How self sufficient are you ? Honestly ?

[tkappeler]

This may seem a little off topic and I am sorry if so but ... it seems to me that ever since Katrina, the general population has this image that the FEMA folks land at the airport and come off the 737 carrying 5 gallon jugs of water or fuel. People truly believe that FEMA directs first responders and front line relief agencies. They do not.

Beyond the local first responders, the first organizations to typically arrive are the churches and individuals, followed by the red cross. And finally lumbering in is FEMA.

It is sad to think of the number of people that are clueless and have given up their ability to think and survive. On the one hand, I wish FEMA would bang the drum on what their role is and is not. Of course, they will just be undermined by some bureaucrat who will get on TV and contradict them and make them look like a horses ***.

Back on topic, I am not nearly as prepared with MREs, fuel, etc as I would like but that is changing now. I know I have the skills and 15 years in the fire service helps to react quickly and effectively. I just did not have the place to store lots of anything. With a few acres now, that is changing.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I remember here in NC we faced Hurricane Hugo about 20 years ago or so...
Folk out in our neck of the woods got by with using portable generators and helping one another out...
Some of my neighbors came by and got water out of my spring...
We were only out of power 7 days but e got by...
Those folk in the major cities are so dependent on governmental assistance...
Folk out in the country are not...
I am glad that I live in a more rural setting...

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

I have lived on the beach in Florida for many years and every time a hurricane came in the local stores would close for a day or two and you would have thought the world had ended when they would close the local bars ,but these were minor storms and things got back to normal pretty quickly , But I have to say Most people would only stock enough food or water for themselves to last a few days at best ! no one would evacuate (Hurricane parties) and sooner or later they will get caught in a bad storm and we will see many die for no good reason ,Now I primarily live in Knoxville and in a subdivision ,I'm older my priorities have changed dramatically and I am at the age where you think of the quality of life rather than trying to beat the Jone's ,No one needs a $400,000.00 house ,they are nice but you don't need one ! $60,000.00 trucks are nice but again you don't need one , I see things different than I had just a few short years ago and now I would rather have an older tractor an older truck and more land in a more secure location , I really don't want my neighbor looking in my kitchen window when I'm drinking coffee or chasing my girl around the house (heh,heh,heh,) I realize that if I'm not prepared to take care of my self and my family I'm not doing my job , So we are moving further out we are already more prepared to take care of ourselves than ever before and although my subdivision neighbors thought I was crazy for turning the back yard into a small farm with the garden and chickens ,But they are often standing in my driveway to see what we picked that day and do I have another jar of pickles or if I have another dozen eggs they can have ,The new property comes with a LOT of work but as many of you have already learned it's worth it in the end !

 

[texasjohn]

Well said. Agree.

Over the years, experiencing & surving floods, fires & droughts...etc on the farms, I'd probably say we're more self resilent & self reliant than most.

But self sufficient ? Isn't it a state of mind ? A question of how many compromises you're willing to make ? And maybe as an individual how adaptable you become in vastly changed environment to ultimately survive/prosper from the experience.....?
Sure in our case due to farm/rural life we have own water sources (tanks, bores, dams), food (from vege garden, an orchard & we slaughter our own cattle/sheep), comprehensive first aid/medical supplies & have the machinery "paraphenalia" of generators, pumps, tractors, earthmoving gear, trucks.....etc, & bulk on farm fuel storage, & access to 00000's Tonnes of grain, a few thousand sheep, & significantly more cattle from the paddocks & feedlot........etc & we are very much used to being quite remote & isolated from close "help"....

Do we consider ourselves self sufficient ? Longer term, No way, & IMO I think anyone who claims to be fully self sufficient is dreaming......
For starters in our experience floods bring threats of disease that only the fool hardy would claim to be adequately prepared for, without medical assistance any injury is potentially life threatening from infection - so if your tetanus shots aren't up to date or/& you haven't access to comprehensive sterile medical supplies/assistance that full pantry of canned food & a water purifier aren't going to be required for long.......

Yes it's prudent to prepare when is a valid threat of a pending disaster, but in our experience once you survie the initial "impact" how well you come out the other end will largely depend on your collaboration with neighbours to share the challenges, clean up & vast manpower requirements to restore normality than any one individual's food, fuel, water, resource ....etc "hoard".......

