This informative article has been contributed by Holly Deyo of DareToPrepare.com. You can keep up to date with news, views, videos, and exclusive reports at StanDeyo.com.
No man is an island … This remains true whether you grow 10 hands, have a billion bucks or the luck of the Irish. Sooner or later people realize that no man – or woman – can do everything by himself. One of the best resources you’ll ever have is the friends and neighbors around you.
CASE #1
While living in northern Colorado, close friends bought mountain property to get even further away to a peaceful rural area. He really wanted to be out in the ‘back of beyond’. They found the perfect property: mountain location, 375 acres of prime meadowland with 12 streams originating on the property that run year round. Tons of wild game; deer, mountain lions, geese and turkey roam freely, and enough pine trees to keep them in firewood till the end of days. Their mountain view from The Flatirons is unstoppable – clear down to the Twin Sisters in Longmont, CO.
For two years, this friend’s husband badgered, cajoled, begged the previous owners to sell and frankly, he beat them into the ground with persistence. The owners in their 70’s worried that medical help was an hour and a half away – on a good day. In winter, traversing those unpaved sludgy roads would have been impossible. It soon became apparent that just the two of them living so far from ‘civilization’ with no neighbors close by, was literally life-threatening. So they sold. With this peaceful, exquisite land in their possession, our friends were on the way to realizing their dream.
It took a couple of years for them to complete their 10,000 sq. ft. home (above – residence from the outside and on the left is their kitchen). Every amenity was incorporated into this architectural feat, which won log cabin home of the year in 2007. You’d think they had the world by its tail. Less than 5 years later, their home went on the market for $10M. They too, realized that no one can go it alone, no matter how much $$ you have.
CASE #2
Another friend acquired remote property in Montana. He is a hard-core prepper and found land he deemed to be the perfect retreat. Designs were drawn and construction commenced on the bugout, but he soon realized just how difficult this plan was to implement. Because he wanted to keep the location ‘invisible and quiet’ (AS IF there is such a thing), without roads, everything had to be choppered in. Since Montana is so far north, construction windows are short compared to Colorado where it churns year round. For him, everything was hurry, hurry hurry. During winter, the only access to this property was by snowmobile. In summer, it required ATVs. A couple years into the project and still only part way to this retreat’s completion, he gave up. His wife rightly complained it was too remote, too difficult and not near choice restaurants and the high end shopping she was accustomed to.
These are not one-off stories.
CASE # – MANY!
We’ve watched people totter off to Australia, New Zealand, Honduras, Mexico, Canada and other distant destinations, but they are still confronted by problems. Most have returned to America, disillusioned and poorer, but experience-richer for the first-hand lesson. They looked elsewhere for an answer when it’s right beneath their noses. Folks may not all experience the same challenges, but they can be just as head-scratching. So while there is no perfectly safe place, there are certainly smarter alternatives. Regardless of where you live there is a great resource right in front of you – your neighbors, your friends, your community.
BUILDING COMMUNITY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE
Not once will you ever find an interview or an article nor in my books where I’ve advocated people should wander off into the never-never to do solo preps. Nearly two decades later this is still our firm belief. In fact, from 1997 – 2001, I wrote a weekly newsletter, Building Community.
There are some in the prep field – ones that are considered experts – that do recommend striking out alone and setting up shop far from everyone. Odds are they will find out the hard way this is not clever planning. You need more than a handful of people to pick up the slack if illness or injury strikes. It takes effort and time to make the land supply all of your food and water needs. Nothing beats first-hand experience for handling livestock. We had our turn at both steers and sheep. People think you throw a little hay and water at the animals and nature manages the rest. Not so.
It takes a LOT of time and money to get a property fully self-sufficient where you can close the doors for a year and not need anything from anyone. When Stan and I lived in Australia, it took us two years of doing nothing else to ready those 10 acres plus a lot of sweat and $$. Two dams stocked with fish complete with recirculation for aeration, alt. power, two wells, water catchment and water storage, firefighting equipment, full underground food storage, livestock and gardens, plus all the supplies required to keep life somewhat normal. To do this today on an individual basis, is nearly impossible. People work more, earn less and have even less time remaining to get it done. In short, you need others.
YOU WON’T ALL BE SIAMESE TWINS
When we moved to Pueblo County, Colorado in 2001, it was an area that I vaguely knew about, but certainly not a place I would have chosen to live. Before moving to Australia, I’d lived in a future up-and-coming small Colorado town, but back then it couldn’t even support a decent restaurant. Most start-up gourmet establishments didn’t last a year. For clothes shopping, it required a trip to Denver or Ft. Collins. Twenty-five years ago, we all looked down our arrogant noses at those who lived in “Pugh Town” – the nasty name we quietly applied to that area of southern Colorado – some 3 hours distant. The city of Pueblo was a former steel mill town until it went bust in the mid-80’s and (heaven forbid) Russia now owns this facility. However, it no longer is ‘stink’ town. The air is fresh and clear and there’s not a Commie in sight. While this county has a lot of liberals and blue collar workers, last week Blue Dog Dems also voted to throw out two anti-gun senators that chose to ignore their constituents’ wishes.
