own well – With what? What if there’s no water there?

 

Stock up on medicine – What if it’s the wrong one for what you got? Or broke?

 

I have my own generator – How much fuel for how long? What you going to do when it runs out?

 

I’ll go steal what I need – What you going to do when he has a bigger gun? And some has a bigger gun than his, and another bigger than that... How you going to get ‘there’ (where what you need to steal is)?

 

The list could go on forever. It’s actually kind of a fun game. For every, “I would survive alone because I...” There’s an easy counter as to why it wont work. The list inevitably starts with “stock up on ammo.” Like bullets are the solution for everything. Or even anything.

 

 

You can get all of that stuff from the same store you get your functioning society from.

[bakerzdosen]

Remember when Houston was evacuating for the hurricane?

Fair enough. I only sorta remember it as I was at the Chronicle 18 hours a day trying to get them ready, so the "peripheral" stuff (you know, like the weather) just sorta passed by me. I just know that my trip to Bush Intercontinental (for the 3rd to the last flight out) was the smoothest I've ever experienced - because everyone had already left.

 

So, OK, I'll concede that people can (and do?) resort to very selfish survivalist types of behaviors.

 

However, I also think that we do need society to survive. I guess it just depends on how much you really fear a complete break down of society.

[SeanC]

However, I also think that we do need society to survive. I guess it just depends on how much you really fear a complete break down of society.

I don't fear a "complete" break down of society (if I did, I'd need more than two weeks of food/water/etc., a roll of cash and a G.O.O.D. bag), but I do fear a limited break down, be it due to a novel virus epidemic, massive earthquake, terrorist attack or whathaveyou. And to the people who aren't adequately -- or even marginally -- prepared for such an event, I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with you?

[John Ranalletta]

It would take a pretty big event to plunge the whole US into that level of disorder all at the same time, but on a local or even regional level, it doesn't take much and we've seen examples of it in action.

Just imagine if the ATM, credit card validation systems stopped functioning for just 24 hours. No national emergency - maybe just a hacker or a storm that brought down the system.

It will take JPMorgan Chase days, if not weeks, to get to the bottom of what caused a three-day outage of its consumer online banking system on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, cybersecurity experts say.

 

The bank has issued this apology. Bank officials also have indicated to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times that they have ruled out an online attack and believe the outage stems from problems with a third-party software vendor.

 

However, cybersecurity experts say investigators will have to do a lot of digging to isolate the specific trigger. Given the scale and complexity of the bank's online systems it is much too early to rule out some sort of malicious attack as possibly contributing to the outage, they say.

 

"It's like finding a needle in a field full of haystacks," says Jerry Skurla, executive vice president at Nitro Security, a security monitoring company. "You know the needle is there but you have to find out where it is, and more importantly, figure out how it got there. It takes time."

If all your ready cash and net worth are represented by a particular arrangement of iron oxide bits on a rotating disc a few thousand miles from your doorstep and you cannot connect to it...

 

 

[Husker Red]

Good point. I've wondered about the possibility of a few massive electromagnetic pulses set off around our financial districts. Everybody is "going paperless" including not only our money but so much of our communication. Even our health records in the hospital are all going paperless. What happens if the computers quit working for an indeterminate amount of time?

[mbelectric]

What happens if the computers quit working for an indeterminate amount of time?

 

You'll get on your bike and ride as far as a tank will get ya...

 

MB>

[Matts_12GS]

What happens if the computers quit working for an indeterminate amount of time?

 

You'll get on your bike and ride as far as a tank will get ya...

 

MB>

 

Not without XM radio!

 

[elkroeger]

...The US is far, far away from a 'zombie apocalypse'....

 

Depends on who you talk to. ;-)

 

That reminds me: I recently read the "Zombie Survival Guide". All about what to do when confronted with a marauding pack of the un-dead. One of the points the guy made was that getting out of town is the thing to do. But the roads will all be clogged with cars (everyone else had the same idea!), and those poor saps sitting in traffic have been overtaken by zombies and their virus. So THE ONLY option is to escape your urban hot zone via motorcycle. Lane splitting and better maneuverability will allow you to maintain higher speeds and stay beyond their reach.

 

I myself have a "go bag", an extra 5 gallon gas can, and a plan to hurtle down the local bicycle path on my 1100RS. It links up with some "Rail Trails" (converted railroad beds), so I can probably get to Idaho from here.... ;-)

[Ken H.]

And to the people who aren't adequately -- or even marginally -- prepared for such an event, I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with you?

I think we’re just more realist. We recognize that our lived are completely, absolutely, irrevocably dependent on a functioning society; well self-aware of our lack of ability to ‘go it alone’; and resolved to the fact that should ‘the big one’ (of whatever form) hit – well, it’s been a nice life/ride so far, we’re all going to die of something sometime anyway – time to kiss our arz goodbye.

