Posted on 04/03/2012 11:13:52 AM PDT by blam
Read This First Before You Decide That Preppers Are Crazy
April 2, 2012
Michael Snyder
Do you believe that preppers are a few cards short of a full deck? Do you assume that anyone that is "preparing for doomsday" does not have their elevator going all the way to the top floor? Well, you might want to read this first before you make a final decision that all preppers are crazy. The information that you are about to read shook me up a bit when I first looked it over. To be honest, I had no idea how incredibly vulnerable our economic system is to a transportation disruption. I am continually getting emails and comments on my websites asking "how to prepare" for what is coming, so when I came across this information I knew that I had to share it with all of you. Hopefully what you are about to read will motivate you to prepare like never before, and hopefully you will share this information with others.
Originally, I was going to write an article about the rising unemployment in Europe today. Did you know that unemployment in the eurozone is now at a 15 year high? It has risen for 10 months in a row with no end in sight.
But I have written dozens of articles about the economic crisis in Europe already. So before starting on that article I started thinking of all the "preparation" questions I have been getting lately and I went over and checked out one of my favorite preparation websites: shtfplan.com.
Well, an article had just been posted over there about a report put out by the American Trucker Associations entitled "When Trucks Stop, America Stops".
I went and found that original report and I was stunned as I read it.
The truth is that our "just in time" inventory and delivery systems leave us incredibly vulnerable to a nationwide disaster.
You see, it is very expensive to hold and store inventory, so most manufacturers and retailers rely on a continual flow of deliveries that are scheduled to arrive "just in time", and this significantly reduces their operating expenses.
This is considered to be good business practice for manufacturers and retailers, but it also means that if there was a major nationwide transportation disruption that our economic system would grind to a halt almost immediately.
Once store shelves are picked clean, they would not be able to be replenished until trucks could get back on the road. In the event of a major nationwide disaster, that could be quite a while.
So what could potentially cause a nationwide transportation shutdown?
Well, it is easy to imagine a lot of potential scenarios - a volcanic eruption, a historic earthquake, an EMP attack, a solar megastorm, a war, a major terror attack, an asteroid strike, a killer pandemic, mass rioting in U.S. cities, or even martial law.
If something caused the trucks to stop running, life in America would immediately start changing.
So exactly what would that look like?
The following is an excerpt from the report mentioned above put out by the American Trucker Associations entitled "When Trucks Stop, America Stops"....
*****
A Timeline Showing the Deterioration of Major Industries Following a Truck Stoppage
The first 24 hours
• Delivery of medical supplies to the affected area will cease.
• Hospitals will run out of basic supplies such as syringes and catheters within hours. Radiopharmaceuticals will deteriorate and become unusable.
• Service stations will begin to run out of fuel.
• Manufacturers using just-in-time manufacturing will develop component shortages.
• U.S. mail and other package delivery will cease.
Within one day
• Food shortages will begin to develop.
• Automobile fuel availability and delivery will dwindle, leading to skyrocketing prices and long lines at the gas pumps.
• Without manufacturing components and trucks for product delivery, assembly lines will shut down, putting thousands out of work.
Within two to three days
• Food shortages will escalate, especially in the face of hoarding and consumer panic.
• Supplies of essentials—such as bottled water, powdered milk, and canned meat—at major retailers will disappear.
• ATMs will run out of cash and banks will be unable to process transactions.
• Service stations will completely run out of fuel for autos and trucks.
• Garbage will start piling up in urban and suburban areas.
• Container ships will sit idle in ports and rail transport will be disrupted, eventually coming to a standstill.
Within a week
• Automobile travel will cease due to the lack of fuel. Without autos and busses, many people will not be able to get to work, shop for groceries, or access medical care.
• Hospitals will begin to exhaust oxygen supplies.
Within two weeks
• The nation’s clean water supply will begin to run dry.
Within four weeks
• The nation will exhaust its clean water supply and water will be safe for drinking only after boiling. As a result gastrointestinal illnesses will increase, further taxing an already weakened health care system.
