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Disaster prepping is mainstream again

ppod 6y ago
I don't think prepping is silly, but I can't understand why this pandemic would increase people's perceived value of prepping. The whole world shut down, and there were basically no serious shortages.
- ericmay 6y ago
  I think for some it reinforced the perceived (whether it's real or not I'm not convinced) fragility of the system. I actually think this showed a robustness to our system overall. Most people could benefit from basic disaster preparation. This could be some extra food/fuel, to having a bag in case you need to evacuate, etc.
- ch4s3 6y ago
  There were some local shortage of some things, and long lines to get into grocery stores in some cities. I've made a point to keep some extra dry goods and oil on hand just in case we couldn't get to the grocery store. It's been pretty helpful twice already. I'm not doing anything more serious than that though.
- jjoonathan 6y ago
  How does that constitute evidence that serious shortages couldn't happen? The whole world did not shut down. It voluntarily reduced non-essential in-person activities as a preemptive measure. It was the easiest possible test, and the shelves were still empty of toilet paper and grains for a month.
  - alistairSH 6y ago
    TP in consumer packaging. I was able to get 4 rolls/week from my local catering company (who quickly transitioned to delivering a mix of prepped meals and basic raw ingredients, including TP that was packaged for commercial use). Against the ToS from their TP vendor? Who knows? But, there was TP out there, just not on shelves at the local grocer.
    - jjoonathan 6y ago
      Yes, the disruption did not exhaust easy work-arounds, but that's because the disruption was completely trivial by disaster standards, not because the system was robust.
- Izkata 6y ago
  Except for toilet paper, one of the most basic products out there. That definitely made people realize that yes, even in modern civilization, it can happen.
- war1025 6y ago
  > The whole world shut down White collar work shut down. All the people that actually make the supply chain function got labeled "essential" and got to go to work anyway.
  - zarkov99 6y ago
    And got paid as such. Just kidding, of course they did not.
- dopylitty 6y ago
  The whole world didn't really shut down but there were (and are) signs that significant disruptions can occur. The grocery shortages were one sign but also think about the people who work at utilities and are responsible for keeping power/water going. Those companies typically have done some serious preparation such as segregating workers into different shifts or even having them live on site but the pandemic reminded (some) people that our modern living standards are held up by millions of people working for utilities, farms, waste disposal companies, etc. If a significant number of those people are unable to work you do need to be prepared to survive without power, running water, and fresh produce for a good amount of time. Typically middle/upper class Americans haven't had to contend with that fact but the pandemic has made it more clear that they won't always be able to just pop down to the store for whatever they need at a whim. Honestly waste disposal is one of the more frightening ones. I shudder at the thought of my area if the waste disposal companies stopped for any length of time. Those people who are willing to work in that job should be treated as heroes and paid much better than those of us who sit in front of computers typing relatively useless code all day.
- disown 6y ago
  > The whole world shut down It didn't. The essential people/work still had to show up for work. Butchers, farmers, supermarket workers, truckers, cops, medical workers, etc. The less essential workers either had to close shop ( barbers, restaurants, etc ) or WFM ( software developers, sales people, etc ). > and there were basically no serious shortages. Because the whole world didn't shut down. Just the non-essential stuff were shut down.
- toast0 6y ago
  When I went to stores over the past 6 weeks, there were several times where whole sections were missing. I recall one trip where the only chicken products available was party wings. Other times, other staples were missing. There were always substitute goods available (other than TP, I think bidets sold out, too), but with a little imagination, it could have been a lot worse. I imagine people who experinced delays in their staple foods (or TP) that impacted them negatively are going to build a larger buffer for the future.
nxc18 6y ago
History channel shows and the like give preppers a bad name, but prepping, as highlighted in this article, doesn't need to involve guns and bunkers. In fact, your own government probably wants you to be prepping (at least the US does): https://www.ready.gov/ https://www.ready.gov/ If you find yourself worrying about things like earthquakes and fires, there's an extra benefit to prepping: you can rest easy knowing you've done what you can. If you live in (most parts of) California, you should be prepared for an earthquake, including a few days without water, at minimum. Wildfires and power outages are another risk that it is absolutely rational to prepare for, in many locations.
- arethuza 6y ago
  The UK Government certainly does: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-eme... As does the Scottish Government: https://ready.scot/how-scotland-prepares https://ready.scot/how-scotland-prepares And that's not even covering the Covid-19 pandemic where there was a lot of community based help groups checking that older people were OK etc. Edit: Mind you some UK gov self help schemes were less well received: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500124311 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500124311
- coldpie 6y ago
  When we moved into our house, we put together a little box of canned good, a sterno stove, small medical kit, etc. We rediscovered it this year, and I ended up eating a bunch of 3-year-expired canned goods :D (We did re-stock it. Never having to use it is a good thing.)
  - redisman 6y ago
    We have a small pack too, mainly focused on some calories for a few days and ways to clean water (lifestraw and a stove for boiling).
  - brobdingnagians 6y ago
    We buy an extra couple weeks worth of dry goods of things we are already using/eating, then cycle through it. Doesn't work for everything, but in the event of a disaster I'd be happy to have it :)
xnx 6y ago
I'd be happy for there to be a nationwide government-promoted disaster-preparedness initiative, especially if that included not building susceptible homes areas prone to flooding or forest fires.
- komali2 6y ago
  Perhaps I'm not understanding what "initiative" could mean, but there is a website: https://www.ready.gov/ https://www.ready.gov/ and as a "prepper" I find it to be very realistic and helpful. Though I agree that self-sufficiency and disaster preparedness is lacking in the USA. The infrastructure of our cities is such that self-sufficiency and community preparedness are the best paths towards surviving a disaster. For example, Houston (my home city) can't have an effective hurricane evacuation. There's simply too many people with too few paths out, and this a city that if you zoom out looks like a spider's web of freeways.
  - 6DM 6y ago
    Is there somewhere on the site that has something of a supplies list to build a kit? Water, first aid and food is all I know, are there other things I should think about? Are there foods that work best for stock piling up to a year?
    - C4K3 6y ago
      https://www.ready.gov/kit https://www.ready.gov/kit
      - 6DM 6y ago
        Ah, somehow I overlooked that side link. Thanks for that :)
    - komali2 6y ago
      Someone else linked the actual kit, but specifically this is what they recommend regarding food: Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables and a can opener Protein or fruit bars Dry cereal or granola Peanut butter Dried fruit Canned juices Non-perishable pasteurized milk High-energy foods Food for infants Comfort/stress foods There's high crossover between foods good for backpacking, and foods good for prepping. If you have hella money laying around, you could blitz out on some dehydrated meals, I think those are delicious. But they can come out to like, 9$ a serving or more. Packaged ramen is great for carbs and stores relatively compactly. Protein powder keeps well, but is only a supplement, not a meal. On a budget, or if you just don't want to splurge thousands on your food prep that should be recycled usually yearly, I'd say stash dried rice, dried beans, maybe some bagged tuna (I like it more than canned for storage reasons), and some dried fruit so ya don't get scurvy.