 

[Hiltz]

After watching all the news stories about the people affected by the Sandy storm and the problems they are enduring ,How self sufficient are you and could you take care of your family and yourself in the event you had no power / water/ or communications with the outside world ?:confused3:

I didnt read all of the posts so please excuse me if I am repeating a point sombody else has made. I think what would really scare me would be a really big and long lasting catastrophy and the effect that would have on our society. A total breakdown of our social structure. Roving bands of thugs taking what they wanted from the unprotected and weak. Now that would be scary. Just like some horror movie.

 

[Ken]

Unless recent Mormans are different they keep a years supply of food and water clothing in storage in the home.
With a warehouse for the community of same .
Now listening to Grand father and Father talk of the past times . War between the States Arkansas was on the wrong side of the victors. Hense the forargers came through the country cleaning every thing they were able to haul away. Then the Gov. carpet baggers came to tell us how to live with nothing and enjoy the experance. Great day when they returned to St. Louis.
State was broke of finances.
Jumping to the Days of Depression of the late '20 and into the '30's there was no money if had funds in the bank the banker took as he hopped on the train heading North. But the State still demamded the payment of taxes and if not paid State took the farm. This place was returned to State for $5.00 in taxes and it took 3 years to redeem. Have receipts in deed of property to prove this statement.
This area had no Elec. or Telephone until Mid '40's all roads were dirt and in winter time could get stuck in middle of main road.
There were no deer since already eaten because of 80 years of suppression from the carpetbaggers.
Home grown corn, sorgorum syrup peanuts and vegetables from garden The chckens supplied the income to get medicine "Watkins" man would come by one a month. Chicken crate on rear bumper for the live exchange.
Needed supplies were exchanged when going to town for a calf or sometimes a young colt. There was no money due to no jobs. The state didn't care just pay the tax.
As kids we cut stave bolts with hand saws split and loaded on 1 1/2 ton '41 Dodge truck
Dad took to town and returned saying he had made enough to buy gas for the next trip.
Grew cucumbers to sell the the pickel factory. only lived to far from the city and by time Dad got to town the truck was full for the day didn't need the produce.
Dad in '48 purchased a John Deere General Purpose tractor spent months before it would relialby run
had a hammer mill to make grain. the neighbors would come by to make flower and meal with there horse or mule drawn waggons. he made .10 cent for a 100 lb. sack .
All this the hoarding of food and the plans of storage for the future needs will be taken by who ever learns of the supplies. defend your self and get shot instead. Have Gold in the bank or back pocket try to exchange when needed.
This is another time where the future could look bleak.
We have voted and got what the Moochers voted in so who is to blame for this.? Kind of look at the mirror.
ken

 

[pilotman]

I think that a lot of people there could have done more to prepare but thought that the weather man was crying wolf. Many of those folks that were flooded DEEP seem to be the working class and not 2nd homes on the beach type (not much sympathy for the 2nd home beach house owner). It seems like their homes were handed down from before it was high dollar beach front prop. But all in all I think that city living on a lot that is prolly smaller than many of our shops or barns, leads to dependancy and prohibits the lifestyle that allows self sufficency.

What did Hank Jr. say... a country boy can survive!

It is obvious from the election that many people consider self sufficentcy means a hand full of food stamps.

 

[Egon]

Yup.

Grew up that way.:thumbsup:

Thought some more and realized the winds of yesteryear don't do nothing for me today!

 

[Renze]

Hmm... no power means the chicken we butchered few weeks ago would thaw... we will have to reduce to canned food. bread gets moldy in a week. Cooking, well we have a barn full of wood. We could butcher a sheep if in need. just too bad there is no stockpile of salt to conserve any meat...

I wont die here, but we'll waste a lot of resources because food rots faster than we can eat. Next year i'll grow potatoes, which can be stored and maintained without electricity. oh, and we can eat kale from neighbours veg garden as it is winter hard.

 

[aczlan]

I also need a smoke house, and root cellar. but my main issue keeping me up at night is our water. I have been trying to save up but we have a deep well, and its going to run an estimated 2k for the pipe and hand pump. With day care costs I just cant swing it atm. Barbed wire and a few more t posts would also help

For under $20 you can make a "bucket" that would go down your well to get water. Add in 200' of rope and a way to hoist it and you could get water out of your drilled well. See How to get water from a drilled well when the power is off by Steve Belanger from the January/February, 1999 issue of Countryside & Small Stock Journal for an example device.

Aaron Z