Hi everyone

[Preparaid]

Good to meet you all.
Interested in all preping topics, especially related to energy production and storage but also communication and all related skills and tech!
Hope to discuss ideas and challenges.
Cheers,
Mat

[pseudonym]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

[jennyjj01]

Good to meet you all.
Interested in all preping topics, especially related to energy production and storage but also communication and all related skills and tech!
Hope to discuss ideas and challenges.
Cheers,
Mat

Welcome Preparaid,

This forum is a mine of useful information and some opinions on future scenarios and how we might deal with them. You'll notice that we are mostly ordinary sane people with reasonable concerns and pragmatic and practical ideas. Please contribute your own thoughts and ideas. Don't be shy.

We have techy folks here who can answer your questions about energy production, lighting and alternative cooking and we have other skillsets here such as very skilled food producers, radio hams, medics or cooks.You'll soon spot who knows what. If you have prepping questions, then ask away. That way we all get ideas flowing.

Do you have any particular scenarios in mind? What preps have you done? What preps might you soon do? Any thoughts on your own domestic situation, such as whether your home faces particular challenges?

[Preparaid]

One aspect I find particularly interesting is Urban dynamics.
It's one thing to be in the countryside with land to grow food, maybe not far from a farm, etc... would require skills but seems doable.
In an urban environment, the ratio of land to people is different and all supplies are limited (people store less, go to the shop every few days, etc...).
Being prepared might make even more of a difference in that context.
Not sure whether that topic is covered or discussed anywhere?

Cheers,
Mat

[izzy_mack]

Welcome to the forum

[itsybitsy]

Good to meet you all.
Interested in all preping topics, especially related to energy production and storage but also communication and all related skills and tech!
Hope to discuss ideas and challenges.
Cheers,
Mat

Hello and welcome, Mat. Are you based in the UK?

What got you interested in emergency preparedness?

[jennyjj01]

One aspect I find particularly interesting is Urban dynamics.
It's one thing to be in the countryside with land to grow food, maybe not far from a farm, etc... would require skills but seems doable.
In an urban environment, the ratio of land to people is different and all supplies are limited (people store less, go to the shop every few days, etc...).
Being prepared might make even more of a difference in that context.
Not sure whether that topic is covered or discussed anywhere?

Cheers,
Mat

I'd never thought of 'Urban dynamics' as a topic, but it gets alluded to when we consider how migration might ensue from a crisis. In WW2, there was a perception in the towns that country dwellers had it cosey with easier fresh food and resources, while country dwellers felt that townies had it good with ample shopping opportunities. The grass was always greener...
So, come the day of crisis, we MIGHT find migration in both directions.
There have been posts here that consider the merits of 'bugging out' and heading for the hills to live off the land and it's generally not seen as a good idea.
viewtopic.php?p=204667#p204667
But we've also considered the risk of hunkering down either in a town home or a country homestead. In the former case, gangs and looters might be a big risk, but equally, it has been considered that the happy homesteader might be a prime target for incoming raiders. We touched on that here Indefensible food wealth
I guess we need to consider timescales and the level to which normality may or may not return. Whatever our preps do for us in the short term is just a regrouping opportunity for the long term. Maybe in TEOTWAWKI we would set up feudal communities?

[Preparaid]

viewtopic.php?p=204667#p204667
But we've also considered the risk of hunkering down either in a town home or a country homestead. In the former case, gangs and looters might be a big risk, but equally, it has been considered that the happy homesteader might be a prime target for incoming raiders. We touched on that here Indefensible food wealth
I guess we need to consider timescales and the level to which normality may or may not return. Whatever our preps do for us in the short term is just a regrouping opportunity for the long term.

That's it:
- Short term, safer to stay put waiting for the situation to go back to normal after a few days, all good (Lock-down, snow storm, whatever the emergency...)
- If the situation last more than a few days, towns are more likely to become violent first, people will fight for food, it could get ugly quickly because supply chains are optimised (My understanding is that there is 2 days of food supply in shops in London)

Being ready for a week without food, water or electricity is "fine" -> still worth exploring.

Where it gets tricky:
- How do you know it's a 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months situation? How do you assess the type of threat...
- When do you decide to leave (do you ever if you don't have a place to go)
- The security aspect is probably the most difficult, we're in the UK so at least we don't have the option to hoard guns and neither do others (that's a good thing, easier to recover from a fist fight than a gun fight)

Food for thoughts!

[jennyjj01]

That's it:
- Short term, safer to stay put waiting for the situation to go back to normal after a few days, all good (Lock-down, snow storm, whatever the emergency...)
- If the situation last more than a few days, towns are more likely to become violent first, people will fight for food, it could get ugly quickly because supply chains are optimised (My understanding is that there is 2 days of food supply in shops in London)
...
Where it gets tricky:
- How do you know it's a 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months situation? How do you assess the type of threat...
- When do you decide to leave (do you ever if you don't have a place to go)
- The security aspect is probably the most difficult, we're in the UK so at least we don't have the option to hoard guns and neither do others (that's a good thing, easier to recover from a fist fight than a gun fight)

Food for thoughts!

You might enjoy the film After Armageddon 2010 https://archive.org/details/AfterArmageddon_39056
Though it's US based, it shows a suburban family dealing with having to leave their home after a few days have elapsed and looters came onto the scene. About 30 minutes into the film, they feel the jeopardy and set out on a very perilous road trip. The film is IMHO, fairly realistic. In their dire situation, I think they left town too quickly, but with armed gangs of looters, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
We would need to play it by ear, but my own plan would involve rallying just a few neighbours to fortify our cul de sac. And bugging in as a micro community..... But they wouldn't get any of my food reserves
In the most serious SHTF scenario, I'm afraid my objective would be to out-survive the looters by whatever means necessary. We are not allowed to discuss weapons here, by the way. Any looter unfortunate enough to die on my lawn would be propped up as a scarecrow

You might like Blackout 2013 too https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Blackout%27+t ... WrCI0W37zw
That's UK centric, and again pretty realistic. 25 minutes into that one, the hero co-operated with neighbours.... They came back later and robbed him.

If society breaks down, the only long term safety will be safety in numbers unless we are very VERY independent.

[Preparaid]

Thanks for the movie recommendations!

I must admit I watch movies like "I am Legend", or "The day after tomorrow" with a certain curiosity about what would be the best thing do in those situations (however unlikely they might look like).

There was a TV series called Jericho which was based on the topic...
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805663/?r ... lmg_act_37