czechdeveloper 6y ago
I once read in recent German pamphlet "If every German is prepared, Germany is prepared" and it stuck with me. Even if you don't see basic prepping as necessity, it's way better when after disaster firest responders can care for elderly and disabled, not for you.
- roflc0ptic 6y ago
  Just FYI, it's spelled "pamphlet", because for whatever historical reason english has at least 3 spellings for the "f" sound - f, ph, and sometimes gh.
  - czechdeveloper 6y ago
    Thank you, I updated it
simonbarker87 6y ago
There’s a great article that popped up years ago on here, something like “the realistic survivalist guide”. The main take away was “enough cash in the bank to survive no job for a year because that’s the most likely disaster you’ll face” after that I think it was water, always half a tank of gas, and everything else a distant runner up. I’m remembering from years ago so may have butchered it.
- duxup 6y ago
  I think the typical natural disaster kit is what is all that would be 'realistic'. After that in the ultra crazy apocalyptic scenario, my preppier neighbor down the road... I'll just take his stuff, the odds of him being able to stand guard 24/7 or not befriend the wrong people aren't super high. Granted I'd prefer a more cooperative approach but the preppers expecting some sort of mad max situation, not sure they're any better off than the folks who can just take their stuff.
  - fogihujy 6y ago
    Very few of us expect an actual Mad Max-style scenario. Most preppers simply prepare for anything, as you simply don't know what the future holds. Personally, I found keeping a supply of N95's at home to be very handy in the current pandemic. We've also kept the store-runs to a minimum simply by living off some of the supplies we have at home, as well as our own produce. I suspect most preppers agree that if shit hits the fan and zombies start walking the streets, cooperation is key for survival and rebuilding, and that simple things like getting to know your neighbours can be quite critical for survival in such scenarios. After all, sitting in a bunker with a ton of canned food is pretty pointless unless your kids have someone to procreate with.
- atommclain 6y ago
  Doomsday prepping for less crazy folk https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ Looks like it’s been renamed recently. Great guide in my opinion.
swebs 6y ago
The one thing I miss the most about living in America is the existence of warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club. It's a lot harder to prep in Europe since you're not getting any bulk discount. Even if someone gets the urge, the logistics just aren't there.
- nyokodo 6y ago
  I grew up in a geologically active region. The rule of thumb was to have enough stuff to survive 3 days, so food, potable water, medical supplies, batteries, flashlights etc. Always having at least 3 days of absolute essentials is going to hold you over for 99.9% of all problems to give time for help to find you. It should be doable in Europe too.
  - swebs 6y ago
    Of course its possible. It's just a slightly higher bar to meet, which filters out a lot of people who might enjoy prepping for hobbyist reasons.
- pawelk 6y ago
  Where in Europe? Cash and carry stores operated by Metro AG are not exactly the same, but quite similar. It may depend on the country, but it's not required to be a business customer everywhere, and where it is it shouldn't be too hard to find someone who runs a company and is a member, borrow their card / join them for a trip.
  - swebs 6y ago
    I haven't seen any in Finland at least.
- tomrod 6y ago
  I used to be Mormon. From what I recall they sell their bulk supplies to the community in bishop storehouses. Not sure if that is US only or everywhere. Given they own 2% of Florida and several other massive ranches and farms, as well as take emergency preparation as an article of faith, you may find some luck there.
godsfshrmn 6y ago
Since when has nat Geo's website become unusable on mobile? So many modals, one requires your email, lazy loading ads, paywall. I wanted to read the article but literally could not
brundolf 6y ago
True "prepping" (beyond the basics for realistic disasters like utility outages and hurricanes) has always seemed to me like a deeply depressing obsession. Spending so much of your real-world time and money grimly preparing for a far-flung end-of-the-world scenario so that, in the very best case, you can... what, eke out a survival for a little while longer? In terms of maximizing the amount of happiness in one's life, it feels like a terrible waste of resources and energy. If you actually want to increase your number of years on this planet, go on a diet. Go to the gym. Now: I think (looking at this from the outside) that for some people it's really just a hobby. They may not admit it as such, but I think some people just truly enjoy running through scenarios and stocking things up for the sake of the process. If so, I can't judge them for that. I spend plenty of money on useless things at renaissance fairs because I enjoy the roleplaying aspect. If prepping is just someone's preferred flavor of expensive roleplaying, then have at it. But for people who genuinely spend all waking hours trying to guard against a single, narrowly unlikely catastrophe, I have nothing but pity.
- DJBunnies 6y ago
  I think that perspective is limited to an extreme percentile. Most preppers plan for realistically possible catastrophes.
  - brundolf 6y ago
    There's probably some ambiguity in the term. I tend to assume that the title of "prepper" (as opposed to just, "a prudent adult") is reserved for people who spend a significant portion of their time and money on this stuff
    - DJBunnies 6y ago
      That's true, we didn't characterize the term very well.
  - hinkley 6y ago
    I don't think the realistic people go bragging about it. One it's just something you do, not something you need approval for. Two, now everyone knows you have supplies, and they'll be knocking on your door with or without a weapon if the shit really does hit the fan. It only takes a couple freeloaders for your supplies to go from weeks to days, and you'd rather get to make that choice yourself.
vorpalhex 6y ago
Even the CDC recommends you keep an emergency go bag with some food, water, important documents and other basics. You should also keep your home stocked with a few days of food and water, decent medical supplies you are able to use, and whatever else you need for your situation. Zombies is unlikely, bad weather or a forest fire however... I had a family member who was within 2 miles of forest fire - no ready bag, no extra supplies, nothing. "Well, I can just stop by the store if I need to evacuate right?"
kwhitefoot 6y ago
Seen from the other side of the pond prepping looks really odd.
- hugi 6y ago
  Yeah, we Europeans have never seen war or natural disaster so why prepare.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- brundolf 6y ago
  Deeply encoded in the American myth is the idea that every individual or family is an island. That we can (and some would say, should) operate without a society around us. If you look at the country through that lens, it explains a whole lot of our policy and culture, much of which is otherwise nonsensical.
  - centimeter 6y ago
    Only people who don't understand tail risk think disentangling infrastructural dependencies is "nonsensical".
- redisman 6y ago
  Depends on where you are and what level of prepping you're doing. Basically all of the US west coast is very plausibly in the zone that could lose power and water from an earthquake for days/weeks. Most of the south east coastal US is hammered by ever bigger hurricanes every year. We just had a record forestfire summer in the mountain west and flooding on the plains. Europe is a pretty boring (adverse weather and geological activity)-wise so it might seem overblown from there.
  - vram22 6y ago