When we moved here, we were about the 6th house in this immediate vacinity of unincorporated homes and are still the only one on our short street. Time passed and neighbors built around us on previously virgin land. During this dozen years, we’ve made deep friendships with a group of 10 folks that we see at least monthly at dinner parties and get togethers, and often daily for this or that. Some are retired, some still work long hours. All own firearms – liberal or not. Some are professionals and some are trades people. One or two are progressives, most are independents, and conservatives make up the rest. Some talk and do preps while others are too frightened to consider it. Most are Christian, but some still haven’t found their answers. A few are natives, most are transplants.
You won’t always be on the same page with neighbors for everything, but variety is not only beneficial, it’s to be expected unless you’re Siamese twins. However, in this diverse group, over time, one thing we have in common is watching each other’s back. We’ve been to weddings, funerals, birthdays, kids’ graduations and at each other’s house with dinner when one is sick. This is a precious commodity you can’t buy or steal. It is something to be cultivated and treasured.
Within our group, we form a whole. No one person can be or buy everything. No one person can know it all or do it all. In this sense, it really will take a village to survive. Among the 10, two are specialists in the medical field, one is an engineer, others fit into the slots of scientist, former school teacher, active detective, great organizer, mechanic, accountant, DIYer, builder, writer, welder, seamstress, general repairman. Nearly all of us garden and cook – even the men – except for one whose cooking makes dog food look great. Most of the women are pragmatic and logical, squashing the old stereotype that women are neither. Most of us are Boomers so we’ve been around the block a few times without the blinders. Beyond this group of 10, others are close by that are similarly minded. This further broadens both the resources, skills and knowledge base. So this is by no means a commune or a group of cookie cutter personalities. It is a blending of talent.
Regardless of what brought us together, each knows that we can’t – nor do we want to – go it alone. We don’t talk prep stuff at every get together. Most of the time we just enjoy the fun. Over the years we understand each other’s skills as they are used frequently routinely whether it’s medical care, gardening, hunting, repairing, building, fishing, improvising. Without constantly belaboring the point, we know how neighbors have prepared and where their strengths lie and vice versa.
GETTING STARTED
One question we’re often asked, is how do we get our own group started? Some folks put flyers in mailboxes announcing a prep meeting. You may feel most comfortable having this meeting in a church or other public building if you don’t know everyone. Using this approach, it gets your toe wet for meeting people, but it’s likely hit or miss if they’re strangers. Interested parties may or may not show up as these days people are more reluctant to show their cards to neighbors they barely know, even if government can write book about you. However, this quickly locates dialed in preppers, but it might also scare off others that would attend if given a chance to be introduced slowly.
Some folks invite neighbors over for drinks and hors d’oeuvres or picnics or block parties and just casually mention either current events, the flaky economy or ‘what-if’ scenarios just to get the conversation going.
If you see a neighbor outside mowing or playing with the dog, drop over for a chat and look for an opening.
Some folks meet at prepper’s clubs and meet-up groups.
There are lots of ways to get groups going. The best advice we can share is to assess your neighbors, if you know them, and plow forward – gently. You have to make a start somewhere. Some will be lost causes for this. If they’re further down the prep road, chances are they’ll be receptive straight away. If they don’t know you well, they might be suspicious of your intentions. Only time will build trust.
For folks that seem fearful, it might require an informal gathering and dropping a hint here and there to see which ones pick up the thread. Patience is really helpful in situations like these, but time is something that is fast running out. Regardless, of your personal situation, there is no place called Prepper Island and your best survival recourse is the people – friends and neighbors around you and your pooled skills, talents and resources.
Holly Drennan Deyo is the author of three books: bestseller Dare To Prepare (5th Ed.), Prudent Places USA (4th Ed.)and Garden Gold (2nd Ed.) Please visit she and her husband’s websites: standeyo.com for the latest in current events and their FREE Preparedness site: DareToPrepare.com.
Great piece, thanks man!
Just wish it was a little easier to find like minded people in my locale.
That’s the rub for me also…
But Holly’s right, look for an opening and first joke about it…Did that with a neighbor watching him take out some of the rats down by the bulkhead with an air rifle…
I jokingly made the comment about using an AR or K….or both…he chuckled, one conversation led to many others.
Absolutely, boat guy! It’s about building relationships.
It’s about trusting your gut when it comes
down to choosing your comrades in arms.
Think about the many posters here, and I
would guess you would instinctively know
which ones you would want by your side
when the SHTF.
