Preparing for War or Apocalypse

It's so rare to find sensible posts on this forum!

If only all the millions of people around the world dying in wars or disasters had a few more can openers and a stash of spam!

Sorry to be flippant op but a small stash of emergency food might get you through a week of there's some disruption to the supply chain or our electricity goes off for a week and the fridge and freezer defrost but it is unlikely to do much to help in the event of a sustained war...you are better off stashing seeds and in the event of radioactive fallout you will probably feel to sick to eat. Unless you've got a food reserve the size of a warehouse at best it will give you a couple of days. I know there are lots of people doing prepping and maybe if you live somewhere remote where you can be largely self sufficient that might be ok. In the UK where we all live on top of one another anarchy will ensue pretty quickly. You've only got to look at how fast things descended into chaos in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina.

Well I hope you've been able to get many guns and ammo OP because you'll need to shoot and kill all those who will absolutely try to kill you to steal your hoard to feed themselves or loved ones.

Better teach your children to shoot to kill too in case you get taken out first. And drive. Cook. Hunt. Hide. Map read. Gut a rabbit or fish. Fish. Make fire. Find water. Fight off a Hungry Big Dog. Read a compass.

I suggest you read "Last one at the party" by Bethany Hughes for am insight into what's in store for survivors - and her central character had the massive advantage of 99% of everyone else being stone dead.

I rrported on an earlier thread 'how much is in your emergency fund'...

14 bottles of wine and a tin of corned beef.

I need to revise that now,

12 botles of wine, a tin of corned beef and a tin of garden peas. (I've been to the shops!)

So still on track...

Same here lol

Yes, vodka and pills. That is all I would want in the event of an apocalypse.

I think you're right op.

There are a lot of things we will never find out about. There is something going on but they won't tell us in case we freak out!

I don't know if it's worth stocking up. If you're healthy it won't do any harm. Best get a preppers book and follow the guidance.

But TBH if you need any kind of medication you're screwed. All you'll have is what youve got from the GP. So maybe a month. Then it's game over. Unless you can stick up now.

If you can just six weeks you'll prob be ok as the rest of us will mostly be dead by then.

I'm a bit of a prepper. I think it's just a sensible precaution. Society is so fragile, if one link breaks panic ensues and the whole thing comes tumbling down. I don't want to be trying to get supplies in the middle of public disorder so I've done it already.
I've enough food for 6 months, enough water for 2, and the facilities to filter non portable water long term. I've got cooking facilities, basic toiletries, meds and other survival stuff, like radios, candels and matches.
The food is stored properly to last decades, so there's no rotation needed, I can literally forget about it until it's (hopefully) never need it.
I'm under no illusion that I could survive long term, if the world properly went to shit I'd be as screwed as everyone else.

I've noticed that a lot of the "straight to video" movies on prime/Netflix recently are disaster type movies, lots of ice age or mega floods or similar disasters.

When you add that to the current general sense of unease because of the newer wars closer to our doorstep, it makes the mood music rather uncertain and fearful.

So when people hear the Government suggesting everyone should have 3 days of emergency supplies (the same thing Sweden has advocated for years), people suddenly get afraid of what might be coming.

But if you have been through the Cold War, Chernobyl, multiple natural disasters all over the world, the fact that the world has not had a single day of peace without any war since the end of WWII....you get a bit of perspective, make sure you can look after yourself and your family if things go wrong for a couple of days until govt systems can kick in, you'll be fine.

Isn’t it just awful that we’ve (and I means humans generally) have spent so much time & money on weapons that can destroy us.

no I’m not a prepper. I don’t have the space or the inclination. We couldn’t possibly guess what could go wrong or what you might need.

Read the future crunch emails, at least it used to be called future crunch I think its something else now. there is so much good going in the world too.

That’s not low level. That’s pretty intensive prepping.

Actual apocalypse stuff - I'd rather be taken out quickly.

A few days without power, a home etc - yes I'm prepared.

Truly excellent! I love a good zombie movie

I prep enough for bad weather ( we get snowed in most winters at least a day) , illness, water contamination ( seems common atm in England in areas). But that’s just basically food, water and basic cold medicine to last us 3-5 days without having to venture out. So it’s just stocked regular stores really.
It’s enough that if water was contaminated for example we wouldn’t have to rush to queue for water that day, we could venture the next day. Or if snowed in we wouldn’t have to walk in Thick snow to nearest store for about a week as have enough in.

Not got time to faff with bunkers and zombies or freeze dried malarkey

This

I have zero intention of surviving a nuclear fallout or a war won by a psychopath.

I wouldn't describe myself as a prepper but DM and DF were the wartime generation and were also used to having a massive garden, chickens, etc, and a well stocked larder, with plenty of tinned, dried and preserved foods.
So I have always done the same.
We live rurally and get snowed in,have power cuts, etc. we have a
large fruit and vegetable garden and a generator.
I have always got loads of first aid stuff and toiletries in the bathroom, in rather pretty jars.
We used to have chickens and goats, but decided against that, as it means we can never go away.
Perhaps I should stock up on dog food…

Adding some large containers of water, things like candles, matches and camping stoves wouldn't be such a big step.
But it doesn't occupy much of my mind, thanks to my upbringing. It just seems normal.

I'm pretty sure that I'd rather be dead. Even if you did survive, Any sort of societal breakdown would take a long time to return to anything resembling normal society.

Not sure I'd want to survive anyway.

At best you'd lose most of your family and friends, your home, your country.
You may also lose your sanity, some limbs, everyone you know.

You'd be a nervous, lonely, tired, dirty, hungry wreck.

I think a bottle of vodka and a few bottles of whatever pills are all people need in their 'bug out' bag.

Well if it’s nuclear, we have at most 72 minutes before we’ll be (un)lucky to be in remaining few millions;

Well worth a watch/listen:

YABU.

But I do think democracy is endangered. Democracy isn’t big picture heads of state. It’s small and local, nuts and bolts.

I’m feeling a bit push to do my civic duty, volunteer, lean in and try to improve my community and environment even in small ways. Thing global act local.

I think this will do you more good than prepping, even in terms of mental health but also in terms of actually making a tangible difference to our troubled world. HTH

Op hope you got a bunker under your house.

I don’t have time to live my normal life let alone deal with that nonsense as well 😂

I mean if it does all go to shit then you'll have the last laugh but try not to let it affect your daily life op.

FWIW I do have a long thought out zombie apocalypse plan. (genuinely serious)

I made it up for shits and giggles and got a little carried away.