    Good points. And there is also Tornado Alley: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley Excerpt: Although the official boundaries of Tornado Alley are not clearly defined, the main alley extends from northern Texas, through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. States such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio are sometimes included in Tornado Alley.[4] Research suggests that tornadoes are becoming more frequent in the northern parts of Tornado Alley where it reaches the Canadian prairies.
walrus01 6y ago
If I had a dollar for every disaster prepper I've seen in the USA that has many thousands of rounds of ammunition, and none of the following: a) water purification equipment with supplies/filter changes good for 6+ months of continuous use b) a stockpile of the most common antibiotics and medical supplies (essentially what you could get spending $700 on a comprehensive first aid kit plus $300-400 of drugs that will require periodic replacement as they expire). c) knowledge or tools and supplies related to implementing off grid photovoltaic or wind power systems, but lots of gasoline or diesel generators. d) $400 goose down sleeping bags, 4-season camping equipment, but they do have lots of tactical clothing and accessories, plate carriers, dropleg holsters and such
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  They're prepping for different disasters than you want them to prep for. When there's a disaster and there's no police to call having guns and ammo you can trade off is likely far better than gold bars, solar panels, etc because everyone without guns and ammo is gonna be wanting enough to keep themselves safe.
  - walrus01 6y ago
    The people whose preparation supplies seem to be 85% tactical/weaponry related and 15% everything else, whether they will acknowledge it or not, seem to be preparing to become the people who would take others' food and supplies by force in the event of a real nuclear war level catastrophe.
    - JakeKalstad 6y ago
      They are simply preparing for those "people who would take others' food and supplies by force" in any type of event.
    - swebs 6y ago
      >seem to be preparing to become the people who would take others' food and supplies by force in the event of a real nuclear war level catastrophe Or simply preparing to defend against those sorts of people.
VBprogrammer 6y ago
My favourite article on prepping is https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ Honestly, I still thought it sounded far fetched until people at the start of lockdown bought a years supply of toilet paper at a time. At which point I resolved to (responsibly) ensure we have a reasonable supply of staples at home.
- VBprogrammer 6y ago
  Just skimming through it for the first time in a while I had to laugh at this: > Pandemic - It's been a while since the highly developed world experienced a devastating outbreak, but it may be premature to flat out dismiss the risk. In 1918, an unusual strain of flu managed to kill 75 million people. Few years later, a mysterious sleeping sickness - probably also of viral origin - swept the globe, crippling millions, some for life. We aren't necessarily better prepared for similar events today.
- saalweachter 6y ago
  I definitely get the feeling that a non-negligible percentage of people are going to come out of this with a "I think I'm going to keep 3-6 months of staples on hand for the rest of my life, just in case." mindset.
  - ghaff 6y ago
    I don't think I'm hoarding by any reasonable measure but I'm definitely keeping an extra buffer for a lot of the staples, whether food or cleaning supplies, than I tended to do previously. There's no real downside; I'm going to use them sooner or later.
- ghaff 6y ago
  I tend to have a pretty good supply of things like TP, cleaning supplies, and standard dry staples like rice, in the house. I have the space and it's cheaper/easier to buy relatively large sizes. When things started to get a bit crazy, I stocked more in than usual (including some meats etc. for the freezer). And filled up a big water container. But, really, my "prepping" was mostly around avoiding stores as much as possible and being able to handle broken supply chains and potential short-term disruption to utilities. I was actually without power for a couple days in June but that was because of a wind storm.
grogenaut 6y ago
The day before my tech company called WFH we had a happy hour, this was first week in march. I was already pissed about coming into work but this was a going away for someone and it was still pretty contained in SEA (maybe), but we were also outside. We had one table of the younger devs and one of the mangers / olds. The older table was just all talking about essentially getting ready for being quarantined in your house for up to 3 months. Two folks from the younger table sauntered over. Mainly just talking about having the backpacking supplies version of prepping. I remember mentioning that the idea of what defines a crazy prepper was probbably going to change in the next 6 months.
markkat 6y ago
I am planning on a proper ‘Show HN’, but I’ve been working on something for quite a time that has prepper use-cases. Most people have phones. Technically, they don’t need a third party to talk to each other. It seemed like there should be a communication option that took advantage of that. Thus, Tin-Can: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tin-can/id1435356247 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tin-can/id1435356247 In short, TC is a one-to-many messaging app that has no central service. Proximate phones use BLE to sync. My mom is headed to high ground in FL atm due to Eta.. I think it’d be useful if phones could all do this natively. FWIW, I just got it on iOS, and updates like replies are forthcoming. But feedback is appreciated if you try it out. I’ll do a show HN once a few features are completed and bugs squashed.
- smt88 6y ago
  > I think it’d be useful if phones could all do this natively. Most phones (meaning those running Android and iOS) can do this already. On iOS, it's called AirDrop[1] and on Android it's called Nearby Share[2]. Both work without an internet connection or centralized server. 1. https://www.lifewire.com/airdrop-with-without-wifi-connection-2259801 https://www.lifewire.com/airdrop-with-without-wifi-connectio... 2. https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/4/21353020/android-nearby-share-file-sharing-feature-launch-airdrop https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/4/21353020/android-nearby-sh...
  - markkat 6y ago
    They enable a messaging network?
    - smt88 6y ago
      It's not really a substitute for SMS, but you can send messages in the form of notes, photos, and audio recordings. There are other apps, like FireChat and Bridgefy, available in the app stores that handle actual P2P messaging.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  I don't do apps on my phone. I just don't. That app I actually want. Let us know when you get it going. (I need it on Android, not Apple.)
darepublic 6y ago
Prepping is a good idea imo and it doesn't mean crazy gun hoarding or racism it just means trying to be as self sufficient and robust as possible imo. And sharing info so others can do likewise
jonnycoder 6y ago
I shot two big game animals in the past month and went to buy an upright freezer. The normal/large sizes, such as 13-21 cubic feet, are all sold out and backordered for several months. I have some chest freezers so it's not an issue, but I want the organization friendly upright style. It seems like americans are stocking up on meat as well as part of their prepping activities.
- chpwssn 6y ago
  I'd think a contributing factor is production delays due to Coronavirus related supply-chain impacts and that it isn't just limited to freezers. Anecdotally, a HomeDepot sales person told me recently that Bosch dishwashers are backordered until February due to a interruption in bolt manufacturing.
- MattGaiser 6y ago
  At least in Canada, all appliances are sold out. It has been an excellent year for the appliance industry. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/10/appliance-crisis.html https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/10/appliance-cri...
time0ut 6y ago