Which of your friends, neighbors, and
relatives give you a hand when you need
it now, they will be the ones that will
be there when the balloon goes up.
I believe having one of those far out of the way places is a great idea, but not to live permanently and alone. I would surely like to have one to go to when the SHTF, knowing I would return when civilization did.
A couple of months of peace and solitude during the worst of it would be a good thing if the alternative is to watch everything you know and love die.
Nothing in life is permanent, but at times all things can be good.
Agreed, Gods Creation. I don’t completely disagree with the author’s sentiment; having help ….um, … helps.
But the evidence presented here is pretty sorry. Case #1 was obviously more interested in getting their kitchen into “Better Homes & Gardens” than in any serious prepping for a SHTF scenario.
Case #2 didn’t need a new plan, he needed a new wife, and some more money (which could be achieved with said new wife).
Case #3 isn’t a case at all, and doesn’t seem to be evidence of anything, really.
Spot on. Nothing is perfect. When we bought our farm, we bought it for many freedom fighters. It’s bought and paid for by us and in our name but the land is worked by many and we’ve started construction on another home on the back 40. We meet at least once a month and the strategy is for them to get here by any means when it happens. Will they be able to? Who knows. The number 1 issue for us was to shelter others and use our place as a thriving commune (I despise that word) as that’s what it will take. The land, ponds, and animals will provide the rest. We back up to a 5200 acre state forest which is good and very bad. Just gotta make sure you have protection. We’ve built a watchtower in back by the deer blinds and coops. That would have to be manned, and my Amish neighbors won’t be bringing any hardware or lazers so hopefully our groups can get there. If not…it’s a hell of a lot better than our home was in the suburbs with neighbors that looked at me like I had 3 heads. They are the real danger when it comes apart.
People like us are driven from within by a force we didn’t ask for. The whole wide awake thingy is hard work and you can never, ever go back and not many can do it. Really do it. Day in, day out. That’s why when you find others that understand and have the same respect…it’s an unbreakable bond. Life and death. That’s not easy to find with regular friends much less neighbors.
If we perish, it will be fighting. We have no fear of of the senarios we’ve worked out.
Articles like these are nice but we are dug in and living by a plan. Too late to change now. The strategies are in place and until it happens..thriving like our grandparents did with creature comforts as refrigeration until there aren’t, is still a far better life than I could have imagined.
If you’re afraid to break a nail, miss the mall or have a problem with being comforatable in your own skin, alone, for days or weeks, this life isn’t for you.
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Uh Oh — looks like ncjoe, urban dog,
and the other trolls took umbrage to
that remark.
Better to be pissed off than pissed on,
boyz.
OutWest, do I care what the trolls think? Not only no, BUT HELL NO! braveheart
“Regardless of where you live there is a great resource right in front of you – your neighbors, your friends, your community.”
What about your Family? My Family knows that if anything serious happens then we are all to meet at my farm. We would be considered a small community on our own. For me it will be the people I trust to be around my children and that is Family.
Unfortunately in todays world, many Families are spread about the country, so for those who do not have Family members close by then finding people who one can trust could be a daunting task. Perhaps they should consider moving closer to Family members.
One of the best stories on SHTFPlan.com in years. Great original point. I see way too many “going it alone” types out there. Divided we fall UNITED we STAND.
Check your local neighborhood Tea Party Group for like minded people. Go to a meeting. 🙂
I moved to a place about 5 years ago expecting 22 more groups to show up. Only 6 made the move and today I am the only one left. It is suprising just how addicted to malls and starbucks people really are. Even the people who want to be preppers. We were all machinists or manufacturers of some sort and were relying on each other for our work. It was a pretty good plan but still it failed due to peoples addiction to the modern world.
Joe,
I think a lot of people kind of freak out and panic when their eyes are opened. They think they better hurry because it’s going to happen by next week. Then they live in a state of white knuckled fear waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s much better to run the scenarios in your head and digest them, realizing this is just another form of insurance. Be ready for anything (as much as we can) and hope for the best. Get in touch with your Savior if you want true peace of mind.
yep Smoke no doubt about it…there was another guy down the block who turned out to be retired LEO…he was wearing a Sig T-shirt…needless to say where that conversation went also.
Amen,
Been trying to get this message out for years, but, I’m a ‘nutcase’… because we, cannot, come together, on anything. Our intelligence and individuality are our Achilles heel. Gubmint knows that… … …
Without neighbors and community, you got nuthin’ but heartache and troubles. When it goes south, hell, its been going south for 12 years who am I foolin’… we see the depression happening every day, it has to hit a tipping point, whether by design or intentional agenda.
Smokin, et al, remember JOG(Just One Guy)?
Our buddy, who went off into the far north country… he wouldn’t tell anybody where he was going for reasons of OPSEC, I pray he’s doing alright, but I told him at the time “no man is an island”.