This timeline presents only the primary effects of a freeze on truck travel. Secondary effects must be considered as well, such as inability to maintain telecommunications service, reduced law enforcement, increased crime, increased illness and injury, higher death rates, and likely, civil unrest.
*****
Earlier in the report, the reasons why America's water supply would be in such jeopardy are described in greater detail....
According to the American Water Works Association, Americans drink more than one billion glasses of tap water per day. For safety and security reasons, most water supply plants maintain a larger inventory of supplies than the typical business. However, the amount of chemical storage varies significantly and is site specific. According to the Chlorine Institute, most water treatment facilities receive chlorine in cylinders (150 pounds and one ton cylinders) that are delivered by motor carriers. On average, trucks deliver purification chemicals to water supply plants every seven to 14 days. Without these chemicals, water cannot be purified and made safe for drinking.
Without truck deliveries of purification chemicals, water supply plants will run out of drinkable water in 14 to 28 days. Once the water supply is drained, water will be deemed safe for drinking only when boiled. Lack of clean drinking water will lead to increased gastrointestinal and other illnesses, further taxing an already weakened healthcare system.
Can you see why I always recommend that you make sure that you and your family have access to fresh water and a way to purify it?
This report should be very sobering for all of us.
What would you and your family do if you had no food, no clean water and the stores were shut down because their supplies were gone?
An article by Tess Pennington entitled "Emergency Items: What Will Disappear First" contains a list of 100 things that are likely to disappear from store shelves first. The following are the first 10 things on her list....
1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
You can find the rest of the list right here.
Most Americans just assume that they will always be able to run out to the supermarket or to Wal-Mart and buy anything that they need.
But if the trucks stop running that will change almost overnight.
After reading the information above, does anyone out there still believe that preppers are crazy?
The truth is that there are good, solid reasons why millions of Americans have been storing up food, water filters and other supplies.
Our world is becoming increasingly unstable, and all of us need to get educated about how to prepare for the difficult years that are coming.
One nightmarish event can change everything that we take for granted in a single moment.
Just remember what happened after Hurricane Katrina. Even though that was only a regional disaster, millions of people had their lives completely turned upside down by that tragedy.
Don't make the mistake of assuming that just because the U.S. has always known tremendous peace and prosperity since World War II that things will always be that way.
Our lives will only continue to be "normal" as long as the trucks continue running.
When the trucks stop running in America, there will be mass chaos.
Are you prepared for that?
“Whatever happened to “love thy neighbor?””
Your neighbors will kill you and feed themselves from your food. Hungry people do amazingly evil things and we have millions of evil people that will also be hungry. Feeding those that cannot feed themselves, such as the elderly, is one thing; trusting hungry able bodied people to act civilly is naive.
“TOO LAZY to make the trip out to your farm “
Yep. History show speople will die rather than walk 1 mile. People walking 5 miles is rare. Just look at Katrina. The vast majority of people have no idea what lies beond their neighborhoods, and, people being afraid of the unknown, simply do not venture out.
You either prepare and stand on your own beholding to no one or you become dependent on others to provide your basic needs and become there ‘serf’. Me I don’t want to be beholding to anyone for providing what is needed for me and mine. I certainly don’t want to have to kiss some ‘gubberment’ third class bureaucratic to try and coax some help from them, I don’t want some ‘jack booted’ thug herding me in line and telling me where to stand sit eat or sleep. And last but not least I don’t want to be herded in with a bunch of ‘zombies’ and have to worry about not only trying to get basic necessities but having to fight to keep what I manage to get.
But it seems some people are bound and determined to be the ones standing on a bridge waiting for FEMA to bring them a MRE, a bottle of water and a warm blanket and proved the back ground money shot for the network news.
You either prepare and stand on your own beholding to no one or you become dependent on others to provide your basic needs and become there ‘serf’. Me I don’t want to be beholding to anyone for providing what is needed for me and mine. I certainly don’t want to have to kiss some ‘gubberment’ third class bureaucratic to try and coax some help from them, I don’t want some ‘jack booted’ thug herding me in line and telling me where to stand sit eat or sleep. And last but not least I don’t want to be herded in with a bunch of ‘zombies’ and have to worry about not only trying to get basic necessities but having to fight to keep what I manage to get.