We've been hit by half a dozen hurricanes over the past two decades where we lost power for 5+ days. These were relatively minor storms compared to what could happen in a worst case scenario. The focus of my preparations are around providing for my family if we had a severe hurricane hit. This involves making sure we have enough food, water, and fuel to be self sufficient for a few weeks. It involves being able to charge devices and have light without power. Sadly, it also involves having at least some ability to defend ourselves as that is the world we live in. It is a fun hobby to have. While some people go overboard, I think we'd be better off if more people prepared for real scenarios like this as it takes some of the burden off the system and leaves capacity for those who couldn't or didn't prepare enough.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
protomyth 6y ago
I live in North Dakota, and call it winter preparation. Given the possibility of storms and power outages, anything less than seven days of prep is ill advised. I used to do three days, but that went out the window a couple of winters ago.
one2know 6y ago
Within the past 9 months I've seen stores with almost bare shelves, no meat, no dairy, no paper goods. Entire neighborhoods near me have burned down due to forest fire. There were riots and looting within a couple miles. Power outages. Now we are looking at a hateful leftist government that could do things like implement communist price controls or unrestricted immigration. Price controls will create further shortages as that is basic economics. Job loss will mean no income for extended periods of ime. The people who don't prep are also anti-gun and have always lived in the city. They live in a bubble. They need a concept of how vast the country is and that there are people that live an hour or more from food, gas, EMS, police. If you live in a rural area people WILL try to raid your barn, garage, vehicles, trailers, etc. It is a matter of time.
- moksly 6y ago
  Have you actually seen any of it, or did you just watch it on entertainment news? And what leftist government? If Bernie Sanders ran for government in my country, we’d need to move our current scale to the right to even reach into how conservative he is compared to us, and we’re mainly social democrats, still really far from actual communists. I don’t think prepping is actually that stupid. But the the thing is. Society never actually collapses the way American preppers think it will. Even in places like Syria or Liberia where you have really terrible situations, you’re just not going to make it on your own. People always gather in communities, gangs, whatever, and eventually the more stable of them tend to win. At least that’s how it’s been throughout the entirety of human history. The traditional American prepper is just building a stockpile of stuff that’s going to get robbed, and would be much better of having learned some useful trade. So that even in the worst case of all the shitty cases, ISIS would have needed you, to keep the water running. Much more realistically, you’ll simply want to build and secure your local town and food production with the people from your local town, and being the paranoid loner with lots of guns and no useful skills isn’t who you want to be.
- tomrod 6y ago
  Have you been raided before? In the US raids are rare even during crisis times. I wish you luck in whatever country you may be in, the US in exceedingly fortunate in the Biden has led crises management before instead of Trump who apparently wanted to let Covid run wild in states with higher Democrat voter percentages. My rural experience has been that "raids" are typically people looking for cash or things to sell for drugs. But also neighbors help each other, churches and communities come together. Society can always fall apart, but until it does I hope for the best and stay prepared for many potential emergencies. Edit: I know it is poor form to ask for voting explanations, but I'm genuinely curious what folks felt was off topic and/or disagreeable in my response. I value feedback, which is hard to glean from a vote tally.
ceejayoz 6y ago
I've always wondered how many of these "luxury prepper communities" would wind up with the hired security taking the place for themselves in a genuine catastrophe.
monksy 6y ago
Considering some of the major events that we've had. I would hardly call this prepping. We've had major fires, lots of civil unrest (2 major riots in Chicago and some minor conflicts), and the pandemic (which might I add is still going on) which has stressed supply chains. (Minor news articles are saying that we're starting to see limits and stresses on retail.. Christmas is going to be insane)
jonah 6y ago
Utah has some good resources and is actively pushing preparedness to its citizens. http://bereadyutah.gov http://bereadyutah.gov https://twitter.com/BeReadyUtah https://twitter.com/BeReadyUtah I wonder how much the focus preparedness in that state is due to the Mormon majority and their emphasis of the topic. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/emergency-preparedness?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topi...
j7ake 6y ago
Would it be good to have some books around to pass the time as well when there is no longer access to electricity?
chasd00 6y ago
To me, it's a risk management problem but a lot of people just find it as a fun hobby too. Right out of college my best friend got a job at a datacenter. He was showing me the generators and how they have 30 days of fuel on site. I asked him why 30 and not 40 (and so on), he said he asked his boss the same question and the reply was if this datacenter doesn't have power and can't get fuel after 30 days then there are bigger problems in society than accessing websites.
- FooHentai 6y ago
  Even that amount of fuel on-site is extreme, I'm guessing it was a pretty small Datacenter as being able to have that much fuel implies relatively low power draw. Tier 4 Datacenter spec is to be able to survive 96 hours of provider power loss.
chmod600 6y ago
Every person who prepares is one less person straining rescue resources. If they happen to share or help with rescue (which they often do because they have the skills), then they dramatically reduce the chances of desperation or panic.
ed25519FUUU 6y ago
I’m late to this thread and it makes me sad because this is such a fun subject. People stockpile weapons but rarely stockpile knowledge for these situations. For example, can you propagate food bearing plants without seeds (they’re mostly hybrids now)? How about basic water sanitation and waterborne illness treatment? A little bit of knowledge is vastly superior to stockpiles of weapons.
- FooHentai 6y ago
  True, but I suspect the stereotypical image of a prepper holedup in a bunker surrounded by guns and ammo is more myth than representative of people with a preparedness mindset. If they exist outside of caricature, they are a fringe minority element at best. A lot of people use prepping to gain a sense of control overy life's uncertainty. Knowing you've laid in provisions for unlikely-but-possible (by your own determination) events can quiet much anxiety. Ironically the myth of preppers all being paranoid grey beards holed up in bunkers exists for exactly the same purpose, just lazier. Just convince yourself that prepping is the realm of crazies and any anxiety you might have about uncertainties in life can be comfortably locked away with those crazy people in your head. For added effect share a laugh about it with other sane people around you, and you can all rest easy in the knowledge that nothing bad is ever going to happen and there's no need to worry. As is often the case, somewhere in the middle lies truth.
chmod600 6y ago
I'd like to see more discussion of natural vs. artificial disasters, or how the former could cause the latter.
rutledge87 6y ago
Be prepared. - scouts motto. Anyone who's been through several natural disasters or lives in the northern midwest already should take reasonable preparedness in stride.
dbish 6y ago
Sadly so many of the guides and sites look old fashioned (or crazy low quality). I started working on a site for normal people that takes info about your location and family and suggest risks and gives recommendations and a way to digitally track your preparedness for a given set of disasters and does things like reminds you when to replace items. I did customer research before covid and found most people weren’t interested or thought of prepping as crazy. Good to see the change of heart
LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago
I've seen this picture before, and asked what sense those white cameras make in case of the need of hiding in a bunker because that would be the first things a sharpshooter takes out, or just someone with a laserpointer. Couldn't they use something less obvious? Are they just decoys? What am I not getting here?

