Is spreading the word a problem?

[kernewek]

I get the impression that not too many people are keen to draw too much attention to themselves and I can understand why. In a SHTF situation, would you want everyone turning up on your doorstep asking (or demanding) access to your supplies? However, does this, by nature, mean that spreading the word about prepping is a problem? It's almost like you have to go looking for the subject as no one's advising people to stock up etc. Would you even speak to close friends about it, for example? Close friends in normal life could in a dire situation suddenly become a pain when they arrive on your doorstep when you've only got enough supplies for your family.

[tigs]

its all about operational security tell only those that you are including in your preps

[redskies]

I wouldn't tell anyone I prep, not even family, although there are a few folks who know that here is the place to head if it all goes tits up in the cities etc.

But I try to encourage people to think for themselves. I've seen at least fifteen thousand visitors this year, and there have been some very interesting conversations had in the shop, covering a very diverse range of topics. More than one person has gone out with the wheels very obviously turning with regard to the UK's food and power insecurity. And I'm starting to get contacts from people I've offered links on things like off grid storage and food preservation to. In my own way, I'm trying to spread the word!

[Arzosah]

I mostly agree with redskies, though I even limit the circle of people-I-encourage-to-prep to family - my sister and my mother, for instance, are both stockpiling a bit more tinned food in readiness for the increased likelihood of power cuts this winter. Otherwise, I keep it very down-low.

[soutie]

in a shtf scenario i'm not answering my door to anyone !!!

[izzy_mack]

I agree, don't tell anyone, it's the only safe way to go. However I too feel the need sometimes to encourage family and neighbours to prep, so the only way I have found is to encourage them when the chance pops up, like a weather warning when I'll say i'm going shopping before the weather hits and hope they have candles left, oh I must remember matches or something to that effect. Hoping they start a conversation about what they should be getting. (I have enough candles to last 3months of darkness but they don't that).
I wish there was an easy way, but I haven't thought of it.

[redskies]

I find the thing that gets most people thinking is to point out how much of our food is imported, how few people keep more than three days food in the house, and that if it all fell over and went boom tomorrow, half of the population would be dead of starvation by the time we got to spring planting and a good few more would be dead of either poisoning while trying to forage or because of those who will kill and steal for food.

It really does get their wheels turning. Here, because we're regularly cut off from supply lines, most folks keep at least a fortnights food, and usually a month or more. Most have bread making kit, bread and milk in the freezer, and the usual supplies required for the regular power outages, such as torches, candles, camping stoves etc. I plan to add a calor gas stove and a wood burning stove to our back up supplies this winter. I've also found a good supplier of wholesale food, and will be buying in £400 - £500 loads next year, for us and for something I intend to do for the shop. There's also a ready supply of fish and game - all of us could eat rabbit every evening for a year and not even put a wee dent in the bunny population!

[PreppingPingu]

Yes that is the thing - you don't need to preach from the highest mountain with a megaphone and let everyone know that you have food for a few months in your home! But you can lead by example regarding power cuts, water supply disruption and political discussion regarding how the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket and how lucky we are that we don't live in Sieria Leone, Syria, etc etc - what would we do if ... and that does get people thinking. The more people think and have conversations about how you'd cope with out x y or z, then the more prepared others will be and the less likely they are to come knocking on your door if they got an inkling of the fact you may have some supplies stored. Chats down the pub or with your friends over coffee and a biscuit can produce very interesting and thought provoking conversations that don't give you away but do make others think!

[redskies]

Yes that is the thing - you don't need to preach from the highest mountain with a megaphone and let everyone know that you have food for a few months in your home! But you can lead by example regarding power cuts, water supply disruption and political discussion regarding how the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket and how lucky we are that we don't live in Sieria Leone, Syria, etc etc - what would we do if ... and that does get people thinking. The more people think and have conversations about how you'd cope with out x y or z, then the more prepared others will be and the less likely they are to come knocking on your door if they got an inkling of the fact you may have some supplies stored. Chats down the pub or with your friends over coffee and a biscuit can produce very interesting and thought provoking conversations that don't give you away but do make others think!

As I said above, I see about fifteen thousand through the shop, minimum, every year. It's gone up this year, and will again next year - the cruise ship traffic is insane.

I think I've managed to bring it up at least once a day, five days a week, for the last six months

[Hamradioop]

Found this on the interweb, the author stated that they were going to mailshot it in their area. I think it keeps good op sec.

'Dear Neighbor,
You may or may not know me and I may or may not know you. I do not want you to know who I am and you will understand at the end of this letter.
As I write this letter there is a hurricane in Baha, Mexico with flooding and looting, 3 large volcanos are exploding, E-bola is raging across Africa, ISIS is murdering innocents by the thousands, millions of Pacific Ocean fish are dead and still dying from the Japanese Nuclear leak 2 years ago. There is a lot more but this is enough for our discussion.
The world only has a 3 month supply of food, this is normal because we have to feed over 7 billion people. However, the worlds food supply depends on weather, we now have a severe drought in western US, along with wildfires. There are several areas that have had severe floods and in our own area, we have had so much rain, crops are rotting in the field and this is just in the US.
We import a lot of food from other countries, especially the winter vegetables.
If E-bola or another deadly virus causes a pandemic or a militant group causes major damage or sun spots causes a total breakdown to our electrical grid, our nation will literally stop in it's tracks for years. Hospitals will close, gas trucks will not be able to deliver to the stations or stores, grocery stores which have only a three day supply of food will be wiped out in hours. This is just a few examples, there are many more. People who have not prepared will be breaking into YOUR home to feed themselves.
During Hugo, Charleston was without power for 3 weeks, after Katrina it was months. How much food and water do you actually have stocked now, how would you cook, heat or even see at night and more importantly-for how long? How would you get water, protect your family, get your medicines.
In generations past, people toiled all year to grow and preserve food for the next harvest, a year later. They saved their heirloom seed for their next years planting, fertilized with animal manure and stored their water in rain barrels or obtained it from a river or lake. Our waters are too polluted to drink now, without filtration and/or boiling.
We are now a society totally dependent on "just in time" delivery for everything we need for survival. There are many web sites to tell you how and what to prepare: survivalist board, Ludlow, avian flu talk are good ones, there are many more.
Please just consider the need to have a MINIMUM 3 months supply of water, food, protection, cooking and heating options, medicines, personal and cleaning needs. We have prepared our home with OVER a years supply and collected the necessary equipment our ancestors had in 1800 to resupply.
I am sending this to a random 100-150 people in my zip code, hoping you will share this information with your family and friends. However, if you do decide to prepare, do not tell anyone, especially children, unless they are old enough to keep secrets and help you. (I would encourage a years supply.)
If a disaster happens next month or next year, there will be people going door to door to steal what you have, not caring who they have to kill to get it. There will probably be a need for an armed neighborhood watch and/or alarm system.

The reason I am not telling you who I am is because I do not want anyone harmed trying to steal what we have prepared for.

Our ancestors went through the great depression, 2 world wars and the 1918 Swine flu epidemic but we have no memory of this and are in a delusion to think it cannot happen to us, however, because of our total dependence of the electrical system and our debt, we are more vulnerable than at any time in our history. (Our government cannot help 70 million people.)
You have 3 choices, with what to do with this letter. I just pray you choose the right one. Remember Joseph in Egypt.
A Concerned Neighbor'

I think it fairly well sums up the world situation.