correction != crash

calm down.

The correction we had back in July took more off of my 401k than this correction, and my accounts had completely recovered from that correction.

Yes, it sucks to watch the value of my fund drop so hard, but I'm still not in the red for the year, so I can't complain too much. Besides, I still have a long time to retirement... a long, damn time.

By the time you realize you need to buy ammo, canned goods and bottled water it is too late.

Be prepared is the Boy Scouts motto for a reason.

1000 rounds per weapon with 10 mags/clips each (Each household should have 1 rifle and 1 shotgun and a handgun)
2.5 gallons of water per person per week.
1500-2000 calories of canned/dried food per person per week
Enough cash to spend a week in a hotel if needed plus $200.00
5 changes of batteries for every flashlight you have.
5 Candles per day so 35 candles socked away for a week's worth.
1 back pack packed with 3 days changes worth of cloths for each person in the house.
1 Four wheel or all wheel drive automobile.

Do that plus save 10% of your paycheck in either savings accounts, 401K etc in addition to having fire, flood, etc insurance and there isn't much you can't weather and ride out.

It is easy when you make it your priority and just part of your life. You rotate out your emergency food when cooking at home.

REOIV: It is easy when you make it your priority and just part of your life. You rotate out your emergency food when cooking at home.

you forgot ducktape dumbass!

dsider
you forgot ducktape dumbass!

I just assume everyone has at least 1 to 5 rolls of it lying around the house and garage. I've yet to meet anyone that didn't have 1 to two rolls.

Though yes there is so much more one should also have the list I made is just a bare minimum.

I didn't even cover car kits, generators, spare lumber and that if you're really planning for the worst double all your food stuffs and medical supplies as you will have people you didn't count on showing up.

I'm a peak oil nutjob - so it pains me to do this, but Reoiv,

You forgot the tin-foil, 3x1 foot per person per day.

I think if you are at the point of needing guns and ammo you are beyond the point of needing cash to stay in a hotel. A) Cash would be meaningless paper and B) Who the hell is running a hotel when there are dudes with mohawks on big rigs driving around shooting people with crossbows?

NutsISay: Who the hell is running a hotel when there are dudes with mohawks on big rigs driving around shooting people with crossbows?

That would be me.

REOIV

Be prepared is the Boy Scouts motto for a reason.

1000 rounds per weapon with 10 mags/clips each (Each household should have 1 rifle and 1 shotgun and a handgun)
2.5 gallons of water per person per week.
1500-2000 calories of canned/dried food per person per week

That seems heavy on the ammo and light on the food, but maybe you're on some sort of crazy atkins plan or something. I think I'd want a gallon of water a day, bare minimum, and about 7x the food you recommend. You'll be wanting some gas for that 4WD, and I'd drop the "5 sets of batteries for all flashlights" and pick up some LED flashlights that last as long as five sets of batteries.

Lastly, I've always wondered what the compulsion to hoard candles is. I mean... it's light during the day, and it's light enough to see at night about half of any given month, and you've got flashlights if you have to go pee in the dark-- but mostly you're going to be asleep. All you'll do is risk burning your house down, and if the disaster's bad enough you're using candles, the fire department is probably kinda busy.

How To Be Rich In The Stock Maket:

Buy Low, Sell High

Or, alternatively, buy high, short low.

REOIV: You rotate out your emergency food when cooking at home.

Emergency food is for EMERGENCIES. That's because it SUCKS. Maybe you like the taste of that crap but you're the only one who does. I'm not eating my damn MRE's unless I'm camping or it's an EMERGENCY. Because they suck. I bought some 10-year-shelf life dehydrated crap too, and it will stay there for 9.5 years at which point I will donate it to the homeless shelter. And I only have the crud because I could get hit by a hurricane.

you're not going to need all that other big long list of crap neither. We still live in America. No emergency is coming that you aren't going to have time to prepare for. Any emergency that comes so fast you don't have time to prepare for, it ain't gonna matter if you have all that other stuff. Cuz people who are already dead don't need it.