ppod 6y ago

I don't think prepping is silly, but I can't understand why this pandemic would increase people's perceived value of prepping. The whole world shut down, and there were basically no serious shortages.

ericmay 6y ago
I think for some it reinforced the perceived (whether it's real or not I'm not convinced) fragility of the system. I actually think this showed a robustness to our system overall. Most people could benefit from basic disaster preparation. This could be some extra food/fuel, to having a bag in case you need to evacuate, etc.
ch4s3 6y ago
There were some local shortage of some things, and long lines to get into grocery stores in some cities. I've made a point to keep some extra dry goods and oil on hand just in case we couldn't get to the grocery store. It's been pretty helpful twice already. I'm not doing anything more serious than that though.
jjoonathan 6y ago
How does that constitute evidence that serious shortages couldn't happen? The whole world did not shut down. It voluntarily reduced non-essential in-person activities as a preemptive measure. It was the easiest possible test, and the shelves were still empty of toilet paper and grains for a month.
- alistairSH 6y ago
  TP in consumer packaging. I was able to get 4 rolls/week from my local catering company (who quickly transitioned to delivering a mix of prepped meals and basic raw ingredients, including TP that was packaged for commercial use). Against the ToS from their TP vendor? Who knows? But, there was TP out there, just not on shelves at the local grocer.
  - jjoonathan 6y ago
    Yes, the disruption did not exhaust easy work-arounds, but that's because the disruption was completely trivial by disaster standards, not because the system was robust.
Izkata 6y ago
Except for toilet paper, one of the most basic products out there. That definitely made people realize that yes, even in modern civilization, it can happen.
war1025 6y ago
> The whole world shut down White collar work shut down. All the people that actually make the supply chain function got labeled "essential" and got to go to work anyway.
- zarkov99 6y ago
  And got paid as such. Just kidding, of course they did not.
dopylitty 6y ago
The whole world didn't really shut down but there were (and are) signs that significant disruptions can occur. The grocery shortages were one sign but also think about the people who work at utilities and are responsible for keeping power/water going. Those companies typically have done some serious preparation such as segregating workers into different shifts or even having them live on site but the pandemic reminded (some) people that our modern living standards are held up by millions of people working for utilities, farms, waste disposal companies, etc. If a significant number of those people are unable to work you do need to be prepared to survive without power, running water, and fresh produce for a good amount of time. Typically middle/upper class Americans haven't had to contend with that fact but the pandemic has made it more clear that they won't always be able to just pop down to the store for whatever they need at a whim. Honestly waste disposal is one of the more frightening ones. I shudder at the thought of my area if the waste disposal companies stopped for any length of time. Those people who are willing to work in that job should be treated as heroes and paid much better than those of us who sit in front of computers typing relatively useless code all day.
disown 6y ago
> The whole world shut down It didn't. The essential people/work still had to show up for work. Butchers, farmers, supermarket workers, truckers, cops, medical workers, etc. The less essential workers either had to close shop ( barbers, restaurants, etc ) or WFM ( software developers, sales people, etc ). > and there were basically no serious shortages. Because the whole world didn't shut down. Just the non-essential stuff were shut down.
toast0 6y ago
When I went to stores over the past 6 weeks, there were several times where whole sections were missing. I recall one trip where the only chicken products available was party wings. Other times, other staples were missing. There were always substitute goods available (other than TP, I think bidets sold out, too), but with a little imagination, it could have been a lot worse. I imagine people who experinced delays in their staple foods (or TP) that impacted them negatively are going to build a larger buffer for the future.

nxc18 6y ago

History channel shows and the like give preppers a bad name, but prepping, as highlighted in this article, doesn't need to involve guns and bunkers. In fact, your own government probably wants you to be prepping (at least the US does): https://www.ready.gov/ https://www.ready.gov/ If you find yourself worrying about things like earthquakes and fires, there's an extra benefit to prepping: you can rest easy knowing you've done what you can. If you live in (most parts of) California, you should be prepared for an earthquake, including a few days without water, at minimum. Wildfires and power outages are another risk that it is absolutely rational to prepare for, in many locations.

arethuza 6y ago
The UK Government certainly does: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-emergencies/preparing-for-emergencies https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-eme... As does the Scottish Government: https://ready.scot/how-scotland-prepares https://ready.scot/how-scotland-prepares And that's not even covering the Covid-19 pandemic where there was a lot of community based help groups checking that older people were OK etc. Edit: Mind you some UK gov self help schemes were less well received: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500124311 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500124311
coldpie 6y ago
When we moved into our house, we put together a little box of canned good, a sterno stove, small medical kit, etc. We rediscovered it this year, and I ended up eating a bunch of 3-year-expired canned goods :D (We did re-stock it. Never having to use it is a good thing.)
- redisman 6y ago
  We have a small pack too, mainly focused on some calories for a few days and ways to clean water (lifestraw and a stove for boiling).
- brobdingnagians 6y ago
  We buy an extra couple weeks worth of dry goods of things we are already using/eating, then cycle through it. Doesn't work for everything, but in the event of a disaster I'd be happy to have it :)

xnx 6y ago

I'd be happy for there to be a nationwide government-promoted disaster-preparedness initiative, especially if that included not building susceptible homes areas prone to flooding or forest fires.

komali2 6y ago
Perhaps I'm not understanding what "initiative" could mean, but there is a website: https://www.ready.gov/ https://www.ready.gov/ and as a "prepper" I find it to be very realistic and helpful. Though I agree that self-sufficiency and disaster preparedness is lacking in the USA. The infrastructure of our cities is such that self-sufficiency and community preparedness are the best paths towards surviving a disaster. For example, Houston (my home city) can't have an effective hurricane evacuation. There's simply too many people with too few paths out, and this a city that if you zoom out looks like a spider's web of freeways.
- 6DM 6y ago
  Is there somewhere on the site that has something of a supplies list to build a kit? Water, first aid and food is all I know, are there other things I should think about? Are there foods that work best for stock piling up to a year?
  - C4K3 6y ago
    https://www.ready.gov/kit https://www.ready.gov/kit
    - 6DM 6y ago
      Ah, somehow I overlooked that side link. Thanks for that :)
  - komali2 6y ago
    Someone else linked the actual kit, but specifically this is what they recommend regarding food: Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables and a can opener Protein or fruit bars Dry cereal or granola Peanut butter Dried fruit Canned juices Non-perishable pasteurized milk High-energy foods Food for infants Comfort/stress foods There's high crossover between foods good for backpacking, and foods good for prepping. If you have hella money laying around, you could blitz out on some dehydrated meals, I think those are delicious. But they can come out to like, 9$ a serving or more. Packaged ramen is great for carbs and stores relatively compactly. Protein powder keeps well, but is only a supplement, not a meal. On a budget, or if you just don't want to splurge thousands on your food prep that should be recycled usually yearly, I'd say stash dried rice, dried beans, maybe some bagged tuna (I like it more than canned for storage reasons), and some dried fruit so ya don't get scurvy.

