There are many of us like minded folks out there that are now nicknamed "preppers". We prepare ourselves for hard times and believe one day we may need to use our provisions. While we all have different motivators for preparing, we all try to have a complete ration of supplies for hard times. I personally am not an “end of the world” or “zombie apocalypse” kind of guy, but I do believe history repeats itself.
Just because we live in the United States of America does not mean that war cannot visit our shores. I also live in Oregon right at the base of the Cascade Mountain Range (literally). This is an active volcanic range with active bulges growing right now on the South Sister in Bend and Mt. St. Helens in Washington. We have many siezemic monitors located throughout my town for study and warnings. So what? Will they erupt again in my lifetime? Probably not, but if they do and the food supply is cut off, roads or bridges destroyed, or no power for weeks, I will be able to still feed my family.
A few years ago I was working on a utility crew for 6 days a week and long hours in the day. All of the sudden we went from a work crew of 26 to 6 and a work week of 6 days to 3. Ouch! For the next year my family lived of our food storage and other supplies without having to get help from family, friends, or our highly funded government. So it is not always the major disasters to prepare for, but the small and turbulent events of everyday life.
So I encourage all to be prepared for the unexpected. I tell people I plan for the future as if nothing will ever happen (I have big dreams for me and my family I want to come true), but I prepare as if everything that can go wrong will. This ensures that either way, my family will have a good future.
I talk to a lot of people about preparedness. The one thing that I find pretty consistent (besides the fact that people don't have a big enough ammo storage) is that most people have not considered what they want to store for trading with others....
ReplyDeleteCoffee
Candy
Liquor
Sugar (#10 cans)
Bleach
Antibiotics
Plus, get a bunch of toilet paper. Think about what you take for granted that will not be available if there is a disaster... or war.... or whatever.
Thanks
Besides having some of your basic water purification tabs. I keep a large tote full of beach sand (check your state regs before taking sand from the beach) with a lid to keep cats and bugs out. This way I can layer it with charcoal (in a tall drum) to filter out almost anything. It is still a good idea to then boil it. This can cleanse hundreds of gallons of water.
ReplyDeleteI agree with my granddaughter Ashley. Plus some high calorie bars and Military rations (they keep and are packed with carbs)
ReplyDeleteMister has a good point. Look into a rainwater catchment system like Rainwater Works in Cottage Grove Oregon.