I have found many people who I would invite into our little corner of paradise, if they were willing to setup a camp and help out with chores, when tshtf. We already have a community, but we’ll need SKILLS. SKILLS are the key to THRIVING instead of surviving and possibly, failing and dying.
This is the very thing I have stated in many posts. YOU MUST HAVE TEAMS (communities). You will not make it alone. This also gives you a chance to see who the bad apples are and deal with them at the right time. (we have one in our area who is a bully and a taker…. He WILL be the first to go). Selco talks about this also. I have one of Hollies first addition “Dare to Prepare books”, back when prepping was not “cool”. This book is REQUIRED to be on your shelf, as are many others mentioned in these posts. Millennium Ark should also be one of your bookmarked web sites. You may not agree with all of it but it has a lot of good info. She and Stan have been doing this long before many of us. I once emailed her from New York during hurricane Sandy and we had a “spirited discussion” on FEMA (and some of the false info out there on this agency). Though I disagreed with some of her views she took the time to respond to each email. Her and Stan are solid and know their stuff and you need to buy their book…. required reading. This is the article I have been waiting for. Save all your tuff bravado, find some sensible wise people of like mind and form teams. Do it quickly because time is short. PRAY, PREP, PLAN,….. oh yea….. F O R M T E A M S!!!!!!!!!!
The problem with finding like minded people is the fact that the math doesn’t work.
Then again… the problem with status quo is the fact that the math… also doesn’t work…
Core inflation: 3.8%
Food inflation: oddly, long run… appears to track core… but it’s MUCH more volatile short term…
Energy inflation: running at roughly 4.9%
This is all over a sampling period of roughly 20-50 years… I relize at the moment in this particular 8 year window the numbers are EXTREMELY north of that. And the scary thing is, who knows if it will return to mean or not?
Wage inflation: roughly 2.8%… assuming you can keep your job. Once again, I get it in this 8 year window. It’s not doing that.
Historically… that’s… just enough to keep you working for the rest of your life… that uphill grade thing you got going on. If you have any sense at all (I didn’t) then it’s also just enough to keep you from being a good little consumer, so then there’s that problem.
But it’s just… enough… to make you not want to give up the access to medical care and police services, which you would be in the middle of nowhere. Nevermind the whole thing about “can you possibly grow enough food and dispose of enough waste and heat the place without external inputs… such as… a STORE…”
Short answer: I seriously doubt it.
Look this is ridiculous.
There’s no need for any of this.
You keep feeding the rich and you create a “heat differential” (monetarily speaking) hot enough to burn a hole in your engine block (economy).
So I mean what do you want? You want a functioning economy or you want a free for all?
I would think a free for all benefits no one (rich included) long term… they run out of customers.
And Social Security is collapsing due to population undershoot. But resources collapse in population regular-shoot.
Fine I get it.
Thorium nukes
Hydroponics
Repeal Roe V Wade (unless you dig on speaking Spanish that is… hate me all you want you know it’s true)…
And stop it with all the free passes for corporations and off shore tax shelters and all that shtuff. 1/10th of 1% control > 50% of the wealth?
Come on, really?
I’m no Communist but hell, son… we seen this before. In Europe. In 1100 AD. How’d that work out for them?
I don’t know… those castles where cool…. but realy you have some great points…..
Exactly, for a self-sustaining economy you need more than a handful. This is why the IMF tackles every small country: if any group starts to operate independently then their growth and success would wreck the “system” controlling the rest of the world.
couldn’t agree more Outlaw
surrounded by ob supporters ad nauseum here in massholeachusetts on Cape Cod..
Everyone has their fave red sox and patriots flag a waving and no stars and stripes..
and the obama..save the planet..coexist stickers abound everywhere..
yet only 7 % statistically of the area are gun owners..
guess I am safe..
fuck em all..
possee
all the peoples of the earths
could not the earth cause quake
but for *Mere promises* of splendid gold
all their lives they would forsake
and following phantom promises
of happiness and easy lives
the living built living tombs
and shrines to good times
so became sacriligion
a religion stamped in blood and bone
drunken fools bowed before a paper god
that claimed the earth as its own.
and their Devil played a silver fiddle
and told silver lies, they mocked
that paper, and cotton was not gold
and those who listened where crackpots
but the fools who now burn
in the necessity of want and need
now pray to the righteous farmer
whos food they want to eat
But the Farmer and his kind knew
remembered all that the thieves had took
and let the long hard winter take its due
and let starve all the layabouts and crooks
i’ll stick with my obama sucks sticker its amazing how many people honk an give me a thumbs up on that sticker but i am also in nw ark no love for dictator an chief here
Falloutboy:
Over the mountains from where I live in Oregon that sticker would at least get your car “keyed”.
well that nothin a can of krylon would not fix
well that nothin a can of krylon would not fix
you’re living in the wrong state. move north. freestateproject.org
Be sure to stay anonymous as long as possible. I know several people who formed groups only to have people leave with knowledge of all their preparations. They fear that person might form a new group in desperation and come after them one day.