But it seems some people are bound and determined to be the ones standing on a bridge waiting for FEMA to bring them a MRE, a bottle of water and a warm blanket and proved the back ground money shot for the network news.
Lastly I ask whats worst explaining why you prep or explaining to your loved ones in time of need why you didn’t?
I'm learning how to repair chain saws.
So, in your opinion, those who are preparing for a long term breakdown,
are INHERENTLY “mean-spirited”?
Why?
This reminds me of my lib-in-law, whose main solace in considering a long term collapse of the economy is that “we’ll all be in the same boat”.
Is it that preppers are planning to NOT be in the “boat” with all the others that is inherently “mean”?
In order to be “nice”, we have to suffer along with the “grasshoppers”?
I never said that, MrB. It’s the comments from the preppers regarding the non-preppers and the predictions of what the non-preppers from the city (I just love this constant reference to city people) are going to do.
I am just going to end this with the following line from the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Meanwhile, I would like to hear the prepper’s defense of their amassing supplies/food for years and years because of a belief in some doomsday scenario when the Lord asks them about how they used their resources and time and talent for Him (”but, Lord, I was busy building up my stash...of course so I could help others out dontcha know...and be righteous in my own eyes).
I don’t buy this hero stuff. Preppers are prepping for themselves. If they happen to feel magnanimous, maybe some will feed others, but me thinks not so much.
If there’s a major earthquake and power, transportation is out for at least 30 days and a neighbor knowing that he lives in an earthquake zone has prepared what does he owe people like you who don’t? Should he plan on carrying every ‘grasshopper in the neighborhood? And here’s another thing the fact that you didn’t prepare means you are going to be demanding resources from the relief team where-as the neighbor who prepared is providing for his own needs. You meanwhile because you haven’t prepared are taking resources that should be for those who truly need them.
I ask you again what’s easier tell your children and loved ones why you prepared or explaining to them why you didn’t.
You are a freeloader and a leech. You don’t prepare yourself, but you expect others to provide for you from what they have laid aside or you demand scarce resources that should be going to those truely in need.
You are a freeloader and leech thinking it the responsiblity of those who do prepare to carry you or the government to come to your rescue.
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV)
In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20
“A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” Proverbs 27:12 (NLT)
Here you go. Here’s a good example of a neighbor who doesn’t prepare, but expects you to share, because it’s the Christian thing to do.
You’re going to deny it again,
but you’ve stated once more that you believe that
preparing for long term privation situations is somehow
evil.
Own up to it if you’re going to argue it.
Don’t wimp out around the edges.
And if you’re using the bible as your authority as I do,
give us some scripture stating that it’s sinful
to make provision for your family.
I can give you a boatload to refute you.
Seriously, you sound like one of the crabs in the bucket,
not really wanting to climb out, but willing to pull others down who are trying.
That's why I had the ham radio going yesterday during the tornados here, generator prepped, and made visits to all my neighbors 30 minutes before the sirens went off (some are elderly) to warn them.
America was built by people that stored food for bad times. If ever required. It will be rebuilt by people that have the wisdom to store food and learn skills.
/johnny
” not really wanting to climb out, but willing to pull others down who are trying. “
And yet, there are those who seek out Prepper threads (I’ll bet some of ‘em are even on the Ping List..) so they can hijack the thread spewing their garbage...
Humans is such funny people.... ;)
How did God feel about Daniel storing 7 years of grain?
Your answer is that we shouldn’t store food to provide for our families because the Lord would think thats an improper use of the resources He gave us?
The “shoot my neighbor and take his stuff” guys have been banned from the prepper threads.
Today is really the first time in history where it wasn’t common to store food. Growing up almost everyone I knew had a basement with shelves of canned food.
” The “shoot my neighbor and take his stuff” guys have been banned from the prepper threads. “
Yeah - but every once in a while one of ‘em manages to sneak in to provide us with entertainment and amusement...
;)
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