czechdeveloper 6y ago

I once read in recent German pamphlet "If every German is prepared, Germany is prepared" and it stuck with me. Even if you don't see basic prepping as necessity, it's way better when after disaster firest responders can care for elderly and disabled, not for you.

roflc0ptic 6y ago
Just FYI, it's spelled "pamphlet", because for whatever historical reason english has at least 3 spellings for the "f" sound - f, ph, and sometimes gh.
- czechdeveloper 6y ago
  Thank you, I updated it

simonbarker87 6y ago

There’s a great article that popped up years ago on here, something like “the realistic survivalist guide”. The main take away was “enough cash in the bank to survive no job for a year because that’s the most likely disaster you’ll face” after that I think it was water, always half a tank of gas, and everything else a distant runner up. I’m remembering from years ago so may have butchered it.

duxup 6y ago
I think the typical natural disaster kit is what is all that would be 'realistic'. After that in the ultra crazy apocalyptic scenario, my preppier neighbor down the road... I'll just take his stuff, the odds of him being able to stand guard 24/7 or not befriend the wrong people aren't super high. Granted I'd prefer a more cooperative approach but the preppers expecting some sort of mad max situation, not sure they're any better off than the folks who can just take their stuff.
- fogihujy 6y ago
  Very few of us expect an actual Mad Max-style scenario. Most preppers simply prepare for anything, as you simply don't know what the future holds. Personally, I found keeping a supply of N95's at home to be very handy in the current pandemic. We've also kept the store-runs to a minimum simply by living off some of the supplies we have at home, as well as our own produce. I suspect most preppers agree that if shit hits the fan and zombies start walking the streets, cooperation is key for survival and rebuilding, and that simple things like getting to know your neighbours can be quite critical for survival in such scenarios. After all, sitting in a bunker with a ton of canned food is pretty pointless unless your kids have someone to procreate with.
atommclain 6y ago
Doomsday prepping for less crazy folk https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ Looks like it’s been renamed recently. Great guide in my opinion.

swebs 6y ago

The one thing I miss the most about living in America is the existence of warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's Club. It's a lot harder to prep in Europe since you're not getting any bulk discount. Even if someone gets the urge, the logistics just aren't there.

nyokodo 6y ago
I grew up in a geologically active region. The rule of thumb was to have enough stuff to survive 3 days, so food, potable water, medical supplies, batteries, flashlights etc. Always having at least 3 days of absolute essentials is going to hold you over for 99.9% of all problems to give time for help to find you. It should be doable in Europe too.
- swebs 6y ago
  Of course its possible. It's just a slightly higher bar to meet, which filters out a lot of people who might enjoy prepping for hobbyist reasons.
pawelk 6y ago
Where in Europe? Cash and carry stores operated by Metro AG are not exactly the same, but quite similar. It may depend on the country, but it's not required to be a business customer everywhere, and where it is it shouldn't be too hard to find someone who runs a company and is a member, borrow their card / join them for a trip.
- swebs 6y ago
  I haven't seen any in Finland at least.
tomrod 6y ago
I used to be Mormon. From what I recall they sell their bulk supplies to the community in bishop storehouses. Not sure if that is US only or everywhere. Given they own 2% of Florida and several other massive ranches and farms, as well as take emergency preparation as an article of faith, you may find some luck there.

godsfshrmn 6y ago

Since when has nat Geo's website become unusable on mobile? So many modals, one requires your email, lazy loading ads, paywall. I wanted to read the article but literally could not

brundolf 6y ago

True "prepping" (beyond the basics for realistic disasters like utility outages and hurricanes) has always seemed to me like a deeply depressing obsession. Spending so much of your real-world time and money grimly preparing for a far-flung end-of-the-world scenario so that, in the very best case, you can... what, eke out a survival for a little while longer? In terms of maximizing the amount of happiness in one's life, it feels like a terrible waste of resources and energy. If you actually want to increase your number of years on this planet, go on a diet. Go to the gym. Now: I think (looking at this from the outside) that for some people it's really just a hobby. They may not admit it as such, but I think some people just truly enjoy running through scenarios and stocking things up for the sake of the process. If so, I can't judge them for that. I spend plenty of money on useless things at renaissance fairs because I enjoy the roleplaying aspect. If prepping is just someone's preferred flavor of expensive roleplaying, then have at it. But for people who genuinely spend all waking hours trying to guard against a single, narrowly unlikely catastrophe, I have nothing but pity.

DJBunnies 6y ago
I think that perspective is limited to an extreme percentile. Most preppers plan for realistically possible catastrophes.
- brundolf 6y ago
  There's probably some ambiguity in the term. I tend to assume that the title of "prepper" (as opposed to just, "a prudent adult") is reserved for people who spend a significant portion of their time and money on this stuff
  - DJBunnies 6y ago
    That's true, we didn't characterize the term very well.
- hinkley 6y ago
  I don't think the realistic people go bragging about it. One it's just something you do, not something you need approval for. Two, now everyone knows you have supplies, and they'll be knocking on your door with or without a weapon if the shit really does hit the fan. It only takes a couple freeloaders for your supplies to go from weeks to days, and you'd rather get to make that choice yourself.

vorpalhex 6y ago

Even the CDC recommends you keep an emergency go bag with some food, water, important documents and other basics. You should also keep your home stocked with a few days of food and water, decent medical supplies you are able to use, and whatever else you need for your situation. Zombies is unlikely, bad weather or a forest fire however... I had a family member who was within 2 miles of forest fire - no ready bag, no extra supplies, nothing. "Well, I can just stop by the store if I need to evacuate right?"

kwhitefoot 6y ago

Seen from the other side of the pond prepping looks really odd.

hugi 6y ago
Yeah, we Europeans have never seen war or natural disaster so why prepare.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
brundolf 6y ago
Deeply encoded in the American myth is the idea that every individual or family is an island. That we can (and some would say, should) operate without a society around us. If you look at the country through that lens, it explains a whole lot of our policy and culture, much of which is otherwise nonsensical.
- centimeter 6y ago
  Only people who don't understand tail risk think disentangling infrastructural dependencies is "nonsensical".
redisman 6y ago
Depends on where you are and what level of prepping you're doing. Basically all of the US west coast is very plausibly in the zone that could lose power and water from an earthquake for days/weeks. Most of the south east coastal US is hammered by ever bigger hurricanes every year. We just had a record forestfire summer in the mountain west and flooding on the plains. Europe is a pretty boring (adverse weather and geological activity)-wise so it might seem overblown from there.
- vram22 6y ago
  Good points. And there is also Tornado Alley: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley Excerpt: Although the official boundaries of Tornado Alley are not clearly defined, the main alley extends from northern Texas, through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. States such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio are sometimes included in Tornado Alley.[4] Research suggests that tornadoes are becoming more frequent in the northern parts of Tornado Alley where it reaches the Canadian prairies.