..and Bush goes to cry in the Oval Office, realizing he just failed to make this a Democratic Presidential problem.

Dubya's_Coke_Dealer: Cuz people who are already dead don't need it.

They'll just need braaaaains.

// Best emergency ever

Dubya's_Coke_Dealer: Emergency food is for EMERGENCIES. That's because it SUCKS.

No no no. We're not talking about MREs here. Think canned and dried goods that you're eating anyway.

REOIV: if you're really planning for the worst double all your food stuffs and medical supplies as you will have people you didn't count on showing up.

WTF are the guns and ammo for then?

IamSoSmart_S_M_R_T: WTF are the guns and ammo for then?

In the book that gave us the abomination that was "The Postman", it is said that the real downfall of civilisation came from the survivalists that became a real menace and prevented all forms of rebuilding by their agressive "me first" attitude.
I kind of see where the author had a point.

Thompson's hangover: correction != crash

calm down.

Please explain this to my mother-in-law.

ichiban: Please explain this to my mother-in-law.

That is why you never pitch the biatch.

raygundan
That seems heavy on the ammo and light on the food, but maybe you're on some sort of crazy atkins plan or something. I think I'd want a gallon of water a day, bare minimum, and about 7x the food you recommend. You'll be wanting some gas for that 4WD, and I'd drop the "5 sets of batteries for all flashlights" and pick up some LED flashlights that last as long as five sets of batteries.

The ammo is just an all around thing, if you're keeping fire arms you should have that much so that you can go shooting and not worry about denting your supply if something comes up. Especially in an emergency as firearm and ammo sales are usually suspended or impossible because of downed power lines and or phone lines.

Plus you can always use the extra ammo to trade if need be.

You need a minimum of half a gallon per person per day. Never said you couldn't store more.

It is a MINIMUM.

7 times the food I laid out is fine if you have the space, money and time. Many people plan to have at least a month to three months of food set aside as a just in case. But you have to make sure it doesn't spoil or expire if you get to have month long supplies. Plus they attract rodents and bugs so you have to be prepared for that.

Having extra gas would be nice but at a minimum you should at least have a car to get out of the emergency area etc. My list was a minimum.

Having a generator is also nice along with 500 gallons of fuel to run it for a month or two in case you're without power after a situation like Katrina, Fire, floods or ice storms. Also having chainsaws to help clear roads etc of obstructions is nice as well.

Not to mention having big noisy dogs that bark at people is a nicety too, but again it is a minimum list.

That said most people won't ever need or plan that far in advance. It would be nice if everyone did.

BTW you need batteries for LED lights, and might as well have 5 changes for those...

Lastly, I've always wondered what the compulsion to hoard candles is. I mean... it's light during the day, and it's light enough to see at night about half of any given month, and you've got flashlights if you have to go pee in the dark-- but mostly you're going to be asleep. All you'll do is risk burning your house down, and if the disaster's bad enough you're using candles, the fire department is probably kinda busy.

You've never spent time during a blackout have you? Or living without power for multiple hours on end.

Candles are cheap, they last damn near forever, they are simple to use, they provide light in all directions, last a long time and are easily reusable and in a pinch are edible.

It is dark in some places of the country from 5pm to almost 6 am. Meaning more than 12 hours a day in the darkness. I've yet to see any flash light worth keeping on for ambient light 12 hours a day for a week on end. Besides you'll still need the flash lights for when you're out and about.

And if you sleep in the dark during the emergency situation prepare to get your stuff stolen. That is when people lose food stuffs, generators, cars, equipment etc. In the dark when they are sleeping. You have to have someone keep watch.

Dubya's_Coke_Dealer
Emergency food is for EMERGENCIES. That's because it SUCKS. Maybe you like the taste of that crap but you're the only one who does. I'm not eating my damn MRE's unless I'm camping or it's an EMERGENCY. Because they suck. I bought some 10-year-shelf life dehydrated crap too, and it will stay there for 9.5 years at which point I will donate it to the homeless shelter. And I only have the crud because I could get hit by a hurricane.