I also believe it can be a liability to be too far out. That’s why I chose a small rural community of about a dozen homes in a mountain holler whose access road can be controlled at one bridge. It’s geographically secluded while still being minutes from a rural hospital, first responders, etc. when times are good.
Pastor this is mee and the Misses exact situation but on a mountain ( a total area of 15 by 20 miles) with only a few controlable roads in.
@Prepared Pastor,
One bridge as an access point can be controlled by the bad guys, too. NEVER have just one way in and one way out.
Try American Prepper Network. 🙂
I Prep and know Preppers. But it’s to bad we don’t put out as much effort spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we do the gospel of prepping. Be concerned for your family and friends. Protect your soul first, and your body second. Don’t fear man he can only destroy your body, but God can destroy your body and soul. Trekker Out. detcord
@ Mountain Trekker: A-MEN Brother! You are speaking the truth.
We all fall short and none of us are worthy except through the shed blood of our Savior. It is our responsibility to bring the word to the lost so they might be saved.
MOLON LABE!
Sic semper evello mortem Tyrannis!
Trouble is finding like minded people is tough..Your neighbors sucked up the lies,and socialism….Today many have woken up and are pinko comies, and didn’t know how it happened…It take years to wash out the redness
Yeah, we live in an upscale suburb of sheeple all competing it seems to see who can buy the biggest gaudiest SUV. They all look alike. I see them out mowing and they all look the same, kaki shorts, polo shirt, and deck shoes without socks. It’s really depressing. I’d rather find a rural location down a dirt road than stay here, even if it’s just the wife and I living off-grid and unemployed. I try to associate with my neighbor, but I have not seen him in two years without a drink in his hand, and his wife is like clueless about the real situation.
Start seeking out your state’s militia.
To be truthful, I’m not that worried. Yes, to live other than a very primitive life we do need other people and “soceity”. However, the world will end only once and will have a lot of hard times befor then. IMHO what is far more likely is a combination of Yugoslavia and USSR collapse. More fighting than USSR, but much faster than Yugo. Why? We have a much more Urban, free lunch group and few farmers or outsiders that can help or support us. 90% of the people cannot possibly spport themselves for a year: therefor in a year; 90% of the people are gone.
During that year the 90% will be a nearly unstopable force. You cannot out fight them, you must keep your head down and outlive them. After two winters most things will be calm again even in the worst cases.
Truthfully, I think it likly the whole thing may be over in about 90 days. The hotter the fire the faster it burns out. Most of the people live in the cities, most (all) of the food and supplies come from outside. The trucks don’t run, the trains don’t move, in a week it’s all over in the whole East and West coast. The people cannot go anywhere, no busses, cars out of gas, no water, food, it’s over. With them gone, the US has plenty of oil, food, and everything else. Consider for a moment the possibility the Gov knows this and is going to let the big cities go. If they did, most of their expenses are gone and most of the remaining people are net taxpayers.
Exacly some of the stuff Selco teaches… Out live them…..
The citys cannott survive without the rural producing farms. The farm can get along without the citys. The parasites must have the producing makers to provide for them. The producing makers will thrive without the parasite takers. Its Those who you wrongly think are your allies who will stab you in the back.
The amish farms ? Cause I don’t know many farmers who could survive without long row monocropping , fossil fuels ,goverment handouts and a 10000 mile supply chain.
Old guy thats my motto. we got plenty to eat , fresh air, no nosy neighbors real close. just me and the dog and the wife so i like it this way. If you come past the sign you got trouble. if we want to sell to the folks in town all ya gotta do is post a sign on the bulletin board at the local grocer an you can sell what ever it is you got. plus we got a backyard shootin range 300 yd 500 yd 100 yd markers and we dont even have to leave the house if you dont want to, just open the kitchen window. plus with wood heat we got all we can burn. the real close neighbors are the girls, they get fed twice daily, and follow you around like dogs so i like the ranch, ahhh its time for coffee and piece of blackberry pie ( blackberries from our bushes all 200 of em ) wildman out
Nobody survives on Grasshopper Island, either. 😉
(Referencing the story of the Ant and the grasshopper)
I’m doomed.
Me as well, so far.
Again, start seeking out your state’s Militia. modern militia movement (dot) com. Click on your state and go from there. Send requests, etc.
