how prepared are you for a SHTF scenario

I have a few large bags of rice and beans and large gallon jugs with fresh water. i would say with that combined with my canned goods i probably have 2 to 3 weeks of food stored. and that's if i ration it. so foodwise i'm not that prepared but i actually have a reason for that. my plan has always been to go to the coast if shtf because my family lives there and i figure the ocean has pretty much infinite fish in it so the likelyhood i'll starve there is much less than in central NC where i currently reside.

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

Carry a hundred pounds of books or a light electronic device that can’t make phone calls. That is like saying you won’t use a lighter because if the humidity is just right a friction method works and you don’t smoke anyway. And if you can’t start a fire it will be okay because it isn’t that cold today.

Or that those collapsible cups take up less space so are better than a solid metal cup.

Or that an alcohol stove or propane stove is better because it is fast than a regular fire.

Reminds me of the old prep list with the electric rice cooker as a must have item.

If the bomb hits I'm dead anyway. Whether it is immediate or prolonged suffering. I have some dry food storage, about 2 or 3 weeks. It will get irradiated so it doesn't matter.

Maybe a bottle of liquor would ease the situation.

Best thing to do is get to a shelter or bunker. Find out what is available to the public or your neighbors, if they don't kill ya thinking you are trying to take their stuff.

originally posted by: Ahabstar
a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

Carry a hundred pounds of books or a light electronic device that can’t make phone calls. That is like saying you won’t use a lighter because if the humidity is just right a friction method works and you don’t smoke anyway. And if you can’t start a fire it will be okay because it isn’t that cold today.

Or that those collapsible cups take up less space so are better than a solid metal cup.

Or that an alcohol stove or propane stove is better because it is fast than a regular fire.

Reminds me of the old prep list with the electric rice cooker as a must have item.

I'm not sure how to respond to this. I think we're both saying that being prepared is a good thing.

Why would I carry 100 pounds of books? I never do that at any time. Maybe 20 pounds if I've just attended a book sale. My books sit on bookshelves where they belong and I can have easy access to. I'm not going anywhere.

I don't use a lighter now. Why would adopt that habit if society collapses? I've always used matches and they've never let me down. When I need to start a fire, I start a fire. The process starts and ends there with me.

What's wrong with solid metal cups? Or plastic? Or ceramic?

Any kind of fire I use is the perfect speed it needs to be for my needs. Why should I complicate matters further? I try not to overthink things.

I don't have an electric rice cooker unless you count my stove, which is electric. But, I usually cook it over gas burners. I really like rice, I'm glad to see you do as well.

It sounds like we're both smart about preparing.

originally posted by: Abacus1
You are my first reply on here! Agree 100% about the food expiring. Hopefully, we dont have to get used to that. I freeze meat but want to learn how to preserve it by drying/salting. I guess I need to get around to learning that.

Glad to be your first response. Drying and salting meat is something I've always wanted to learn how to do as well. Guess I really should look into. Canning is a way to preserve meat, too, which is also what I do in addition to using the freezer.

originally posted by: eManym
If the bomb hits I'm dead anyway.

Another depressing consideration is all of the nuclear reactors being left unattended.

I was just remarking to my husband about this while driving past a field the other day. There must have been fifty dear eating a new growth of green in that field. I’m sure the farmer appreciated it, lol! But my thought was: yes! Cultivate the deer! Do not shoot them until absolutely necessary. Cultivate them.

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

That is true but if you survive, your human spirit for survival will take over and you will want to help yourself, your loved ones and others survive if you can.
a reply to: NorthOfStuff

Sorry, I meant to reply to eManym. I’m new here. a reply to: NorthOfStuff

Double post.

a reply to: NorthOfStuff

I remember reading somewhere that most all facilities have automatic failsafe systems that shut everything down if things start to go wrong.

What you say makes too much sense which makes me worry it is entirely untrue. We can only hope. a reply to: ncsky

I’m somewhat prepared if I survive the INNITIAL SHTF scenario…

a reply to: offensive

originally posted by: Abacus1
Sorry, I meant to reply to eManym. I’m new here. a reply to: NorthOfStuff

All good!

I’ve been here a while and still post double posts

a reply to: offensive

ANYBODY TRY NIGHTCRAWLERS (chicken fries ) ??
do they taste like chicken, you think??

a reply to: v1rtu0s0

Correction, the world is not running out of resources. A collection of global elite have colluded to destroy supply chains and critical infrastructure to eliminate abundant supply of resources.

There's a difference.

a reply to: offensive

Ok, you've figured out you're vulnerable. That's the most important step. Now what are you going to do about it?

a reply to: ncsky

I have participated in a stupid number of disaster response/vulnerability assessments around all of critical infrastructure. Especially in response to EMPs but also terrorist attacks, nukes, earthquakes, etc....yadda yadda. The biggest weakness that starts the dominos to fall is probably not what you'd expect..... It's sewage systems. Most sewage systems in major cities are run by mechanical lifts that move waste through the filtration systems. If those lifts lose power for more than 4 hours, the sludge will solidify like concrete. That means you MUST "rip and replace" the entire sewage system. Eliminate the sewage system in a city like Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles....and now you have a serious biological hazard.