You're doing it wrong if you think you only need to check your MREs once every 10 years or that your emergency food needs to be gross or nasty.

You can use canned goods, dried goods and dehydrated goods for most needs.

Buy canned goods and use them up rotating out the old ones for the new ones.

Same with dried or vacuum packed foods like nuts, jerky etc.

MREs get funky and nasty if you don't keep them at a stable temp and dry. Leaving them in a garage or trunk of a car is a great way to shorten their shelf life. There were whole palettes ruined during Katrina because they were dropped off and left in the sun for days on end.

you're not going to need all that other big long list of crap neither. We still live in America. No emergency is coming that you aren't going to have time to prepare for. Any emergency that comes so fast you don't have time to prepare for, it ain't gonna matter if you have all that other stuff. Cuz people who are already dead don't need it.

Yeah cause I'm sure Katrina's aftermath didn't catch anyone off guard. or the LA riots. Or summer black outs or the floods, or last years ice storms or tornados or hurricanes or earthquakes.

[sarcasm]One can easily wander down to the store before or after the emergency and get whatever they need to ride out a week or two. And they can use their checkbook and credit cards to pay for it as well. I know there is never a rush on all the local stores when a disaster happens.[/sarcasm]

The power was out for weeks if not months in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana after Katrina, so much for 'This is America.'

IamSoSmart_S_M_R_T
WTF are the guns and ammo for then?
They are for holding onto your food, property etc and being able to procure more if needed.

I picked up a cheap wind-up LED lantern that did pretty good. 5 minutes of winding for 30 minutes of useable light, 15 minutes of some adequate light.

DC CFL bulbs, a deep cycle battery, some solar panels and an inverter also do pretty well. Enough for the heat gun and soldering irons for field EL-wire preparation.

Candles are rustic, but you're better off with some sort of lantern. Especially if you have big, fluffy orange tails knocking things over.

If an emergency tpadraig: IamSoSmart_S_M_R_T: WTF are the guns and ammo for then?

In the book that gave us the abomination that was "The Postman", it is said that the real downfall of civilisation came from the survivalists that became a real menace and prevented all forms of rebuilding by their agressive "me first" attitude.
I kind of see where the author had a point.

I hear ya. Although if given enough alcohol I'll admit to owning the movie... er, nevermind.

If there is a crisis of that magnitude, I'm going to be volunteering to help relief organizations. When there is a national crisis, we Americans set aside petty distractions, roll up our sleeves, and get to work fixing it. We don't barricade ourselves in fortresses like Prince Prospero.

REOIV: By the time you realize you need to buy ammo, canned goods and bottled water it is too late.

Be prepared is the Boy Scouts motto for a reason.

1000 rounds per weapon with 10 mags/clips each (Each household should have 1 rifle and 1 shotgun and a handgun)


You're never gonna make it with just the rifle, shotgun, and handgun. The handgun is just weak, the shotgun is only effective against enemies which are very close to you, and the rifle fires too slowly, no good for groups of enemies.

What you need, of course, is a machine gun and rocket launcher. The machine gun will eat up lots of ammo, but it's great for groups of enemies approaching you from a distance.

And when nothing else works, when there are just too many enemies or when the enemy is overly large and seemingly immune to normal weapon fire, the rocket launcher is indispensable.

You were smart to not bother with grenades, though. Those simply never do any good. Takes too long to aim and throw them, during which time you're taking too much fire, and then they never land where you wanted them to, and even if they did, your opponents would just yell "grenade!" and run before it could kill them.

I'm with REOIV on this one. Of course, I live in Houston. After Rita, this city will never evacuate again. When the inevitable hurricane rolls up 45 from Galveston, it's gonna get epic around here. I'll have a front row seat for one of the biggest clusterfarks ever.


/not that I evacuated for Rita either
//it's amazing how quiet it gets in a city when everybody leaves

I can chip in an unopened box of Cocoa Sampler Mixes I got as a Christmas bonus last year.