[Internet troll]

Looking for a small way to make a contribution to this sub forum and just wanted to share an experience that changed my way of thinking about many things including the need to honestly be prepared for emergencies. I know most people think about water and food when thinking about prepping, I also think having a power source is one of the most overlooked things by casual preppers, yet under the right circumstance can mean the difference between life and death.

Something to think about when prepping

A couple of years ago (2009, 2010?) Delaware County was hit by 3 major snow storms of 18+ inches between December and February. During the first two storms everything was fine at our house, no power outages... no problems. This was good as the area I live in is not overly populated, is very hilly, and has a lot of places you could easily go off the road and run into a lot of trouble if you are driving in severely bad weather.

During the 3rd storm our power went out a couple of hours into the storm. There were white out conditions outside and it would have been extremely dangerous to drive anywhere.

The warmth in the house was gone within 1-2 hours. We were lucky though. When we first bought the house we were in Home Depot and I saw a generator that was on clearance for $400, it normally sold for about a $1000. We had just lost power for a couple of hours a week prior, no big deal, the weather was still nice and power came on about 3 hours later. It was almost a whim that I bought the generator. I did not know what a prepper was then, just wanted thinking about an emergency situation. I did not use it for two years and was thinking about selling it.

Back to the storm, The house was freezing, because I had the generator and plenty of gas I was able to set it up, run electrical cords into the house (specifically my bedroom) and move my wife, son, dog and cat into the bedroom. I also had a kick ass electrical heater that made the room very comfortable.

I hooked up the heater, lights, the t.v and dvd player. We were comfortable in the room, but everytime I left the room I was reminded of just how cold it was. I remember thinking at the time if we did not have the generator something bad might have happened. Like I said staying put would have meant the potential of hypothermia, leaving would have meant a potential accident, getting stuck, and possible hypothermia.

We spent the night in the room listening to the branches breaking off of the 100 foot tall pine tree out back. The next day the branches on one side of the tree had all broken off from the wind and the weight of the snow. The next day the snow stopped and the roads were cleared. We were without electricity for 2 days but the generator enable us to stay in the house and not have to go anywhere or rely on others to help us.

It was an eye opening experience. It brought home the point that so many people here are aware of, shit can happen any time. If you are not prepared you will be shat on. This was a minor thing compared to what many go through, but minor things can have drastic effects if you aren't prepared.

When making preparation please take this into consideration, for some reason I always have a vision that shit will hit the fan during nice weather. I know that is not the case though. The shtf can happen during the worst weather possible when no one else can help you and any escape plans etc.... can be rendered impotent.

A few things that experience taught/changed me. Probably stating the obvious to most here.

-Prepping is a good thing. I am prepared for a lot more than I was 4 years ago and still working on it.
-Prep food/water but don't ignore power sources and heat.
-Know your equipment.... I wasted a lot of time in freezing weather figuring out how that damn generator worked. Under other circumstance it might have been funny but not then. I now know the generator inside and out.
- You can never be over prepared
- shtf can take on many forms.

There is a reason why many pre-electricity heat houses have many fireplaces throughout the house. The house I live in has one working fireplace that really does not heat much. Having alternate methods of keeping warm is important. It takes a while to starve, it takes a while to die of dehydration, it takes hours to die of hypothermia.

[sleeper78]

I really started thinking about during the last Presidential Election. Obama was running, gas was like 4 bucks a gallon, I was putting gas in my truck everyday to go to work, I had about a third of my check going into gas just to get back and forth to work to so I could pay for more gas. I was worried what would happen if Obama lost the election if riots started, and I was worried what would happen if Obama won the election. I was worried about how much it cost to get back and forth to work and at the time it only looked worse. I had a serious GF and we were talking of engagement (she's my wife and the mother of my son now) and I was worried about how to start a family and take care of it with the way things were going.

Now I had an advantage. My parent's didn't have a lot of money when I was a kid and the money they did have was put to better use because my dad planted a garden every year and my mom canned the food, and we had rabbits for meat and chickens for eggs and we shot rabbits and pheasants in the fall and butchered pigs and bought beef by the quarter. They taught us (my brother and I) to reuse things before it became cool again. So, as things started to look bad I started reverting back to what I knew growing up. We (some friends and I) started stocking up on camping stuff and dried foods plus guns and ammo just like all new preppers do. My way of thinking finally came around to the self sufficient thinking that I have talked about in other threads in this sub forum.

