Not to worry! We’re preppers!

Not to worry! We’re preppers!

Well here we are! TS has HTF due to the scenario of your choice, and the power grid is toasted to a crisp black wire with little chance of it being restored in the foreseeable future. We (the ordinary citizens anyway) are technologically back in the mid 19th century. Ah ha! Not to worry though! We’re preppers!

After the first couple of days, things are getting bad with small groups of thugs in the neighborhood, but no problem, we're preppers! We'll just get the neighbors together and establish a "neighborhood watch" group. There's that marine veteran that fought in the Gulf War two... no three doors down... or didn't he and his family move. And who moved into their place? It wasn't that "biker guy" with the weird girlfriend, was it? Oh well, you and the neighbors on the block are all close and will stand together, right? You've gotten together and talked about something like this happening many times before. What? You haven't? You don't know your neighbors? Maybe you're going to be forced to bug out, whether you want to or not.

No big deal though! We’re preppers! So with bug-out bags packed, we and our families are headed out to… umm… where? Here is that perfect spot that we’ve scouted out several times, talked to the landowner about, and have marked on our map(s) along with several ways to get there should the car not run (EMP?) or the roads be closed (martial law?). “Oh”, you say, “but we didn’t scout for a place, and we don’t have a map marked with several alternate routes, all of which we’ve either walked or carefully driven several times”. Well, it’s too late now to fix that “minor oversight”.

But we’re preppers, so off we go, bug-out bags and geared up. After a six hour walk, we get to our pre-planned bug-out location. First thing on the list is shelter. Let’s pitch the tent! Now where is that pesky tent pole? It should be here. The tent is still in its original package, just as we bought it from the store… You did pitch it and strike it in the back yard several times last year, didn’t you? Oh, you didn’t? Too bad. The kids would have had a swell time playing “camping out”, and you’d have been able to see if anything vital (like a tent pole, maybe?) was missing. You can jury rig something, but wouldn’t it have been easier to have everything there in the first place?

Time to start a campfire to warm up the evening meal. No problem here! We’re preppers! So we whip out the steel pocket knife and the flint gizmo that looked so cool on that YouTube video and… and… and… well, it sparks anyway. But of course, when you got home after purchasing this flint thingy, you practiced with it, starting a fire in the fireplace and lighting up the barbecue. What? You didn’t practice fire starting? Oh well, you can cheat and use matches… now where are they? Hah! Found them… but they’re wet. That’s a shame! Waterproof match safes only cost a dollar or two. Now what? Cold food and a cold campsite! No big deal! The S has HTF and tomorrow will be better!

Ah, morning! Another day, and, of course, we’re preppers! Now for a cup of hot coffee… oh, that’s right, we don’t have a fire. Well then, just grab the fishing gear or the rifle and start looking to add to the dried food supply that we carried in our bug out bags. You’re sure glad that you could find the time to go fishing and hunting with Grandpa when you we’re a teenager. He really taught you a lot. What? You didn’t take the time to spend with Grandpa? Hanging around with your friends was much more important? And Grandpa wasn’t “cool”? What you wouldn’t give to have Grandpa with you now!

Oh no! Little Willie has cut himself with the camp axe! Now what? Easy! We’re preppers! I’ll just grab the first aid kit, flush the wound, and… hmmm? It’s bleeding badly. Does this need suturing or Steri-strips? How do you know? It’s a shame that you didn’t take that first aid course offered at the community center last year. You’d probably have a better first aid kit than this plastic box with band-aids that came from the local drug store on sale. And what about tetanus? Is Willie current on his shots? How about the rest of the family? And did your daughter just sneeze? And who was that coughing in the tent last night? And what happens if you get hurt? And so on and so on…

In other words:
Meet and get to know your neighbors! Start today!
Get your bug-out bags together, even if you're planning to bug in! Start today!
Find a bug-out location (or two) and multiple ways to get there! Start today!
Mark the routes on your maps! Start today!
Practice pitching your tent in your back yard or rigging your tarp for shelter! Start today!
Practice starting a fire! Start Today!
Check your fishing gear and plan a fishing trip with your family! Start today!
Clean your weapons and a trip with the family to the range! Start today!
Sign up for that first aid course (or take one on the internet)! Start today!
Check the current inoculation status of every member of your family. Start today.

Remember, "we're preppers!"

Excellent job Jonas... I'm getting tired of teaching the old Foxfire skills to everyone in our Beginner Farmers group. You know - killing, skinning cutting, curing, smoking and storing meats. Cheesemaking, Soapmaking, solar dehydrating, animal husbandry, root cellaring... skills that will make or break your survival plans when TSHTF. Everyone knows any disaster will only last three days. FEMA said that's all we have to prepare for right?