to deadeyedick: No offense about the Zombies coming from Peoria or the rest of Illinois. However, our Illinois Zombies are usually harmless as they are too busy voting early and often.

Sadly it starts with documentaries and is going to lead to more reality TV. Boy I cant wait for "True Life, My Parents are Preppers." and "Intervention: My dad lives in a bunker." My question is with all of this doomsday hype and worry, what happens to the families when doomsday doesn't come? I watched a little bit of one of these shows and a guy spent over $200,000.00 on a bunker in the back yard! I not only see this leading to more strife within families, but hurting the financial and maybe emotional future of their kids! Notwithstanding the crazies. I am not saying I am against being prepared, but seriously?

I agree that a few weeks' supply of of provisions should be enough for any reasonably foreseeable emergency (short of a nuclear attack, in which case too much would not be enough).

The show is mildly entertaining and I agree with DP, if something "big" happens.... we're all up shits creek anyway.... or are we? Maybe we're the fools not doing anything. My wife and I debate this all the time. I see how much these people are spending on the "what-if" and begin to think about taking my family out shooting more, stocking up on some basic bug out kits just in case. It does make you think a little. I do think some people are just wired to survive and others..... not so much for whatever reason(s). Perhaps its my rural upbringing where my parents and grandparants raised beef cows, planted gardens, canned food and hunted and fished because it was essentially free food. My wife and I still go "blackberrying" every June and we usually end up picking a couple dozen cups for some great blackberry pies. Its just something we like to do. I wonder if it beckons back to those settler-pioneer days of our ancestors... what if they just "gave up" The jury is still out in my mind on this topic. I certainly will not spend my kids college fund on this stuff but teaching my kids some of these basic subsistance living skills will hopefully carry on the genetic code a little longer.

Hey stop blaming Stephen King for the doomsday stuff. I have not read any of his books that has anything to do with a doomsday scenario and he surely didn't invent zombies. :-)
I suppose many of you remember the end of the world predictions for year 2000 when all our computers were going to crash and the world was going to be thrown into chaos. I had several acquaintances who stockpiled dehydrated food and ran off to the mountains to wait it out and nothing happened. When they returned I was like "so what are you going to do with all that food?"
I opine that if there ever comes a SHTF situation, it will be due to an economical collapse or something like that.
Even if that happens, we somehow managed as a country to weather out the depression. Now I will hazard to say that I feel people today are wound tighter than they were in the 1930's and are used to more creature comforts and convenience than people had back then.
I also opine that bugging out to the wilderness is a bad idea because isolating oneself has its inherent disadvantages. The biggest of course is what if you are discovered by a band of brigands. If one did not choose an excellent defendable position for the homestead, then one may simply find oneself out gunned. Or, the brigands can do what the Washington police did and just wait you out.
I feel that our strength will lie in our sense of community. If you know your neighbors and can work together, as a group, your chances of weathering out a storm will be much greater. I have seen this occur first hand during some of the many hurricanes that have made landfall at or very close to our area. We shared gas for generators, food, water and helped each other clean up. I really think that is how one survives a disaster. I have plenty of firearms, and offered to loan them to friends and neighbors if they needed them to feel secure at night until some semblance of order was restored.
I think sometimes we sell ourselves short when it comes to a bad situation. Don't get me wrong; I know there are opportunists, criminals, and looters that will always attempt to take advantage of a bad situation, but I still believe that those persons are in the low percentile of society.

God bless these people, for them I say buy a bunch of shotgun shells for close quarters protection and much, much more fishing line, hooks and sinkers because land roaming animals will soon be in limited supply.

Zombies are for real, boys and girls. Anybody who doubts this need merely take a look at the U.S. Congress, on either side of the aisle.
As to surviving a nuclear holocaust, consult the Japanese. They have first hand experience.

Do you really want to see what Americans are like in a doomsday scenario: Read David Mccullough "THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD".

And always in any hard scenario Those with character survive, those without it; don't.

Going rural won't help in 2050, the US of A is to add another 100 million people. It will look like Tokyo in most places.

Ontario old buddy; You keep on chiming in. I read your comments FIRST; Some I agree with and some not so much, but they are always interesting and most are thought through. I for one want to hear your opinion.

I had a captain (army ranger) tell me "a true ranger only carries what he needs to get something better".
I have a couple of rifles and a hand full of ammo, but if you really have to go into the survival on your own road, pounds of freeze dried food and tons of ammo isn't what you want to be carrying.

JohnR-

"Hey stop blaming Stephen King for the doomsday stuff. I have not read any of his books that has anything to do with a doomsday scenario"

Say what?
Don't read much Steven king do you?
Ever hear of a book called "The Stand"?
-by Mr. King,was even made into a T.V. miniseries,then a movie- was about a doomsday scenario
- a "superflu" disease released from an army research facility infected the whole U.S. A.
-book didn't say much about the rest of the world-but in the U.S. all the "good guys" went to Boulder CO. and the "bad guys" went to Vegas to start over.

"We shared gas for generators, food, water and helped each other clean up. I really think that is how one survives a disaster."