Now I know I can handle a lot and that there is a lot I'm not prepared for, but at least I have a plan and I'm a lot better off than most.

[The War Wagon]

Red Dawn opened MY eyes to prepping. That was the summer before my senior year of hi skrule...

[Internet troll]

Red Dawn opened MY eyes to prepping. That was the summer before my senior year of hi skrule...

Red dawn is on my list of movies to watch. Unfortunately it is a long list.

[The War Wagon]

Red dawn is on my list of movies to watch. Unfortunately it is a long list.

Bump it UP - you won't regret it...

[Internet troll]

I really started thinking about during the last Presidential Election. Obama was running, gas was like 4 bucks a gallon, I was putting gas in my truck everyday to go to work, I had about a third of my check going into gas just to get back and forth to work to so I could pay for more gas. I was worried what would happen if Obama lost the election if riots started, and I was worried what would happen if Obama won the election. I was worried about how much it cost to get back and forth to work and at the time it only looked worse. I had a serious GF and we were talking of engagement (she's my wife and the mother of my son now) and I was worried about how to start a family and take care of it with the way things were going.

Now I had an advantage. My parent's didn't have a lot of money when I was a kid and the money they did have was put to better use because my dad planted a garden every year and my mom canned the food, and we had rabbits for meat and chickens for eggs and we shot rabbits and pheasants in the fall and butchered pigs and bought beef by the quarter. They taught us (my brother and I) to reuse things before it became cool again. So, as things started to look bad I started reverting back to what I knew growing up. We (some friends and I) started stocking up on camping stuff and dried foods plus guns and ammo just like all new preppers do. My way of thinking finally came around to the self sufficient thinking that I have talked about in other threads in this sub forum.

Now I know I can handle a lot and that there is a lot I'm not prepared for, but at least I have a plan and I'm a lot better off than most.

Amazing how those things we learn when we are young come back to us when we grow up.

Another quick point about prepping, if you are not preparing today, tomorrow may be to late. But then again prepping is unique in that ........it's never to late until it's to late.

[39Flathead]

My grandparents is where I learned that buying in bulk is not only a good idea financially but also a good idea for when something happens, even something like losing your job and not having to buy food for a couple months until you get back on your feet.

[mtbkski]

Red dawn is on my list of movies to watch. Unfortunately it is a long list.

Bump it UP - you won't regret it...

What War Wagon Said. How can you be a prepper and never have watched Red Dawn.

[Spacemanvic]

Red dawn is on my list of movies to watch. Unfortunately it is a long list.

Bump it UP - you won't regret it...

What War Wagon Said. How can you be a prepper and never have watched Red Dawn.

I believe he confused prepper with Pepper:

---

Red Dawn opened MY eyes to prepping. That was the summer before my senior year of hi skrule...

Red dawn is on my list of movies to watch. Unfortunately it is a long list.

You. Never. Watched.....Ma, git me the switch!

[mtbkski]

My eye opener came when I was around 14. Major snow storm hit. We live on a dead end road. So getting our road open wasn't a priority. 36 inches of snow. With numerous trees down across the road. Live wires on the roads. We were trapped.

We heated the house with the propane stove that was in the kitchen. We all slept in one room. Food ran out pretty quickly cause we were just about to go shopping. Lights were Coleman gas lanterns. And that was just three days.

I was never so glad to see the snowplow in my life as a kid.

But it showed me how easily you can be living normally one minute, and wake up the next day and be totally cut off from the rest of the world. INSTANTLY. No one expected the storm to be that bad. Everyone was caught off guard.

I now have a Propane Fireplace in my living room that can heat the entire downstairs if needed (it doesn't need electric to work). I make sure I have extra small propane tanks for the lanterns. I have a BBQ grill to cook on that stays on the porch where I can get to it year round. I have water stockpiled in my closet. I have MRE's and other food items stockpiled.

I am putting a generator on layaway this week. Pick it up in a month or two. Guess I better start stockpiling gas for it now.