walrus01 6y ago

If I had a dollar for every disaster prepper I've seen in the USA that has many thousands of rounds of ammunition, and none of the following: a) water purification equipment with supplies/filter changes good for 6+ months of continuous use b) a stockpile of the most common antibiotics and medical supplies (essentially what you could get spending $700 on a comprehensive first aid kit plus $300-400 of drugs that will require periodic replacement as they expire). c) knowledge or tools and supplies related to implementing off grid photovoltaic or wind power systems, but lots of gasoline or diesel generators. d) $400 goose down sleeping bags, 4-season camping equipment, but they do have lots of tactical clothing and accessories, plate carriers, dropleg holsters and such

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
They're prepping for different disasters than you want them to prep for. When there's a disaster and there's no police to call having guns and ammo you can trade off is likely far better than gold bars, solar panels, etc because everyone without guns and ammo is gonna be wanting enough to keep themselves safe.
- walrus01 6y ago
  The people whose preparation supplies seem to be 85% tactical/weaponry related and 15% everything else, whether they will acknowledge it or not, seem to be preparing to become the people who would take others' food and supplies by force in the event of a real nuclear war level catastrophe.
  - JakeKalstad 6y ago
    They are simply preparing for those "people who would take others' food and supplies by force" in any type of event.
  - swebs 6y ago
    >seem to be preparing to become the people who would take others' food and supplies by force in the event of a real nuclear war level catastrophe Or simply preparing to defend against those sorts of people.

VBprogrammer 6y ago

My favourite article on prepping is https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ https://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/prep/ Honestly, I still thought it sounded far fetched until people at the start of lockdown bought a years supply of toilet paper at a time. At which point I resolved to (responsibly) ensure we have a reasonable supply of staples at home.

VBprogrammer 6y ago
Just skimming through it for the first time in a while I had to laugh at this: > Pandemic - It's been a while since the highly developed world experienced a devastating outbreak, but it may be premature to flat out dismiss the risk. In 1918, an unusual strain of flu managed to kill 75 million people. Few years later, a mysterious sleeping sickness - probably also of viral origin - swept the globe, crippling millions, some for life. We aren't necessarily better prepared for similar events today.
saalweachter 6y ago
I definitely get the feeling that a non-negligible percentage of people are going to come out of this with a "I think I'm going to keep 3-6 months of staples on hand for the rest of my life, just in case." mindset.
- ghaff 6y ago
  I don't think I'm hoarding by any reasonable measure but I'm definitely keeping an extra buffer for a lot of the staples, whether food or cleaning supplies, than I tended to do previously. There's no real downside; I'm going to use them sooner or later.
ghaff 6y ago
I tend to have a pretty good supply of things like TP, cleaning supplies, and standard dry staples like rice, in the house. I have the space and it's cheaper/easier to buy relatively large sizes. When things started to get a bit crazy, I stocked more in than usual (including some meats etc. for the freezer). And filled up a big water container. But, really, my "prepping" was mostly around avoiding stores as much as possible and being able to handle broken supply chains and potential short-term disruption to utilities. I was actually without power for a couple days in June but that was because of a wind storm.

grogenaut 6y ago

The day before my tech company called WFH we had a happy hour, this was first week in march. I was already pissed about coming into work but this was a going away for someone and it was still pretty contained in SEA (maybe), but we were also outside. We had one table of the younger devs and one of the mangers / olds. The older table was just all talking about essentially getting ready for being quarantined in your house for up to 3 months. Two folks from the younger table sauntered over. Mainly just talking about having the backpacking supplies version of prepping. I remember mentioning that the idea of what defines a crazy prepper was probbably going to change in the next 6 months.

markkat 6y ago

I am planning on a proper ‘Show HN’, but I’ve been working on something for quite a time that has prepper use-cases. Most people have phones. Technically, they don’t need a third party to talk to each other. It seemed like there should be a communication option that took advantage of that. Thus, Tin-Can: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tin-can/id1435356247 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tin-can/id1435356247 In short, TC is a one-to-many messaging app that has no central service. Proximate phones use BLE to sync. My mom is headed to high ground in FL atm due to Eta.. I think it’d be useful if phones could all do this natively. FWIW, I just got it on iOS, and updates like replies are forthcoming. But feedback is appreciated if you try it out. I’ll do a show HN once a few features are completed and bugs squashed.

smt88 6y ago
> I think it’d be useful if phones could all do this natively. Most phones (meaning those running Android and iOS) can do this already. On iOS, it's called AirDrop[1] and on Android it's called Nearby Share[2]. Both work without an internet connection or centralized server. 1. https://www.lifewire.com/airdrop-with-without-wifi-connection-2259801 https://www.lifewire.com/airdrop-with-without-wifi-connectio... 2. https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/4/21353020/android-nearby-share-file-sharing-feature-launch-airdrop https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/4/21353020/android-nearby-sh...
- markkat 6y ago
  They enable a messaging network?
  - smt88 6y ago
    It's not really a substitute for SMS, but you can send messages in the form of notes, photos, and audio recordings. There are other apps, like FireChat and Bridgefy, available in the app stores that handle actual P2P messaging.
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
I don't do apps on my phone. I just don't. That app I actually want. Let us know when you get it going. (I need it on Android, not Apple.)

darepublic 6y ago

Prepping is a good idea imo and it doesn't mean crazy gun hoarding or racism it just means trying to be as self sufficient and robust as possible imo. And sharing info so others can do likewise

jonnycoder 6y ago

I shot two big game animals in the past month and went to buy an upright freezer. The normal/large sizes, such as 13-21 cubic feet, are all sold out and backordered for several months. I have some chest freezers so it's not an issue, but I want the organization friendly upright style. It seems like americans are stocking up on meat as well as part of their prepping activities.

chpwssn 6y ago
I'd think a contributing factor is production delays due to Coronavirus related supply-chain impacts and that it isn't just limited to freezers. Anecdotally, a HomeDepot sales person told me recently that Bosch dishwashers are backordered until February due to a interruption in bolt manufacturing.
MattGaiser 6y ago
At least in Canada, all appliances are sold out. It has been an excellent year for the appliance industry. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/10/appliance-crisis.html https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/10/appliance-cri...