God Bless You.
you ask anyone who lived around the world who is not america were the best place to live? they all say not the usa , the 2011 flood in qld australia people lost everything and alot and the next day after people and child flooded the streets to help strangers on a sunday , no one in the world has seen that , so the answer is were the best place to live were people will help a stranger the place is oz , its just hard to live on a large farm like i do if you do have good neighbors but i do and that the way in australia , and i lived in Africa, serbia, uk ,us and hong kong. and oz is the best and no freezing snow
Derrrrrr yall gots to work together. They are after us. Better keep stocking up on shit and being paranoid! I am a possum.
Poseee out
possum
best keep your moniker..
any idiot can tell by your structure and syntax that you “ain’t ” me..
possee
btw..I never capitalize my name
possee out
nice catch possee of the moniker stealer…
Great article, we have our “tribe” via the internet. We would interview people and eventually found the right fits, so to speak. There are so many what ifs, but the way I look at it is, better to have it and not need than to not have it and need it.
We cannot survive on our own, unless you are a rare person.
Great article, there are plenty of blog sites out there to meet people in your area!!!
PS. I would NEVER invite neighbors over to try out your tribe ideas… way to non opsec!!!!
Unless you are in a Major metropolitan area it’s best to stay where you are at. I recently discovered that my landlord is a prepper and our apartment building has backup well water that was turned off when they went to city water.
I have to disagree. My house will have me, my wife, my stepson, his wife, and their child. My stepson and I will take turns guarding the house 24/7 from the inside. I could talk to my neighbors just like I talked to friends, family, and church people but they would all think I was crazy too. Then they would know who has food when it hits the fan. I agree that you can’t do it completely alone. You can’t take the chance that someone will surprise you while you’re sleeping. I wish I had neighbors who are prepping. So if anybody was a problem for one of us the other could pull a gun on them from the back. I think you have a better chance of survival in groups. I’ll go that far.
I agree that talking to neighbors about prepping will most likely fall on deaf ears and them thinking your crazy. Been there done that. And your fear of them knowing your prepped if SHTF will definitely cause more problems than you will need at that time. The solution I came up with is talking to my neighbors and see what kind of a person they are and what they do for a living. If they meet the criteria that I am looking for in a person, I put them and their family members on my list. I have in the last two years rounded out my list with 46 people from different backgrounds and skills. These people have no idea that I am putting up bullets, band aids, beans etc.. for them. When SHTF and it will, these people are going to be scared, worried, screwed and tattooed. And when they realize, I prepped for them and they won’t go hungry, I am sure they will be grateful even when I hand them a gun and say you take point :<)
I never talk to my retreat neighbors about prepping. They heat with wood, hunt year round, garden, etc. so I talk to them about that. They have backhoes and welding shops and sawmills and we will just have to fill in the best we can. These people won’t panic WTSHTF. They are rugged mountain folks from a culture of adversity. The only thing I have really prepped specifically for them is communications. We’ll use car battery powered sirens for emergency alarms, an FRS/GMRS simplex repeater for general communications, and have other options for special tactics.
We have an inner circle and then an outer circle. We are (as a team) prepping for both and the “outer circle” will be brought in when the real SHTF moment comes… darn Ghostrighter my team thought we were on to a “novel Idea”… nice to see we are not the only ones thinking ahead….
@Barn Cat-
You just simply cannot survive in any urban environment once Obama Hits The Fan. The truth is, getting in touch with your neighbors only lets them know who has the good stuff when their kids’ stomachs start growling. And if it’s Grid Down- think about how many house or apartment fires are going to be started by irresponsible candle handling? And with no fire departments responding to those fires… Good luck. Then comes the roving gangs. You might think that you can shoot your way out, but they will just burn you out. And then nevermind FEMA and such.
Really? I really do not want to be a party pooper, but S.H.T.F. has really never happened in a complete way to really settle that approach to surviving a shutdown of civilization. I believe one may need x-tra hands now and then around the fortress but total community? No way. That may not be needed if it all goes to pot. The Island approach should never be cast out of surviving S.H.T.F. Total community, equals the old saying”to each his own”. Mankind is a island surrounded by very stormy seas.
Even though it is nice to have a cabin out in the country I agree that living n a like minded community is better than in a very remote area. However strong your group, it is my belief that location does no matter how strong your community, if you have a group of like minded people in eminently unsafe/unsustainable community, in places like like Miami, NYC, Oakland, LA, then your group will be overwhelmed by the masses of the unprepared.
Purchased part of an old run down farm this spring, dream come true for me! Got a few outbuildings up and a little place for now for hunting and camping, neighbor was a complete jerk who eventually left the property after problems with neighbors and the town, new neighbor is completely into preparedness and all things survival, I literally feel as though I have won the SHTF plan lottery!!!!! After i fill the freezers in the next few weeks ill be around to bug the regulars more, hope my old friends here find themselves well! Stay the course!
