Could you survive?

[Belinda Barfield]

No, I'm not here to sell you freeze dried food, tarps, and duct tape. Just reading through threads in the past couple of days and wondering how many here believe they could survive is something catastrophic happened - zombie apocalypse excluded. As most here are the DIY type, I'm guessing quite a few could and would survive. How prepared are you, and what steps toward preparedness would you recommend? Let's say, for example, we lost the entire US power grid for a month or so, how bad do you think things would get?

[Larry Edgerton]

I think before one could answer that question they would have to take into consideration what other people would do in that situation.

Most Americans are comfortably living with the illusion that we are a civilized people. Maybe because we have not had any real hardships for so long we forget, but the animal within is still there. We look at atrocities as if those people are not like us, but have we forgotten the native Americans?

We have built up an entitlement society that many members are used to having things handed to them. What are they going to do if the handouts stop? Do you think they will pick up a hoe and start a garden?

Are you prepared to protect the preperations that you have made?

Very big question, with no simple answer.....

Larry

[John Lohmann]

Got lotsa canned food, candles, batteries, need more water & toilet paper. How do I watch TV in High Definition? I'll miss the Walking Dead?

[Ryan Mooney]

Me, alone against the wilderness pretty good odds - maybe up to 50% (largely depending on luck and time of year). Once you factor in other people it drops a lot down to something under 5%. A good chunk of "surviving" is mental, if you can make yourself getup and go every day you're a big leg up and none of that survivor guilt.

I think "what you have" in that sort of situation may or may not matter depending on where you are (I lean towards not mattering much after the first ~week in most situations). If you're in a heavily populated area belonging won't likely matter to much unless you also have a really really good fireproof place to hide that no one knows about. If you're in a remote area it depends on how much the crowds will head that way or not (if you're lucky there's a mountain range in the middle with a pass you can blow).

I actually get a bit of a chuckle out of a lot of the "prepared" folks. I knew one guy who had a "years worth of food" stored, mostly dry goods and whole kernel grains (primarily wheat, which is a pretty complete food with a few beans added). I asked:

• how will you cook those grains? "on the stove" (electric)
• how will you grind those grains? "with this hand mill" (one of the "hour of work for a cup of flour" hand mills - he hadn't considered just cracking it for mush because "his kids didn't like that")
• where will you get water? "from the pipes, the water will still work" (lived on top of a ~500"+hill so water was pumped there)

So basically he was counting on civilization to collapse, but all the amenities to still work. I was confused and amused.

I know some other folks who've stocked up on lead, but you can't shoot all ways at once. Gold you can't eat. And so on.

Imho your best bet is to stay out of the way until the hordes have thinned themselves and then find a group of like minded folks and make yourself useful (need a blacksmith, yep I can fake that. Brewer/Distiller, sure can do. Rough carpenter? Yep. Cheesemaker? sure. Cook? Absolutely. Drive a team of horses? yes! Gardener? know a little about that. Primitive weapons expert? not really, but I'll play one if you want ). On the up side knowing how to do stuff makes you more useful to yourself in real life as well (note: I'm certainly NOT under any stretch claiming to be an expert or even really adequate at most of the above, but.. knowing a little goes a lot further than knowing nothing).

A fun series for folks into this sort of thing is "Dies the Fire" by SM Sterling. The premise is that most modern technology ceases to work because "fast/large" chemical and electrical reactions cease to work for some reason (i.e. no gunpowder, no electric motors, steam engines work) dropping back to about a 16-1700's level of tech capability.

[Harry Hagan]

If you want a good assessment of what it would be like, I’d highly recommend the novel; One Second After by William R. Forstchen.

http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-Aft...4241333&sr=1-1

[Jim Koepke]

Some would survive, many would perish.

One of my pet mind exercises is to think about living a century or more ago. Some of us might be able to fit in, but most people would likely find it beyond their ability to live without what we take for granted today.

If the national power grid collapsed, it wouldn't be the lack of entitlements making my well not work. It would be that most people wouldn't know what to do with a chicken to make dinner even if there was a live chicken walking through their yard.

If one draws that kind of statement too its conclusion, those living the life of entitlement might do better than many others. After all, some feel entitlements are nothing more than a way to steel from others. Thieves have always found ways to survive in and out of society.

Maybe the people who would have the most difficult time are those who have always been able to pay others to do the hard work for them. Would they know how to start a fire to boil water?

jtk

[Belinda Barfield]

Since I live in a city, which I know would go to heck in a handbasket within the first week (or less), step one is to get out of dodge - and early. I would most likely head for the swamp as it is probably the safest place around. I truly believe if one doesn't have a kill or be killed mentality one isn't like to survive. Where I live having a basement full or root vegetables and several 5 gallon buckets of beans and rice won't mean squat. I agree that if I make it I will need to find my tribe and survive as a group. Several of them live on the fringes of the swamp. I, too, find it amusing that so many people believe in the best in others and that if they just stock up on things everything will be okay. Having said all that - what do I know?

[ray hampton]

Since I live in a city, which I know would go to heck in a handbasket within the first week (or less), step one is to get out of dodge - and early. I would most likely head for the swamp as it is probably the safest place around. I truly believe if one don't have a kill or be killed mentality one isn't like to survive. Where I live having a basement full or root vegetables and several 5 gallon buckets of beans and rice won't mean squat. I agree that if I make it I will need to find my tribe and survive as a group. Several of them live on the fringes of the swamp. I, too, find it amusing that so many people believe in the best in others and that if they just stock up on things everything will be okay. Having said all that - what do I know?

excuse my spelling, but are the swamp that you mentioned Swamp O my gosh, how many miles could you travel by using the swamps canals from one swamp to another swamp

[ray hampton]

Since I live in a city, which I know would go to heck in a handbasket within the first week (or less), step one is to get out of dodge - and early. I would most likely head for the swamp as it is probably the safest place around. I truly believe if one don't have a kill or be killed mentality one isn't like to survive. Where I live having a basement full or root vegetables and several 5 gallon buckets of beans and rice won't mean squat. I agree that if I make it I will need to find my tribe and survive as a group. Several of them live on the fringes of the swamp. I, too, find it amusing that so many people believe in the best in others and that if they just stock up on things everything will be okay. Having said all that - what do I know?

one reason that nation war against nation is because they will not show their best side

[Belinda Barfield]

excuse my spelling, but are the swamp that you mentioned Swamp O my gosh, how many miles could you travel by using the swamps canals from one swamp to another swamp

The big O swamp, or the river wetlands near my home town.

[ray hampton]

W got one more year and couple extra days before the December 21 , 2012 date, this year will pass very quick, I hope that everybody are ready

[ray hampton]

The big O swamp, or the river wetlands near my home town.

if you take a boat or canoe to the Dismal swamp, could you travel to the Everglades without getting out of the water ?

[Chris Kennedy]

Should we have a complete collapse of societies and morals, I am what is known in Darwinian terms as "food."

I will be the first to admit that I would be completely lost. For the most part this is because I strive to add to the human knowledge, not worry about the collapse of society.

Cheers,

Chris

[ray hampton]

Should we have a complete collapse of societies and morals, I am what is known in Darwinian terms as "food."

I will be the first to admit that I would be completely lost. For the most part this is because I strive to add to the human knowledge, not worry about the collapse of society.

Cheers,

Chris

the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field will have a feast because of the dead

[Shawn Pixley]

I think so. I taught wilderness survival when I was younger. I think that Brenda had it right, get out of the urban centers.