Doomsday Preppers

While I’ve never been a fan of reality TV in any form, I recently began watching the National Geographic Channel’s newest program, "Doomsday Preppers." Having known a few fringe folk in my time, I thought it might be interesting, as well as entertaining, to see what people are doing out there. I’ve seen four episodes so far, and I have to say that it’s better than I expected. At the same time, I would never go out and buy it, nor will I probably watch any reruns.

There is much to consider when you ponder all the disaster scenarios paraded past us on a daily basis: collapse of the energy grid, collapse of the economic system, eruption of the Yellowstone super volcano, a polar shift, runaway inflation, world-wide pandemic, electro-magnetic pulse, etc. In addition, there are local disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, chemical spills, or floods that we know will happen sooner or later. Yes, there are people making plans to survive them all. Here are some interesting statistics from the program: 25% of Americans have made no emergency plans whatsoever, yet 20% have some sort of emergency plan. Where am I? Well, I’ve thought about some of these things but not really done anything yet. Sam is more prepared than I am, because I KNOW he has a plan, though we are behind the ball in terms of acting on what we need to do. You may be asking yourself, “Do I really need to do anything?” Consider this: According to the United Nations, this past year was the most expensive in recorded history ($380 billion), thanks to the earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan.http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20120306&id=14858342

Think about it. DO you have an emergency evacuation plan? How would you survive? You’d better have a good supply of non-perishable food laid by and be able to protect it, yourself, and your family. You’d also best be prepared to live off the land and able to scrounge up whatever you needed when your food runs out. Can you hunt? What would you do for food if everyone else was hunting and/or fishing and the resources were exhausted? Can you forage? Could you eat a rat—or a kitty cat—if you had to? Can you defend yourself beyond shooting a gun? CAN you shoot a gun, use a knife, or other personal self defense method, such as jiu jitsu or karate? Are you physically fit? Will your neighbors be a help, a hindrance, or a threat? Are you building a network with neighbors or church members, for example, so you can help each other survive, or will you be a lone wolf? All of a sudden, there is a great deal to consider, isn’t there?

Some of the folks on TV have come up with interesting solutions, and I admire their dedication and tenacity, though a few seem kind of flaky. At the same time I must say that any TRUE doomsday prepper would never go on TV and give away his plan. NEVER. Secrecy is a big part of success (which was actually mentioned during the fourth episode), and the less people who know about your plans, the better. I would especially not show off my huge stash of guns and ammo or the stockpile of liquor. Tsk, tsk!

Personally, I can’t see myself living on MRE’s for any length of time, if only because I’ve heard they weren’t very good, though it would probably be a good idea to have a few around. I also can’t see myself cooking up fabulous gourmet meals from powdered, dehydrated food while hunkered down in my bunker. Canned and dehydrated food I’ve put up myself would no doubt taste better than MRE’s, plus I know what is in it, but when your main concern is filling your stomach with something in order to stay alive, taste is probably not the highest priority. I certainly plan on continuing to garden and growing and preserving what food I am able, but I have no illusions that my garden would be safe. If ever the “**** hits the fan,” I am sure lots of other people will be crawling over my back fence trying to help themselves to my food!

One thing is certain; disaster preparedness is not something that can be done overnight. It takes a good deal of thought, work, and an investment of time and money to become a reality. And, once you have the three-day supplies in your bug-out bag, you need to consider the best way to proceed once you are in the situation. For example, when Mt. Rainier blows, what are you going to do? Is it really a good idea to jump in your car and head for the freeway and Eastern Washington if the other million people who live here are doing the same thing? Hmm, you might want to consider “bugging in” and waiting for things to settle, rather than sitting in a freeway parking lot with lots of panicked people. And if, for example, you plan to head for Mexico, be sure you have enough gas to get there and a place to stay when you arrive.

For some very useful information, check out www.preparedness.com/, www.ready.gov/, and www.72hours.org/.