Howdy, Diesel Dan, and congratulations on getting a BOL. Several banks stood in my way of getting a BOL back in the 90s. I could end up stuck in this concrete jungle I’m in now. I’ve always had to RENT; it was either that or end up homeless. I know what everyone says about renting, but what else could I do when no one would let me get MY piece of the American Dream? good luck with your new place. braveheart
Braveheart – thanks buddy your always more than welcome to try your luck up north here, I don’t blame ya for not coming though if it wasn’t for the wife or more so the kids I’d of been back down in the southern dirt years ago, funny how plans never work out like that! Stay the course and rember you always got a brother standing by in ol Nazi York!
DD, did you mean NY State?
Diesel Dan i came here to get a divorce and bought a small ranch, then things just kinda blew up from there the next thing i knew i had 1100 acres so it can happen for ya just figure out whats needed, get it done. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish. i dint have much money but i had a dream and a strong back. fist tractor was an 1959 john deere 3020 i still got it, was ugly ran good but ugly , a rebuild, a little paint now the neighbor wants it. i have never bought a new piece of equipment. you can do it i did. now we got 400 head ( the girls) 5 tractors 4 over 120 hp ,all the play toys you ever want. All this with just a dollar and a dream. fyi my home state is az but im stuck here and like lots till it gets cold but with a wood fired cookstove things aint too bad. plus i have learned to bake. JUst cant stand them idiots from nyc – that damn cuomo
Dear Brave: I own 45% of about 60 apartment units, 1400 miles from where I live, but can speak as a landlord; If it gets bad we intend to tell the tenants just live there, watch the property, and we will call it square. Some will move out and we will move in OUR people. Lots of things being thought of, might talk to your landlord. He may have plans.
Paranoid, I’m fortunate enough to rent a house from the man I work for. No apartments for me; feel more like shoeboxes. If I can get out of the city and make it to my cousin’s BOL in time, I’ll have it made. I’m going over there again next month with another load of supplies to store there. I’ll talk to the landlord and see what he might have in mind. braveheart
Good for you DD… stay safe man!
Excellent article, Holly Deyo, and thank you for it. I also enjoy your websites. I’ve been a prepper going back to the 1970s. My late wife sold me on the idea of prepping and I’ve never regretted it for one minute. I’ve been through hurricanes, tornados, being burned out of a mobile home and temporarily homeless, power outages, personal SHTF events too numerous to mention and I survived each and every one of them BECAUSE I PREPPED. I do like that scripture in Proverbs says. I recognize potential danger early and I prepare for it. I’ve tried to get my own rural retreat on several occasions but had mortgage applications rejected because of no previous credit history. that was the only thing I was even willing to use credit for. I finally have an arrangement to join family at one of their BOLs in north GA. I’ve already moved half of my supplies there. Planning another trip in Oct. to move some more supplies there. they are the only people I hope to join with and can trust. With the exception of my late wife, I’ve never trusted anyone, I’ve never depended on anyone but myself. For me to find any other community of like-minded people who I can trust would be a godsend and a miracle. otherwise, I’ve been surviving alone since I lost my wife because I’ve had no other choice. I’ve always been open to the idea of a 2nd marriage but can’t find another woman like my wife was. I can find feminists anywhere I go, but not a woman worth having. if I can make to my cousin’s BOL in time, I’ll be alright. If not, then I’ll be surviving all alone in the concrete jungle I’m in now. braveheart
I hope with all sincerity that you find someone to share the rest of your life with.
braveheart,
Sadly, you are right about most women today. The feminist movement really screwed up the Family and the masculinity of the man. Glad to hear that you had a good woman and frankly, you may never find another like her.
It sounds like you appreciated your wife and that is paramount to a loving relationship. I wouldn’t trade mine for all the gold in the world.
“For me to find any other community of like-minded people who I can trust would be a godsend and a miracle.”
Remember, miracles do happen.
Prepped in CT and Swinging on a star, thank you for those thoughts, but I’m afraid, swinging, you’re right, I won’t find another like her. I’m not lowering my standards. I can’t even picture a man being able to communicate with a feminist, never mind anything else. Feminists are never to be trusted, period! braveheart
I wouldn’t want anything to do with a man who was so weak and insecure, that he believed I could somehow take his masculinity away…that’s something he must give up, all on his own.
You can take my life, but you can’t have my heart, unless I give it to you. My soul already belongs to God.
sixpack,
If you are a feminist then your main goal is to take away a man’s masculinity. A real man like braveheart, wouldn’t even give a feminist the time of day let alone a place next to his heart.
In my opinion, feminists are mixed up women who somehow think it’s a competition to show that they are the same as any man. Well, they aren’t and never will be men, maybe that’s why so many of them are unhappy and alone, or worse yet, married to a wet noodle who allows them to wear the pants.