time0ut 6y ago

We've been hit by half a dozen hurricanes over the past two decades where we lost power for 5+ days. These were relatively minor storms compared to what could happen in a worst case scenario. The focus of my preparations are around providing for my family if we had a severe hurricane hit. This involves making sure we have enough food, water, and fuel to be self sufficient for a few weeks. It involves being able to charge devices and have light without power. Sadly, it also involves having at least some ability to defend ourselves as that is the world we live in. It is a fun hobby to have. While some people go overboard, I think we'd be better off if more people prepared for real scenarios like this as it takes some of the burden off the system and leaves capacity for those who couldn't or didn't prepare enough.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

protomyth 6y ago

I live in North Dakota, and call it winter preparation. Given the possibility of storms and power outages, anything less than seven days of prep is ill advised. I used to do three days, but that went out the window a couple of winters ago.

one2know 6y ago

Within the past 9 months I've seen stores with almost bare shelves, no meat, no dairy, no paper goods. Entire neighborhoods near me have burned down due to forest fire. There were riots and looting within a couple miles. Power outages. Now we are looking at a hateful leftist government that could do things like implement communist price controls or unrestricted immigration. Price controls will create further shortages as that is basic economics. Job loss will mean no income for extended periods of ime. The people who don't prep are also anti-gun and have always lived in the city. They live in a bubble. They need a concept of how vast the country is and that there are people that live an hour or more from food, gas, EMS, police. If you live in a rural area people WILL try to raid your barn, garage, vehicles, trailers, etc. It is a matter of time.

moksly 6y ago
Have you actually seen any of it, or did you just watch it on entertainment news? And what leftist government? If Bernie Sanders ran for government in my country, we’d need to move our current scale to the right to even reach into how conservative he is compared to us, and we’re mainly social democrats, still really far from actual communists. I don’t think prepping is actually that stupid. But the the thing is. Society never actually collapses the way American preppers think it will. Even in places like Syria or Liberia where you have really terrible situations, you’re just not going to make it on your own. People always gather in communities, gangs, whatever, and eventually the more stable of them tend to win. At least that’s how it’s been throughout the entirety of human history. The traditional American prepper is just building a stockpile of stuff that’s going to get robbed, and would be much better of having learned some useful trade. So that even in the worst case of all the shitty cases, ISIS would have needed you, to keep the water running. Much more realistically, you’ll simply want to build and secure your local town and food production with the people from your local town, and being the paranoid loner with lots of guns and no useful skills isn’t who you want to be.
tomrod 6y ago
Have you been raided before? In the US raids are rare even during crisis times. I wish you luck in whatever country you may be in, the US in exceedingly fortunate in the Biden has led crises management before instead of Trump who apparently wanted to let Covid run wild in states with higher Democrat voter percentages. My rural experience has been that "raids" are typically people looking for cash or things to sell for drugs. But also neighbors help each other, churches and communities come together. Society can always fall apart, but until it does I hope for the best and stay prepared for many potential emergencies. Edit: I know it is poor form to ask for voting explanations, but I'm genuinely curious what folks felt was off topic and/or disagreeable in my response. I value feedback, which is hard to glean from a vote tally.

ceejayoz 6y ago

I've always wondered how many of these "luxury prepper communities" would wind up with the hired security taking the place for themselves in a genuine catastrophe.

monksy 6y ago

Considering some of the major events that we've had. I would hardly call this prepping. We've had major fires, lots of civil unrest (2 major riots in Chicago and some minor conflicts), and the pandemic (which might I add is still going on) which has stressed supply chains. (Minor news articles are saying that we're starting to see limits and stresses on retail.. Christmas is going to be insane)

jonah 6y ago

Utah has some good resources and is actively pushing preparedness to its citizens. http://bereadyutah.gov http://bereadyutah.gov https://twitter.com/BeReadyUtah https://twitter.com/BeReadyUtah I wonder how much the focus preparedness in that state is due to the Mormon majority and their emphasis of the topic. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/emergency-preparedness?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topi...

j7ake 6y ago

Would it be good to have some books around to pass the time as well when there is no longer access to electricity?

chasd00 6y ago

To me, it's a risk management problem but a lot of people just find it as a fun hobby too. Right out of college my best friend got a job at a datacenter. He was showing me the generators and how they have 30 days of fuel on site. I asked him why 30 and not 40 (and so on), he said he asked his boss the same question and the reply was if this datacenter doesn't have power and can't get fuel after 30 days then there are bigger problems in society than accessing websites.

FooHentai 6y ago
Even that amount of fuel on-site is extreme, I'm guessing it was a pretty small Datacenter as being able to have that much fuel implies relatively low power draw. Tier 4 Datacenter spec is to be able to survive 96 hours of provider power loss.

chmod600 6y ago

Every person who prepares is one less person straining rescue resources. If they happen to share or help with rescue (which they often do because they have the skills), then they dramatically reduce the chances of desperation or panic.

ed25519FUUU 6y ago

I’m late to this thread and it makes me sad because this is such a fun subject. People stockpile weapons but rarely stockpile knowledge for these situations. For example, can you propagate food bearing plants without seeds (they’re mostly hybrids now)? How about basic water sanitation and waterborne illness treatment? A little bit of knowledge is vastly superior to stockpiles of weapons.

FooHentai 6y ago
True, but I suspect the stereotypical image of a prepper holedup in a bunker surrounded by guns and ammo is more myth than representative of people with a preparedness mindset. If they exist outside of caricature, they are a fringe minority element at best. A lot of people use prepping to gain a sense of control overy life's uncertainty. Knowing you've laid in provisions for unlikely-but-possible (by your own determination) events can quiet much anxiety. Ironically the myth of preppers all being paranoid grey beards holed up in bunkers exists for exactly the same purpose, just lazier. Just convince yourself that prepping is the realm of crazies and any anxiety you might have about uncertainties in life can be comfortably locked away with those crazy people in your head. For added effect share a laugh about it with other sane people around you, and you can all rest easy in the knowledge that nothing bad is ever going to happen and there's no need to worry. As is often the case, somewhere in the middle lies truth.

chmod600 6y ago

I'd like to see more discussion of natural vs. artificial disasters, or how the former could cause the latter.

rutledge87 6y ago

Be prepared. - scouts motto. Anyone who's been through several natural disasters or lives in the northern midwest already should take reasonable preparedness in stride.

dbish 6y ago

Sadly so many of the guides and sites look old fashioned (or crazy low quality). I started working on a site for normal people that takes info about your location and family and suggest risks and gives recommendations and a way to digitally track your preparedness for a given set of disasters and does things like reminds you when to replace items. I did customer research before covid and found most people weren’t interested or thought of prepping as crazy. Good to see the change of heart

LargoLasskhyfv 6y ago

I've seen this picture before, and asked what sense those white cameras make in case of the need of hiding in a bunker because that would be the first things a sharpshooter takes out, or just someone with a laserpointer. Couldn't they use something less obvious? Are they just decoys? What am I not getting here?