Agreed-and that would likely be the scenario in rural areas,and "outer ring" suburbs- the inner cities would be a different story-not only do they not have generators-most don't have anything for emergencies-some because they are poor-others because they are drug addicts,or drug dealers,and/or other assorted crimnals and riff-raff wouldn't share anything-they would try to sell bottles of water for $25.00 each though-with the gangs dividing up the "turf".

"I know there are opportunists, criminals, and looters that will always attempt to take advantage of a bad situation, but I still believe that those persons are in the low percentile of society."

Try living in NE Ohio-in say Cleveland or Akron-then tell me what percentage of the population you think are NOT opportunists,criminals,looters ect.

I'm not sure I'm interested in living through a nuclear holocaust...

zombies? really? wtf? am i living in the same world as everybody else? civilization could end in a variety of violent scenarios, but zombies? c'mon man!

I find the show very entertaining. That being said, broadcasting the fact that you have a ton of food on television is a great way to get unwanted visitors if there is a disaster. Some of these people are nutjobs, but I bet there are some good preppers out there somewhere

I think everyone should have some sort of self reliance training including self defense. In Md about 20 years ago a large area was hit by a tornado and was with out power for at least a month. If the government hadn't supplied all their needs most would have been in serious trouble and may not survived. If the Feds hadn't stepped in and assist with Katrina how many would have survived.
The big difference between now and the great depression was the number of people who lived in cities and those who lived in rural areas. If an economic crisis shut down the system, most cities could not last more than 3 days without massive amounts of aid. Numbers of hungry angry hordes demanding their creature comforts be met will not respond well to no. Many people back then could survive with the basic skills they had , most people today can't work any tools at all.
Threads can be found on you tube in parts.

-a windmill or a hand pump for your water supply

-an efficient wood stove (so you can boil that water, for starters, and so you can cook and warm yourself)

-a bicycle, or maybe a horse if you don't like pedaling, so you can reserve that precious gasoline or diesel for escaping zombies

-optional: a gasifier so you can generate fuel gas for the generator from organic stuff (wood chips, saw dust, corn cobs, charcoal) or inorganic stuff (coal, no longer usable rubber tires), so you can reserve that precious gasoline or diesel for escaping zombies

-really extreme: a means of making blackpowder

-grow tobacco, I hear its juice makes excellent insecticide (for your potted or plotted veggies and fruits), and if everything's gone to hell, at least you can enjoy a cigar before the zombies eat your brains. just make sure you have that flint fire starter

I know all it would take for my world to come to an end would be losing my job. Maybe instead of rice and ammo these guys ought to look at storing away some money for a more likly end of "my" world senario.

Great post full of common sense DP.

Einstein had a quote "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

If this happens hope a nuke lands 50 feet from my house with all my loved ones gathered round, quick and painless, won't even know it happened.

I agree that some basic preparedness in not only a good idea, but can be cost effective if planned. I don't think I, myself, would WANT to survive after a major disaster (such as a nuclear attack), but would rather survive as comfortably as I COULD, for as long as possible.
I realized I can replace furniture, or a house after a tornado/fire,etc., but not family. I backup my scanned photos/important docuements on two password protected jumpdrives. I keep one in my vault, & one in the saftey deposit box.
Think I might stockpile some bourbon, scotch, etc. Maybe T.P., too....

Sure, Zombies are a reality. Why else would Hornady and Ruger brand ammo and pistols with Zombie stuff? LOL

I blush remembering I got into this survival thing back in the mid-70’s. Guy named Mel Tappan had a monthly piece in a Peterson Publication. I initially thought Mel had something until he went off on the deep end demanding survival depended upon having a large fortune in guns and a HIDEOUT in the mountains with three growing seasons. I lost my regard for the fellow especially when he died of a heart attack developed by a swimming pool injury. I'm wiser now.

BTW I know something about nuke war via military. No one knows for certain what a post nuclear environment be. I recall the big ‘80’s splash when Nuclear Winter theory came out [think Carl Sagan was one] after a bunch of prof’s likely had a mold wine party one night. Military eventually discounted it, but they gave it attention because *They* don't know for certain what a post-nuke world will be.

I did see two documentaries that seem pretty accurate on Post-Nuke Environment. One is a NatGeo program called, “Aftermath; Population Zero”. The other is a recent documentary [Nova?] on what the area around Chernobyl is 25-years after the disaster.

I was amazed Nature has taken over and is curing Chernobyl even though it looks like a scene from “Legend” with wolf packs returning and etc.

“Earth produces poison, but it also produces the cure.”

Wanna Survive, Preppie? Keep it light. Keep it mobile. Never hit Force head-on; Re-direct it.
Learn to become part of the Group. You’ll never make it on your own.

I like the show especially the clever contraptions and shelters some of the people come up with. It's a testimonial to the fact that american ingenuity is alive and well. However I also have a problem with the firearms part of it. Most of the people own too many different types in which stockpiling ammo and spare parts is going to create its own set of problems. Another beef I have is this idea that they're protecting themselves against marauding gangs. I think that some of them have watched too many Mad Max movies. Marauding in a post apocalyptic world would be a logistical problem to say the least. To supply a roving army with food, fuel and ammo in a world of limited resources is highly unlikely. I don't think that most people with the exception of a few would turn their weapons on their friends and neighbors who didn't prepare that would just be inhuman. To coin a line off an old western "killing don't mix well with a man's supper".

