Doomsday Prepping

[Mel]

Important to have more than firearms. Bows and blades do not run out of ammo. Works on zombies and sheeple.

[PennyQuilts]

Important to have more than firearms. Bows and blades do not run out of ammo. Works on zombies and sheeple.

I would love to have a crossbow or one of those bows that have the thingamajig to make them easier to pull back. I think they'd be fun to practice with and wouldn't freak out my dogs or make me have to leave the house to go somewhere to practice. They just make sense.

[OKCisOK4me]

Pennyquilts, you rock. Your entry subsided all the satirical comments. You do have a plan from what I can see. Again, my practice is nil, but psychologically, it's nice to see that someone out there keeps it in the back of their mind. I've been watching the Doomsday Preppers show on Netflix and while it may be THREE YEARS OLD the preppers give great insight and ideas for how you can save your own ass whether these incidents happen or not.

My favorite part of the episodes are where they rate the preppers preparations by doing their expert assessment and then follow by saying that "this scenario taking place in the US is most likely not to happen". Regardless, it helps to have the knowledge and expertise to fall back on if something like it WERE to happen.

Post edit... on a geological time scale...it's probably not going to happen in our minUte lifetime...but if the culdera at Yellowstone erupted, it would totally effect Oklahoma with ash. That for me is an issue cause it would put everyone here in a panic.

[Plutonic Panda]

So are we talking tornado's? Hurricanes?..... lol I'm just kidding.

I do keep non-perishable foods close by and I've been studying Kendo and the art of knife throwing. I plan to buy a bow and start practicing Archery as well. That coupled with Krav Maga, should help a little bit if I run out of ammo. The next best thing I will need is a really fast car.

I also want to practice cultivating more.

[Just the facts]

If history is any indication for wide spread societal collapse you only need to survive the first 30 days. After that 90% of the people will be dead. Alas, we will come up with a much better system of local government before that happens. This is on my reading list: Sovereign City: The City-State Ancient and Modern (Reaktion Books - Globalities): Geoffrey Parker: 9781861892195: Amazon.com: Books

[PennyQuilts]

I'd say with our current use of prescription meds, there is a good portion of the population for whom you'd need to bump out the chance of surviving if you last the first thirty days to closer to 90. A lot of people are functioning pretty well with the help of medication and most have at least enough on hand to last a week or three depending on when their prescription was last filled. If you can't get those meds, people with heart conditions, diabetics and the like are more likely to start getting sick a few days or weeks after the meds run out and aren't being replaced. I've been on thyroid meds for thirty five years and have probably managed to shut down my thyroid - I'd be in a world of hurt before too long. Likewise, back in the days before good psychotropic medications were available, seriously mentally ill people lived their whole lives in asylums. Take away their meds and you have some seriously mentally ill people wandering around, poor souls. And what to do with them?

[Mel]

" Take away their meds and you have some seriously mentally ill people wandering around, poor souls. And what to do with them? " Hollywood. Penny, bows are fun to shoot and help teach you focus and breath control. Three bails of stray and you have a target. No noise to disturb furrbuddies or neighbors. I think, but I might be wrong, you have to have a license for a crossbow.

[PennyQuilts]

Mel, I represented the state's public mental health hospitals for a number of years so the miracle that is modern day medication for serious mental health conditions is front row center in my psyche. I heard so many sad, sad stories from the old timers and professionals who were well acquainted with the days before modern day psychotropic medication. Drugs allow the patients to actually leave the hospital instead of just living there for their entire lives. IMO, those meds are right up there with the polio vaccine in terms of life changing.

[Wambo36]

I don't know of any license requirements for crossbows. They are even legal to hunt with in place of a compound bow.

[Mel]

Mel, I represented the state's public mental health hospitals for a number of years so the miracle that is modern day medication for serious mental health conditions is front row center in my psyche. I heard so many sad, sad stories from the old timers and professionals who were well acquainted with the days before modern day psychotropic medication. Drugs allow the patients to actually leave the hospital instead of just living there for their entire lives. IMO, those meds are right up there with the polio vaccine in terms of life changing.

I didn't mean to offend your work or the meds. I am on quite a few maintenance meds and probably wouldn't last long without them. I was dissing hollweird.

I wasn't sure about crossbow laws. Never owned one.

[PennyQuilts]

I don't know of any license requirements for crossbows. They are even legal to hunt with in place of a compound bow.

COMPOUND BOW. That's what I was trying to remember. I'm clearly a novice. But it seems like such a useful weapon.

[PennyQuilts]

I didn't mean to offend your work or the meds. I am on quite a few maintenance meds and probably wouldn't last long without them. I was dissing hollweird.

I wasn't sure about crossbow laws. Never owned one.

Not to worry. I think a lot of people think of the zombie apocalypse or a B horror flick when they think of "crazy" people off their meds. I am simply persuaded by the professionals treating the seriously mentally ill (like acute bi polar and schizophrenia). Those are the two big ones and the rest, IMO, are in a different level and not nearly as much an issue although going through withdrawal could be difficult.

[OKCisOK4me]

Yeah, there was a couple on one of the shows I was watching where they're skimping on their meds one or two days a week to stock up.

[RadicalModerate]

Anyone "Prepping" for "Doomsday" might consider spending maybe an hour and a half watching "The Yearling". There are some real, realistic Survival Skills exhibited in that movie.

[RadicalModerate]

COMPOUND BOW. That's what I was trying to remember. I'm clearly a novice. But it seems like such a useful weapon.

Imagine a "Compound Bow" . . . in The 5th Dimension . . .
(it, for sure, would protect one from Doomsday . . . =)
But you would still have to gut whatever you shot and eat it.
Raw. On account of Questing for Fire (in the rain).

Where I went to school, the dining room didn't look as nice as it does now . . .
http://www.colorado.edu/umc/dining/alferd-packer

Yet, the point is . . . Doomsday Prep?
Google Alferd Packer or The Donner Party . . .
Never mind . . . I'll make it simple.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alferd_Packer

Remember: I grew up in the shadow of Rocky Flats Atomic Bomb Plant so my perspective is relieved. (regarding "doomsday") =)

[PennyQuilts]

I don't think modern day preppers are particular concerned about surviving a nuclear or atomic war and living in bunkers. As I understand the movement, it's more a question of figuring out how to survive and rebuild after a societal collapse. The conditions they fear are more akin to pushing back to 1900 than Mad Max. During the duck and cover days of the atomic scare, a good part of the population comfortable with living in a 1900 world was alive and well. Those skills, tools and knowledge are largely lost in the electronic/digital/computer age. Losing the grid, emp or cyberwarfare are unique threats in our culture due to being dependent on such things, reliance on global trade to keep things humming and dense population centers overbuilt for the regional ability to sustain. As to gutting and cooking a dead deer, there are all kinds of workshops and youtubes on that. Female hunters have been big business in recent years. Keep the pruners handy...

[NoOkie]

This is the best piece I've ever read on the idea of disaster preparedness and dealing with a real world situation: Listening to Katrina

It made me reevaluate a lot of my preconceived notions(e.g. "Those people are nutters" or "Hahaha, duct tape and plastic sheeting.") and plans(i.e. none) and actually put some stuff together. Nothing fancy, just a few little kits of essentials and some options/plans.

Edit: Seriously. Go read that link. It's a really good first hand account of poop hitting the rotary air mover and the things that worked and the things that didn't.

[OKCisOK4me]

Thanks for the link NoOkie.