So I have come to accept that I am a "Prepper". Like many others, I have watched the show "Doomsday Preppers" I realize that it is a show produced for ratings and entertainment, therefor they are looking for most eccentric people they can find. If I was producing this show I would probably do the same thing. But this show has not exactly helped the prepper cause. The show is creating a negative stigma of the "prepper". When I watch these people on Doomsday Preppers, I think to myself, if the SHTF, people all around them will know where to go to get their food and supplies for their starving families. Even the Doomsday Prepper with a roomful of guns will have problems. All it takes is a larger group of intelligent people with guns to come up with a plan to over-throw them from their own property.
There are, of course, reasons outside of "Doomsday Preppers" why I choose to remain anonymous. If something does indeed happen to cause societal chaos, the best thing my family can do is stay far away from chaos, that includes people knocking on my door because they know I have what they desperately need. Yes, I am all about helping neighbors and family, but lets face it, none of us can help the world and survive comfortably ourselves. I have always been the wall-flower type, in social situations that may be a negative trait, but in survival situations that is one trait I will carry on with. People do not need to know what I have in storage in my basement totes or what my land can produce. Just on my land alone we have a natural spring, a stocked pond, a small apple orchard, berry patches, grape vines, a garden and lots of wildlife roaming through. It wouldn't take too many unwelcomed guest to destroy my harvests.
Even the nice old Grandmother that lives in town may kill me and my family if her desire to keep her own children alive was strong enough. If times get too rough, people naturally become selfish. Providing for their own basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and warmth takes over their whole world.
I can think of no reason why I should tell people I am prepper. My husband knows, and that is the extent of who I talk about it with. If the SHTF, I will of course share with my greater family, friends and neighbors, but there is no value in others knowing right now. I like my neighbors and many of us are like-minded. I would not be surprised if when chaos hits we find out that we are all a bunch of closet preppers. But until then I will remain in my closet, prepping away. I see that "Doomsday Preppers" is looking for people for next season, sorry "Doomsday Preppers" keep looking, nothing to see here.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Power Outage and Heat Wave
Well, the title says it all. Last week we were in the middle of the major storm that produced 85 mph winds and caused havoc all over the area. We were without power for 6 days. This experience did open my eyes about something, surviving the summer. In general I prep more for the long cold Ohio winter months. I always concerned myself more about the winter than the summer. I guess I figured the winters require a good reliable heat source and plenty of stored food in order to get through it. Well, this past week was a new experience for me. Not only was there a major power outage, there was also a heat wave that produced temperatures up to 100 degrees, with humidity! This heat wave went on day after day. During the power outage I heard people say over and over that they would prefer an outage in the winter over the summer months, I must say, I agree! We even had a generator that we shared with a neighbor and powered refrigerators and a few window air conditioners.
Within 24 hours of the outage, the local gas station, which was one of the few that was opened, was out of gas. There were no bags of ice to be found in the county. People were raiding the local Lowes for flashlights, batteries, and of course generators. Being that we live in a rural area where most wells are ran using electricity, there was also an immediate shortage of water. All within 24 hours. Unlike blizzards and hurricanes where people have plenty of warning and an opportunity to stock up on supplies, this storm had little warning. I follow local weather pretty closely and this storm was not shown as a threat until 30 minutes before it hit, no one was prepared.
It felt good to know we were just fine with supplies. We had plenty of water, food, lights, batteries, etc. We were able to wade around in the pond to cool off. Our bodies are not accustomed to working in 100 degree temperatures, but after a few days I found my body adjusting to the environment. It did not seem as unbearable to be outside. I am not sure how to prep for a heat wave without power. Of course there is the generator and gas. But I always wanted to be prepared without them. I guess I figured that even with the generator, gas is not an endless resource and generators should not be fully relied upon to be there. They can break, be stolen, etc.
I did decide that I could never have enough batteries. My favorite prepper item was my Coleman LED lantern. It takes 4 DD Duracell batteries and I never changed the batteries the whole time. We used it every night. The lantern has only one LED light bulb, but it lights up the whole room. I will be purchasing more of these in the future. We have propane lanterns but I always worry about my young children around them. This lantern also has a "night light" feature. It give off just a small amount of light, just enough to make the kids feel safe while they sleep. The kids carried this lantern around outside, they even dropped it a few times, but nothing happened to it. It was definitely invaluable during this outage.
Within 24 hours of the outage, the local gas station, which was one of the few that was opened, was out of gas. There were no bags of ice to be found in the county. People were raiding the local Lowes for flashlights, batteries, and of course generators. Being that we live in a rural area where most wells are ran using electricity, there was also an immediate shortage of water. All within 24 hours. Unlike blizzards and hurricanes where people have plenty of warning and an opportunity to stock up on supplies, this storm had little warning. I follow local weather pretty closely and this storm was not shown as a threat until 30 minutes before it hit, no one was prepared.
It felt good to know we were just fine with supplies. We had plenty of water, food, lights, batteries, etc. We were able to wade around in the pond to cool off. Our bodies are not accustomed to working in 100 degree temperatures, but after a few days I found my body adjusting to the environment. It did not seem as unbearable to be outside. I am not sure how to prep for a heat wave without power. Of course there is the generator and gas. But I always wanted to be prepared without them. I guess I figured that even with the generator, gas is not an endless resource and generators should not be fully relied upon to be there. They can break, be stolen, etc.
I did decide that I could never have enough batteries. My favorite prepper item was my Coleman LED lantern. It takes 4 DD Duracell batteries and I never changed the batteries the whole time. We used it every night. The lantern has only one LED light bulb, but it lights up the whole room. I will be purchasing more of these in the future. We have propane lanterns but I always worry about my young children around them. This lantern also has a "night light" feature. It give off just a small amount of light, just enough to make the kids feel safe while they sleep. The kids carried this lantern around outside, they even dropped it a few times, but nothing happened to it. It was definitely invaluable during this outage.
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