JohnR: I guess you have not read "The Stand" trilogy or saw the so-so 1994 mini-series starring Gary Sinise that has been on TV multiple times. It is about the fight between good and evil, figuratively and literally, after a deadly flu virus is accidentally released from a govt lab.

Altlhough this type scenario is possible, something on a smaller scale due to an Act of God is far more likely. Witness what happened in NO after Katrina as some have mentioned here, or the lawlessness that was unleashed in South Dade County after Hurricane Andrew. I lived 30 miles north of where the eye hit and every day the news from Kendall and Homestead grew more and more desperate, with stories of people rushing relief trucks, stealing food and water, and attacking those who were not armed or gathered together with their neighbors for protection.

I worked for a bank that had foreclosed on a mobile home park in Homestead. 6 months after the storm, I had to go inspect the then vacant site (the only thing left was the concrete trailer pads with rebar sticking up). It took a while to find it because all street signs were gone, most houses were in at least some state of damage with many roofless, and the 20ft high piles of debris lining both sides of the streets made navigating pretty difficult. Most trees (most were southern pines) were either gone, snapped in two like toothpicks, or the few that were left standing were stripped of all leaves/needles. After about 45 minutes of driving around, I realized I was feeling depressed just looking at the destruction.

A few months later, FEMA took over the MH park, bringing in white, otherwise non-descript trailers for those who could not afford to escape the misery of living in the area. Crack dealers soon moved in and essentially took over the park, terrorizing the few nice people who had nowhere else to go, robbing, beating, and even raping a couple of women. The police were afraid to go there for fear of being overwhelmed by so many baddies. FEMA eventually had to shut the place down even though there it was full.

In the meantime, the nice Southwest Broward neighborhood my wife and I lived in became over run with South Dade refugees. The crime rate started to climb (we were burgled twice). At that time, the only gun I had was a Winchester Model 12; fortunately, the burglers didn't find it (just all my wife's jewelry and all my electronics). I slept with it under the bed with 4 in the mag and a box of #6 duck loads on the bedstand. Not long afterward, my bank employer was bought out, I got a great severance package, and a better new job back in my hometown in SW FLA.

My next gun purchase will be an MSR in a bigger caliber and LOTS OF CLIPS!

that's assuming we don't get down to bartering. paper money, on its own, is nothing, in everyday usage it is only worth something because something else (the Federal Reserve, gold deposits, etc.) is backing it up. If the government falls, paper money could lose most, if not all, of its value.

The show is a hoot. My favorite was the 250lb gal who was bragging about how well she was going to eat after the apocalypse. People watch too many movies or maybe its Steven King that makes 'em that way.

Any idea where to find that movie, Mr. Petzal. I went to add it to my Netflix queue, but it appears they do not have it.

I'll have to try to find "Threads." Another, harrowing film in apparently the same vein: Peter Watkins' 1965 pseudo-documentary, "The War Game."

crm3096

Hey trooper, where ya' been? Glad to see you back !

Never mind any minor occurances or inconveniences.... What about prepping for the real "Big One"---- Armegeddon! That's the one I want to survive!

oops, sorry OHDH, I guess you posted your comments as I was writing mine. Great minds think alike.

I can´t believe Jeronimo never was mentioned. Too mild mannered way to survive the apocalypse?
That would be the most likely way to survive a cathastrophic shut down of civilization, putting each one´s habilities to the common good, at least in rural areas with strong community bonds.

Oops! That would be Jericho, not Jeronimo.

Just listen at us.
You did not hear this kind of s##t till mr. Obamamama was elected,
What we need "now" is a leader.
Someone to come out and lead us.
Someone to tell us where to go, when to go .
I don't know but i remember the old saying "the only way bad can win, is for good to do nothing".
Do you think it might be to late to call on the Lord?

Here is a different angle. The Supreme Court just decided that the Government's taxing authority means we all have to buy health insurance. Pretty broad taxing authority. Why not a 1000% tax on "military ammunition" say .223, .308, 9mm? How much will you buy then? As DP has written before ammunition is not getting any cheaper so buy now. How much is the right amount? Rather than measure by how much is needed to shoot up zombies, the correct answer is enough that the Government always feels that the cost to confiscate it is too great.

They should have called them the doomsday poopers because they are going to eat a lot crap when nothing happens. ZOMBIES it's all about zombies millions of zombies. It the big fad these days in movies and tv , we will be up to our neck in zombies. I think they produce them in a factory in Peoria illinois. lol no offense.
People never cease to amaze me. I think "big chief cuttenheadoff" decided to have a sacrifice that day and chose the man that was making the mayan calender.
If and that's a mighty big IF something does happen I don't want to be around . I saw that movie too.

Ontario horn honker, I think there are a whole bunch of us that wish you would just throw in the towel.