by JimmyYoung 25 Replies latest social current
It's interesting to me that the 'prepping' concept is quite alien to Britain as far as information has come to me. Tell me if I'm wrong! I'd never heard the term before looking at ex JW sites. The only time I have actually heard it spoken here was from an American JW with her instructions to get a "go bag".
Perhaps we are not subject to natural calamities to the same degree as in USA?
its not a matter of if but when.
Sounds like JW paranoia from this side of the pond.
" Sounds like JW paranoia from this side of the pond" , not to me, and I am on the same side of the pond. I have been listening to some top academics and experts in this field, of communicable diseases, and they are saying it may very well affect a large proportion of the U.K population. in which case, the excellent advice in this Thread will prove to be prescient.
We have nothing to lose by being prepared, stock up on foodstuffs that can be used in an emergency, if it all comes to next to nothing, you can use them as they near their "Best Before" date anyway, oh, and don't forget the Whisky ! that doesn't go off, well it never gets a chance to in our house !
Like others, I have been thinking about it. I do have a short supply of canned food always stored, but nowhere near what you would consider being prepared.
I will probably buy a bucket of emergency food online to last a few months, in case the zombie apocalypse hits. I do have a small propane stove, a good supply of lighting options, including batteries, flashlights, oil lamp.
I don't have a backup for water, I guess i'm hoping it wouldn't get turned off.
Sometimes I wonder the amount of chaos churned from a serious disruption of services. I'm pretty sure society would turn into a jungle. It is well knows that nearly half Americans don't even have a few bucks saved for emergencies, so you can be sure they are zero prepared in any other way.
Looting and rioting would soon follow especially in cities where people are piled up and heavily depend on supply chains.
Face masks have been sold out across the internet and locally in my area for weeks. The best way is to quarantine yourself and not go into large crowds. The buckets of emergency food are sold out across the internet and there are long waits for delivery. Ramen noodles, Non Fat dry milk, syrup, peanut butter, pancake mix, bullion for flavoring and spices have long shelf life. All dried foods like rice, beans and peas will last many years. I have a vacuum sealer then put that into a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. Canned foods will last at least three years. But its not a 25 year shelf life. Salt, Sugar, flour will all last many years if kept dry and stored inside. I can remember when Johny Carson told a joke on the tonight show mid 70s that toilet paper was in short supply. It lead to panic buying and it was a few months before you could get it easily and that was a joke. So just the panic of this thing can cause disruptions of food and other staples. Also its not too late to pick up an AR15 and some ammo. It all could amount to just a short panic but there were about 2 billion people on earth in 1918. The Influenza of 1918 killed 50 million people. There is no cure for a virus. Any vaccine is about 1 to 2 years out. Humans are fuel for a virus. The more there are the more fuel and the more it can mutate to even more deadly forms. The news today said that the people in China who have gotten over the virus some are coming down with it again, this is not normal. Its also strange that the outbreak is very close to a known Chines biological warfare development facility. Lots of unknowns. Its also a good time to start if you have not buying into the stock market.
Jimmy Young says ......
My brother makes fun of me and asks if I have seen black helicopters but its not a matter of if but when.
So JY are you suffering from a form of paranoia of some kind ?
It's interesting to me that the 'prepping' concept is quite alien to Britain as far as information has come to me. Tell me if I'm wrong!
I think it's due to practicalities - North American houses often have a lot more space and places you can stash things such as basement, storage room and historically access to larger vehicles such as pickup trucks (try loading your lifetime supply of Costco food into a Ford Anglia and carrying it up to your flat ...)
North American was also more recently "frontier" land and people still have that self-sufficiency ethos, kept alive by sometimes being a long way from civilization in a smaller community.
Canned foods will last at least three years. But it's not a 25 year shelf life.
Yeah, there's a difference between the 20-25 year food rations that you can get and just stocking up on things that you can simply use anyway (just recycle what you have stored so it doesn't expire and waste). The reviews of the dried food aren't fantastic but for true emergencies it's probably delicious enough.
Looting and rioting would soon follow especially in cities where people are piled up and heavily depend on supply chains.
Some cultures seem worse than others for bad / selfish behavior in emergency situations - it's not "everyone in it working together", it's "every man for himself". If I was in the US there's no way on earth I'd give up my guns - this is exactly the situation you need them, anyone who thinks the government will be there to protect you is extremely naive, they are hardly a protection even in the best of times.
Face masks have been sold out across the internet and locally in my area for weeks.
If you do get some, they will inevitably say "made in China". There's an irony there. Just don't breathe in when you open the packaging ...
For years England has did things very different than the US. They usually don't have large refrigerators they have more like what you would see in a dorm room or a home bar. They go to the market and get what they need for a day or two not for a week or month.
Face masks have been sold out across the internet and locally in my area for weeks.
It seems like the cheap ones have sold out, but the better ones may still be available. If you need to wear a mask for a longer time, a higher quality one with a 2-way valve / exhaust vent will be much more comfortable. Also, they often are higher rated - N99 instead of N95 (% of "thingies" that they filter out). The other benefit is that you look a bit like Bane, so totally bad-ass and not to be messed with.
The disposable medical masks that you see a lot of asian people wearing (even when there is no outbreak) are apparently almost pointless, although if they do nothing at all I'd question why surgeons etc... bother wearing them. Nothing will be perfect, but who knows if it reduces the risk a little it may still be worthwhile.
We have always kept a really good store cupboard of foodstuffs. Our parents did before us. It's not for Armageddon or nuclear war but just in case the weather is really bad one winter and it's difficult to get out or if we are both ill and don't fancy trailing to the shops. We could manage for months if need be.
However, as one member (WTWizard?) wrote recently, we never tell anyone.
George
