During this last major cold snap, I heard a story on NPR (National Public Radio), it’s the only radio station we can pick up out here, it’s quite a bit left leaning for our tastes, but we take that into consideration when we listen, especially to the news stories.
So this story was about (yet another) major cold snap that was about to hit major parts of the USA, there were going to be states of emergency declared because of the snow, ice and very low temps. There were going to be school and business closings.
The thing that really caught my attention, the thing that surprised me (but probably shouldn’t have) is the talk about “runs on the stores”, they were preparing for, get this, being potentially shut in for, are you ready for this, 2 days! Yes, I said it, people panicked and cleared out shelves in grocery stores because they might be shut in for as much as 2 days.
I am shocked and dismayed that people aren’t even prepared to be home for just a couple of days, I have been preaching it from the rooftops about being prepped for a week, 2 weeks, a month or more.
I have seen what happens when people get scared, I have seen what happens when things go just a little bad, believe me the last place you want to be in an emergency is in the grocery store fighting over the last bottle of water and loaf of bread.
If this was only going to be a couple of days in length, why weren’t more people prepared to “survive” a few days in their homes, why did there need to be a run on the stores? This is such a telling thing, come on folks, pull your head out and get yourself in better shape. This was just a tiny taste of what can happen, I wonder how things would go if there were a real emergency with power outages and entire cities shut down?
Get up and look in your kitchen right now, what if you couldn’t leave your home for the next week, 2 weeks or longer, how long could you survive with what you have in your pantry? What if you couldn’t go to the store, or what if the stores were stripped of their food, would you be able to stay in for any length of time?
If your answer is “uh-o”, then you need to begin asap working on a backup plan for you and your family. You can start even on the tightest of budgets, don’t wait until it’s too late, you can start here:
https://off-grid.net/tag/prepping-on-a-budget/
8 Responses
I can only reach some of your “Prepping on a Budget” articles. The Water, First Aid, and Sanitation are coming up as No Item Found, no matter how I search for it. I’d love to continue reading your well thought out ideas. Please let me know how I can access these. Thanks!
Hi Jennie, oops, it seems that some of the stories in that series have evaporated, thanks for letting me know, I’ll work on reposting them asap, it’s a busy week this week, but I’ll get them fixed soon, would you like for me to send you an email when I get them fixed?
Wretha
Looking for like minded individuals who want to take the leap and go to the middle of remote wilderness and build a log house near water and animals in the north west , email me I have one other male also, hopefully looking to find someone with outdoor plants and remedy knowledge.. or Other ~ thanks email at gregf72@outlook.com or Wilderness Remote on facebook
One other comment, look what happened with the propane shortage. Any comments about energy efficiency either resulted in deaf ears, or attacks. And even a thought of a net zero residence really resulted in attacks. Ok, don’t listen, go sit in your cold McMansions , have fun at the warming center! Which is more important now? Keeping warm, or that walk in closet? Even talk to survivalists about solar told me how stupid I was. More insulation? They say it won’t make a difference. Go ahead and run that heat 90% of the time in a cold snap….
Food wise I’m great. Energy wise I have a problem. If the power goes out my freezer will go out. I can cook with my camp stove. And I have not worked on water. I’m 1/2 mile from a great lake, so a water filter would give me an unlimited supply. Looking at getting a power backup, at least to recool the freezer. Thinking about getting a bigger car power inverter. Still looking at batteries. 6 hours of backup power should bring my freezer back to cold again…. I’m in an apartment, so it would be a bit of a challenge.
That is sad, yes? I only go to town once or sometimes twice a month–keep a running list.
Hey Man, hows things. I haven’t been kept up to date on this account for a while and Im just getting your message now…..So whats cookin and how can I help? Cheers Tom. SP: your welcome to email me direct , just note it as “OFF GRID”
Totally agreed. I live in Alabama. Over the last 2 weeks we’ve had 2 storms that have shut down everything for almost 2 days. People have gone nuts. I wasn’t at the grocery store for 2 days before either of these storm systems. Even if I run out of milk and bread, I have plenty of food and water to last us, get this, 6 months! After the Tornado Outbreak in 2011, I have been more than prepared. We weren’t really prepared then but, still found a way to make it. Everyone in the neighborhood cooked every bit of food in their freezers and had a potluck going for about 2 weeks. It’s baffling to me as well. How do people live having to go to the grocery store everyday or 2? I couldn’t afford the gas!