Personal security, disaster prepardness, and what are you doing?

[guids]

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What the hell.

Isn't this all a bit overboard? My emergency kit is an ATM card. If I can't buy the [censored] I need, the world is [censored] anyways.

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this time last year, there were large parts of st. louis w/o power for 5 days, doesnt seem like a lot, but having simple crap around, and in the same place is super convenient, adn makes things about 1000 times easier.

[Los Feliz Slim]

I have an assload of water in the huge jugs from Arrowhead, and three big plastic containers in my house with: food, first aid supplies, fire extinguishers, a big-ass tarp, a radio that will run off a hand-crank that will also charge a cell phone, some tools like a crowbar and hatchet, cat food, flashlights, and probably some other crap I don't remember.

If a good-size earthquake hits Southern California I want to be prepared to not have any help from the outside for two weeks. I figure by then the government will have gotten their [censored] together at least a little or it'll be possible to get myself and my family out of here.

Things I want to add: a gun (never going to happen, wife is extremely opposed), a generator (an awesome whole-house backup system would be sweet, but very very expensive), and comprehensive kits for our cars. If there are other obvious things I'm missing I'd love to hear it.

[Ray Zee]

first bag is mostly stuff you would take camping. this is a backpack with what you need to live for two weeks.
then as much water as you can store if you are in a city as in a disaster nothing is going to come out your faucet or have electric or natural gas.
a supply of gasoline as electric outage means no pumps work to get a fillup if you must travel.
then what you need to be comfortable in your home for a few weeks without any services. a way to heat water, a light source, fire making essentials, food and water and warmth.
a weather band radio to get reports. which go out on noaa radio.

see you in the rubble

[lippy]

I watch Man vs. Wild religiously. I feel as though I am adequately prepared.

[pig4bill]

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tactical shotgun w/ a light is obv. best choice, sound like you already know that.

next on the list would be a 9mm glock with an M6 light/laser combo, and a high cap magazine. you're going to be full of adreneline when the time comes, and a 9mm is easier to control, and you'll have like 33 chances w/ the high capacity magazine. plus a laser dot on somebody might be enough to stop someone w/out having to shoot. maybe. you can also get some P++ rounds in 9mm that are pretty lethal, enough that smart people still argue they are better to carry than a .40 cal. no comment on who is right, but they're in the same ballpark at least. the glock is also more portable and lighter, if you need to travel any distances.

a little disclosure though, i think this stuff can be fun to plan for and talk about, but i have absolutely nothing of hte sort. i keep a mag-light in my car, that's about it.

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What Im worried about is penetration, with a handgun, thats whay I dont want to keep them for home protection, and think a shotgun w/ non lethal is the best way to go.

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Personally, I don't want to shoot at a guy unless he needs killin'. Too much possibility of having the wrong rounds, or hitting him in the neck, etc, and don't want the liability. However, if the guy needs killin', then I need lethal, not non-lethal.

BTW, for people that have no idea where to start, Costco has a ready-made survival kit. This is in the Bay area, where earthquakes and riots have shown such things to come in handy, so I don't know if every Costco carries such an item.

[WhoIam]

I'm not sure why you keep saying you want non-lethal shotgun ammo. If a guy is coming at you with a knife or has a gun and is trying to break into your house, you don't want to shoot him with a beanbag.

What level of disaster do you want to be prepared for? There are lots of good survivalist sites that would help you out with this. If you're staying put, having lots of potable water is the most important thing.

[guids]

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I'm not sure why you keep saying you want non-lethal shotgun ammo. If a guy is coming at you with a knife or has a gun and is trying to break into your house, you don't want to shoot him with a beanbag.

What level of disaster do you want to be prepared for? There are lots of good survivalist sites that would help you out with this. If you're staying put, having lots of potable water is the most important thing.

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I figure 1 or 2 rounds of bean bag rounds, which if you have never fired one, a chest should would completely disable someone, and if the guy is still acting up, I have a round of shot for him.


I want to be very prepared. Whether a nuke drops somewhere in the us, or I have to lam it for awhile, I want to be prepared.

[FeliciaLee]

This is something I've been slowly working on for years. My main concern is the ability to survive if I lose electricity and water for whatever reason.

I already use a lot of non-electric (manual) appliances. They are sold by tree huggers and the Amish, so they are pretty easy to get.

We live in the desert, so heating sources aren't as important as other places. I have adjusted my body to accept the heater as low as the mid 60's in the winter (I could probably go lower, but my husband has a fit). I can live without a/c, even here. We built solar shades for all of the windows and the temp never gets above 85 in the house. My body doesn't need a/c anymore, but Glenn keeps it on about 81-83.

Water is my biggest concern. There are wells under our town, but they are only accessible in select residences (we are on town water). It is good water, but if the electricity goes, then we are cut off. We can have a private well drilled, but we have no water rights, and it can be taken away at any time. Over time I have bottled my own in case of an emergency.

I have some MRE's and lots of canned food. I have a solar battery charger and a shakable flashlight.

What I would like in the future (present, but Glenn is resisting) are solar panels and a back-up generator. I also need to work on a first-aid kit.

I have a big garden, but that is the source of another dilemma. How far would I be willing to go if there really was an emergency? Upon running out of food, I'm sure my neighbors would come to raid my garden. Would I kill to protect it, to make sure a few live on for the future, rather than everyone having food today, but die tomorrow? This is the biggest crux in my thinking, of course. We have a small BB gun, but no other defense.

At any rate, I never expect things are going to turn badly, but I like to be at least mildly prepared. My father had no electricity for six days in St. Louis last year and slept in his barber shop. It doesn't have to be a huge disaster for us to realize just how unprepared we are for lack of electricity. I would like to think I could make it at least a week, until things either get better, or go completely bad.

I use lots of sites online to help build up supplies (things you just never think of, until you read a list of things to buy; duh, manual can opener), if you are interested, Guids.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[pig4bill]

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I have an assload of water in the huge jugs from Arrowhead,

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You may know this already, but that water is not intended for longterm storage. Eventually bacteria will start to grow. If you pack the water yourself, you can treat it.

Gasoline is similar. Treat it with stabilizer for longterm storage.

[econophile]

for you rural folk, a burried school bus can be used as a weapons cache