 

I think “Husker Red” touched upon the most promising plan, “A functioning society may be required, but fortunately that can be a really small community of skilled people.” The key word being “skilled.” The way to survive would be to have a skill that is valued by others. The ability to grow something, the ability to build things, the ability to fix things, fix people, etc. An expert at Wall Street investment CDO collateralization probably won’t be on the list! Nor will a Software Development Project Manager for that matter.

 

 

Actually hooking up the generator to the home entrainment system seems like a good idea. I’ve got a couple of movies on the DVR I haven’t had time to watch yet, and it seems like a good way to avoid all the nuts running around out on the street thinking they’re actually going to be able to affect their outcome somehow.

 

[Ken H.]

Good point. I've wondered about the possibility of a few massive electromagnetic pulses set off around our financial districts. Everybody is "going paperless" including not only our money but so much of our communication. Even our health records in the hospital are all going paperless. What happens if the computers quit working for an indeterminate amount of time?

Yeah, looked at any solar flare projections for the next 5 years? That'll give you pause.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I think "Husker Red" touched upon the most promising plan, "A functioning society may be required, but fortunately that can be a really small community of skilled people." The key word being "skilled." The way to survive would be to have a skill that is valued by others. The ability to grow something, the ability to build things, the ability to fix things, fix people, etc.

 

A small band of skilled people with a cache of tools, food and weapons is likely to fare better/longer than a small band of skilled people with none of those things.

 

Acknowledging the difficulty/impossibility of long-term wilderness survival in complete isolation should not preclude one from preparing for survival over the short/medium term with a band of like-minded people in the absence of the large-scale, super-organized civilization we currently enjoy.

[John Ranalletta]

We recognize that our lived are completely, absolutely, irrevocably dependent on a functioning society;

So did Greek citizens.

 

Likely, Armageddon will look like Greek and French cessations of services as public pay and benefits are cut and public servants protest with strikes, etc. Our national, state, county and municipal entities have not yet understood they cannot fulfill the promises they've made, but there are those pesky elections to consider and more promises to be made.

 

As of today, the Fed is the second largest UST bond holder behind China. Armageddon could also look like a US sovereign default that results in China and the banks that own the Fed picking over the remains.

 

Our only hope is that the administration will shit on their bondholders rights like they did (with the Supreme Court's blessing) in the case of the auto industry bailouts. That would leave China and the Fed with the taste of ashes.

[SeanC]

And to the people who aren't adequately -- or even marginally -- prepared for such an event, I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with you?

I think we're just more realist. We recognize that our lived are completely, absolutely, irrevocably dependent on a functioning society; well self-aware of our lack of ability to 'go it alone'; and resolved to the fact that should 'the big one' (of whatever form) hit - well, it's been a nice life/ride so far, we're all going to die of something sometime anyway - time to kiss our arz goodbye.

 

If it's a society-ending event, you're probably right. But what's your plan in the event of something less than that? Sure, if it's just a couple of days, you can go that long without food, water or services. Maybe. But what if it's a couple of weeks? A couple of months? Will you have adequately-prepared friends who care for you enough they won't mind you sponging off their resources for awhile? Are you certain they'll be around when you need them?

 

How about a rendezvous plan in the event you're separated from your loved ones when a disaster strikes? Have you discussed escape routes, primary and secondary meeting points? Do you have adequate paper maps, atlases, etc.?

 

You claim to be a "realist," but from what you've said so far, you seem anything but (unless the definition of "realist" is someone who lives entirely in the moment, carefree, unaware and unconcerned about the likelihood society might not be there for him for an extended period of time).

 

The total cost of our bottled water, food, medical supplies, tools, batteries, and contents of our g.o.o.D. bag is about a thousand bucks. And that's including a wad of several hundred dollars in 20s. And when you consider that some of those items (e.g., things that go BANG!, things that cut, etc.) are regularly used for non-emergencies, the actual cost is considerably less. If needed, they'll be invaluable, which is a damn fine ROI.

 

I think "Husker Red" touched upon the most promising plan, "A functioning society may be required, but fortunately that can be a really small community of skilled people." The key word being "skilled." The way to survive would be to have a skill that is valued by others.

What skills do children bring to the table? Or an injured, unconscious spouse? What skill are you going to use if the water supply has been contaminated? Sure, maybe you're a skilled dowser who can fashion a water witch and dig a well, but wouldn't it have been better to have stashed away a couple weeks worth of fresh water?

 

You mentioned the ability to steal and grow things, which I guess are skills, but wouldn't a readily available stash of energy bars or beans and rice be preferable to risking your life looting (or waiting several weeks to harvest your salad)? C'mon, let's be real here Mr. Realist.