Oh....one other tidbit. All 16 sectors of critical infrastructure in every state have been running these vulnerability assessments for a decade and sharing that information with federal government. That means that our government (and the highest bidders/hackers/foreign intel) knows every vulnerability that exists to bring down critical systems and that they have practiced doing it.

a reply to: TrulyColorBlind

Young dandilion leaves are good mixed in the salads...but not too much or it gets overpowering. I like plain old iceberg lettuce because it is mild and easier to digest. I only eat cooked spinach, I learned many years ago that eating it in salads increases my frequency of kidney stones if raw, There are a lot of the greater plantain in our yard, they look like spinach and a small amount is ok on a salad if young. But just like spinach it can increase kidney stones. It is referred to as the soldiers bandage because it is very potent at clotting blood....if raw....spinach has this property too but is milder. Both spinach and plantain can be cooked and do not increase blood clot risk hardly at all, but both eaten raw can increase clotting factors. But by far, the greater plantain is stronger at causing blood clotting when raw. I personally think that the greater plantain tastes better boiled with salt and milk added....the calcium in milk binds to the oxalate in the gut and keeps it from being absorbed to lessen risk of kidney stones. Creamed spinach is good too. People used to eat raw spinach before with no problem because they drank plenty of milk with meals which has calcium to lower absorption. Now oxalates are beneficial for some things in the body but a little is all you need, people have varying amounts of enzymes and different diets, so for some people the oxalates are not much of a problem. Think about the recipes, kiesh (Actually spelled quiche) has milk and cheese in it, both contain calcium and it is baked. Creamed spinach also has milk or cream.

Some of the plants in the yard are great medicines, Yarrow is also a blood clotter and it also speeds healing of wounds. I know of it's properties, from old timers around here, and I did a lot of research on it. I have used it multiple times on wounds, it contains a hydrogen peroxide type chemistry which promotes healing and also disinfects. It stops bleeding pretty quickly if you cut yourself outside, faster than the greater plantain, but it is not diverse and is more of a medicine than a food. I guess that parts of cat tails are also edible, the leaves and roots mostly, but I never researched how to prepare them for food. I planted wandering onions in a few spots in the yard, they come up every year. I still need to go get some wild leaks to plant on my property, potato leak soup is one of my favorites and wild leaks may be small, but they are way more flavorful than the ones in the stores, only about a quarter of the amount of leaks is needed to flavor the dish.

Clover flowers are pretty good at controlling pain, but the white clover is hard on the kidneys, sure it takes away my back pain for three to four hours after chewing one up that the bees have already been too...but the kidneys do some jerking and hurt after a while, the purple and red ones have less of the plant defense chemistry that causes the kidney problems. One flower head is probably better than two, I did not test just one I figured two had side effects that made this flower so it was emergency use only...get real hurt and can't get up...pop a flower and chew it then run back home...better than laying on the ground in pain waiting for someone to come help....beware, it does not fix anything, it just stops the pain signal in the central nervous system...don't go crazy, you will pay for abusing that sore back or hip in a few hours when the pain returns with teeth and claws. I guess the more the plant is damaged, the more the plant defense system chemicals it forms that cause the kidney pain...if you mow your lawn, it strengthens that chemistry just like if bugs or deer chew on the white clover. Red and purple clover are way less of a problem...after reading info after the fact, I did research and tried the red clover and it did not hurt the kidneys but also it was less potent at pain killer activity. But I could not find that red clover that was wilted like after the white has done after the bees fertilize it. A chemical similar to the poppy chemistry resin causes that look I guess when it is fertilized.

Tea made from dried birch tree leaves have an aspirin type chemistry in them. It does thin blood a bit but also dampens pain like the other ways an aspirin does...cox 1 and cox 2 inhibition I think. If you have Reyes syndrome it is not advisable to probably use that I suppose. I knew an old couple that used birch tree leaves to make tea. The guy had a big jar of them dried on his counter. He was in his late eighties. He learned it from his parents, but did not know how it actually worked just that it worked.

Nature has all sorts of medicines available, I am not worried about going to the doctor anymore for simple stuff I can heal. But something serious that I cannot fix I will go, I have knowledge of natural antibiotics, but I have good luck with Augmentum fixing anything I have had with microbes. Amoxicilin is worthless to me, but I have had the doctor prescribe a real strong and expensive antibiotic one time because I had lines going up my wrist, three pills...one a day for three days...a hundred ten bucks back in the late nineties...but I still have both hands....he said I will lose one on monday if it does not get better and he was not joking either...from thirteen slivers in one finger which he had to remove six remaining ones I could not dig out.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Young dandilion leaves are good mixed in the salads....

Thanks for all that great information!