We'll eat you first!

[Nighteyes]

Originally Posted by monkeywrenching

to many liberals, even owning 1 firearm makes you a gun nut.

Ah-HEM! I am a Liberal, and I own many more than "1 firearm". In fact, you'd need more than both hands to count the number I own.

I am proud to be counted as a Liberal, and as a reasoned supporter of the Second Amendment (and the First, and the Third, and the Fourth, and the Fifth, and...)

So, speaking for me and several other Liberals whom I call "friend", I think you can put that misconception out to pasture. After all, life is not a binary, either-or, matter...

-- Nighteyes

[Woof]

Originally Posted by Countrysue

I started prepping after my first hurricane, Betsy, in 1965. Before that (being in the young and stupid category), I simply did not think ahead.

I live in the country and in the event of a disaster, my family and friends will come to my house. There is safety in numbers. I am able to stockpile supplies better than they can. I simply have more room.

After Katrina, there were some people who saw the disaster as an opportunity to loot and did so. There were some people who banded together, formed militias, and took care of their neighborhoods. But . . . everyone I spoke to after Katrina said there were some people in their area who were content to sit and wait for someone to come rescue them. When the disaster was not quickly resolved, they became angry, and in some cases, violent. These people had been raised to believe that the government would handle, and 'fix', any disasters.

Many of the looters were not residents. They came into the area later, sometimes using 4-wheel vehicle to get in. The police seemed to be concerned with disarming residents; the National Guard with corralling people on the interstates. FEMA was incompetent, the Red Cross unorganized. The first effective force in my area was the military. God bless them.

It was weeks before all the various agencies got their act together. Supplies were handed out to people who could get to the distribution location. If you couldn't get there - oh well.

The military arrived with truckloads of supplies. They were not especially tactful, but they were VERY efficient. We took trucks to the distribution location. The trucks contained members of more than one family. We had IDs for people who were physically unable to travel to the location. The military looked at IDs, then loaded the trucks by family. We were able to get supplies for people who had no transportation.

As for guns, we patrolled our neighborhood with guns. There were some vehicles that turned around when they saw we were checking IDs. The biggest, ugliest guns were displayed at the checkpoints. The idea was to intimidate, not to actually shoot.

In my neighborhood, our biggest problem was not looters, it was a lack of sanitation, and a lack of medical care. In my house, we drained the toilets, then put garbage bags in them. We used 2 toilets, one for urine and the other - well, you get the idea.

The urine toilet we emptied into the compost pile.

I had lime that I used in my garden. We put that in the 'other' toilet. After each use, we sprinkled some lime in to keep the smell down. When the bag became heavy, it was pulled out, knotted and stored.

The hospitals opened soon after Katrina in my area, but with limited services. Getting prescriptions filled remained a problem for weeks. The people I felt most sorry for were those who required liquid insulin. No refrigeration meant no liquid insulin and a trip to the emergency room.

Don't forget - no gas stations were open. Gas had to be hoarded and used for necessities only. The cell phone towers had been toppled. Communications were limited.

I made a number of adjustments to my supplies following Katrina. I have a composting toilet that I will can use outdoors. I stock more comprehensive selection of medical supplies.

Katrina was a nightmare I would rather not repeat. I learned from my experience, but it was a hard lesson.

Thanks for an excellent, practical post.

I've come to realize that safety lies in numbers more than one family trying to hide out. I've learned that from the personal experience of being stalked and harassed by a creepy group that chose to believe certain rumors about me - people can be so incredibly irrational and mean in large numbers, and I have no social network of my own to defend myself with. That's underscored the importance of belonging to a neighborhood patrol even if you have to share some food.

By the way, you can simply improvise a toilet using a plastic shopping bag inside a sturdy paper bag to hold it upright - the advantage over a Luggable Loo is portability when folded and disposability. The rangers here recommend that for hikers so they don't leave crap and toilet paper all over the mountain. Then if you live in a city, you can simply dispose of it by knotting it up and putting it in a dumpster ........ or heaving it into your neighbor's back yard at night ........ you know, the annoying one with a dog that barks all night long.

[NVplumber]

I do see a tendency, amongst certain people, to place too much emphasis on being combat capable, as related to a survival situation. Whatever that may be. My, personal, outlook is more...practical. While I do have weapons, and not just firearms, my emphasis is more on things that the "tactical" crowd , often, overlooks. Sanitary facilities have been mentioned, a d that is quite important. Medical supplies, including maintenance meds, which I need. A source of fresh water or at least , if one is urban bound, a good supply of it. Food. We can't live without it and is second only to water. Clothing, particularly warm, durable, clothing, blankets, keeping bags, and means of generating heat. Staying warm is a biggy.

Oh, I suppose if someone wants to concentrate their efforts into being a combatant, that's fine. However, it takes a LOT to keep a soldier operating at peak. Personally, I'm not going to be looking to expend precious resources in combat. I hide, with pride. People get wounded in fighting. And killed, of course. The ones killed could be ones with skill sets that are badly needed, same with being wounded. However, wounded people require skilled care and medicine. Dating for them burns up supplies, and takes a lot of manpower out of the action of day to day survival.

The ones who focus their survival efforts into combat , seem to, often, overlook what combat results in. Its fine to be prepared to fight, if you must, but the attitude, among some, that they will be seeking to fight, would give a wicked reality check, should they actually pursue that course. And, who, exactly, will this fighting be against? The possibilities are endless, I suppose, but , say, a few families, against a roving , outlaw biker hoard....I wouldn't like the odds. And the aftermath, I would like less.

I am well armed, and have friends to band together with. However, I am under no illusions or daydreams about firefights . Such confrontation, especially in the face of collapsed authority, is something I will , actively, avoid.