Alice, I like your outlook, too! My mother was a Depression era child, so she and her siblings grew up and mentally vowed never to be hungry again. While my mother couldn't afford much, we did have a very basic pantry that ensured we wouldn't run out of the staples. We probably could have lasted about a month with the little we had. I guess that mentality rubbed off on me, but my siblings never seemed to catch on.
When we got married, my husband and I lived in an 800 sf condo, but it had a good sized pantry, so we had a small stash of food. The stash grew when we moved to a house, but it didn't become extremely large until we moved to the Alaskan bush. Although the first bush community we lived in had three good sized grocery stores, it made economic sense to stock up on staples from the Big City and have them flown in. We relied on the local stores for the perishables and occasional treat. We live in a much smaller community now, and the local stores cannot possibly carry everything the people in the community might possibly need or want. It's marginal that they even have the desired perishables.
Like you, life's lessons have indicated it is only prudent to prepare for the unexpected:
1) When I was very little, a tornado blew through our area. I can remember taking shelter in the basement. I'm sure services were out for awhile (I was too young to notice), but my family was prepared with the basics.
2) I lived in the San Francisco area at the time of the 7.2 earthquake in 1989. Phone service was down. Several areas went without basic services, and people who turned off their gas waited up to a month to have it turned back on. News reports detailed the many people who had absolutely no survival items in their cars, not even a basic first aid kit or drinking water. Although it would have taken me about an hour to walk home from work, I still kept basics in the trunk of my car, and I always kept a pair of walking shoes with me. We also had a storage unit nearby that contained some camping supplies and food in case our condo got destroyed. Our hope was that at least one of the structures would survive a natural disaster.
3) September 11, 2001, was an interesting day in bush Alaska. Planes are the lifeblood of our communities, but all planes were grounded for several days. There were hunters in the field who were expecting a plane to pick them up, but the plane didn't arrive when expected. Those poor people had no idea what was happening! At least one group had half their party leave camp, expecting the plane to return for the rest. When the plane didn't show up, the ones that were left behind feared the worst.
Thankfully, they had been smart enough to divide basic essentials in case of an emergency although they never really expected to face one. I remember going to the grocery store several days later, expecting to see empty shelves as a result of panic buying and lack of planes bringing in supplies. Surprisingly, the store was pretty well stocked. It seems people in that community, at least, were pretty well equipped to face temporary setbacks.
4) I had friends who were traveling in Seattle when an earthquake hit there. The city shut down, and my friends couldn't find a single restaurant open for business, nor were the grocery stores. Travelers were stuck with what they had brought with them or had to rely on the meager offerings of hotel vending machines. Needless to say, my friends were very hungry. Although I've always traveled with a small amount of snacks, I've increased the amount because of my friends' experiences and the news reports about stranded travelers in the wake of 911. My carry on luggage always has quite the assortment of food, clothing, and personal hygiene items!
5) My community has been cut off from the outside world on several occasions because of fires somewhere in the state making it impossible to fly. One year, fire was threatening my village, and the residents were preparing to evacuate by boat. One would have thought that would have taught the locals of the necessity to have basic supplies readily accessible, but most are still completely clueless. When someone tried to address this issue as a community concern a couple of years ago, most of the locals naively stated the local stores (very small!!!) would be able to supply whatever needs they faced.
Only a few people have ever seen my pantry. They are always impressed with what I have and state that they know where to go if the world falls apart.
I honestly wish I had the means of preparing for everyone, but I don't! I'll gladly share what I have, but it won't go far.
So, there you have it! These are only some of my experiences that have led me to think about survival and basic preparation. Add to that the Dot.Gov warnings about natural disasters and terrorism. Most importantly, IMO, is that I have read the Bible and I'm convinced ours is the generation that will see all the dire end-time prophecies come true. Whether it's end-time prophecies or terrorism, there is an undercurrent in this country that
something big is on the horizon. I know only a few people who are trying to prepare for such an eventuality. Thankfully, a couple are in my community. We're hoping the community will pull together in an attempt to survive.
Although I don't think it's possible to be completely prepared if that should come to pass, I'll do what I can to help. Ultimately, I'll trust the Lord to be faithful and see me through whatever situation I face. He has promised to supply all my needs!
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People Who Prepare
Some say you are obsessive complulsive, others believe you are paranoid and still others think you are just plain nuts. The deal is this, when the flood waters come or the strong storms blow in or a plague hits or the trucking industry takes a nosedive and all the things we all take for granted simply can't be obtained, there we will be, eating well, baking bread and surfing the internet on battery power. We prepare. Its what responsible people do.