A feminist and a strong woman are two different breeds, I’ll take a strong woman who likes herself and celebrates her femininity verses a feminist who is hard and insecure.
my Wife said to give you a thumbs up
why is it when you see a older femnazi they almost always turn into a crazy old cat ladys
Agreed, swinging, that feminists are mixed up women (and men), but I think it’s more like they want to be equals, without having to do the work to BE equals, but then they don’t really want to be equal, what they REALLY want is to be superior.
That’s too many chiefs and not enough Indians for me.
My Dad used to say “I don’t mind if my woman wears the pants, as long as I’m the only one who gets in ’em”.
I guess my point is, a man should know his limitations, but not be afraid to draw his line permanently in the sand. Moral conviction is a virtue, as is standing up for what is right, no matter the consequences.
Personally, I wouldn’t want a man that I can push around–what good would he be for us, when someone else starts doing the pushing? How does one count on someone who can be so easily side-tracked?
There is a difference between “strong” and “hard”…I’ll take “strong”.
Braveheart…. there are still a few out their who are not feminists. I hope you find a soul mate…. I know Memphis well…. It is a death trap when the SHTF. If you see it going south…. get out…. whish I had a winning lotto ticket (I don’t play so their ya go) so I could hellp many good folks out with land to get them out of these death traps… praying as usual for ya bro….
@braveheart, you may want to look towards whiteville or paris. good people (and good women) are closer than you think!
The 1970’s? Forty years of fear and doom. How many times have you called the “feeling” in the last forty years? What a wasted life.
VRF, man on the inside, and kimintn, thank you for those thoughts but I will persevere regardless. braveheart
we’re sure you will. just offering up some encouragement!
Kimintn, thank you.
urban dogshit, nobody here yanked on your chain. Go out and play in the middle of a busy street.
After a series of hurricanes paid a visit to our home in 2004, I went around the neighborhood (rural area with a dirt road) and checked on the neighbors. I collected names, phone numbers, and email addresses and then put them all together into a neighborhood contact list and distributed it to those who are on the list. This has led to some great relationships with others who thought they were the only ones prepping.
It has to be kept up to date. My wife and I occasionally walk around the neighborhood and leave a letter inviting others to join the list, and it slowly grows. Some folks never respond, but that’s OK.
I try to send out an email every once in a while just to maintain contacts. Sometimes it’s about a lost cat, or news that a family of bears has moved into the neighborhood so use caution, anything to let folks know that it’s about watching each other’s back.
GREAT article Mac
and its like Selco has said
an individual or an individual family isn’t going to make it on their own
Wow! It’s been a hectic couple of weeks. Washed out a trainee (No, you CAN’T drive my truck how ever the hell you feel like), taxied a fellow driver from Dallas to Denver (he got out before the monsoon hit), found out our next grandbaby is gonna be… A BOY!
All that, plus a few thousand miles of driving, home working on the dozer (danged thing still won’t run right), and today- trying to drive through Montana while my phone is ringing off the hook! Mostly guys with questions about the strike. I hope they all join us. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, life goes on…
Elton John is offering Lady Gaga advice on how to deal with fame and non freak out. Makes about as much sense as Bill Clinton teaching a class on ethics. Or Tax-cheat Timmy running the Treasury Dept. Oh, wait… never mind. Carry on, Sir Elton. (does the sir mean he gets on top?)
Hanna Montana goes Hollywood. Miley Cyrus has two big hits on the radio. And a few million internet hits a day. Plus that little, uh… indiscretion on stage the other day. Now all she needs is a DUI, a public psycho meltdown and a shoplifting charge and she’ll be ready for the BIG TIME! Billy Ray must be so proud…
Archaeologists have discovered the ancient town of Dalmanutha, mentioned in the gospel of Mark. It’s quite a discovery! Mixed in with the pottery shards and antiquities of biblical times, they’ve also discovered… Obama’s real birth certificate. (I’m betting it turns out to be forged by the scribes or Pharisees)
Powerball jackpot is up to $400 million. Calculating the odds, I’ve figured…. I’d better go drive this rig on down the road.
🙂 congrats on that new grandbaby!!! I got me one(grandson) about a month ago…this is why I fight and why Im ready!!!
Congratulations to both of you!
🙂 thank you!
Amusing as always, Okie. And congrats on the grandbaby.
Better know’em damn well!
item of interest
Pandemic Flu Plan Predicts 30% of US Could Fall Ill
http://news.yahoo.com/pandemic-flu-plan-predicts-30-us-could-fall-183333379.html
“According to a 2009 Department of Defense plan, if a flu pandemic strikes, about 30 percent of the U.S. population could fall ill, with 3 million hospitalizations and 2 million deaths. Basic services, such as medical care or essential supply deliveries, will probably be disrupted.”
“probably be disrupted”
ya think ???
I guess some of us are going to shit out of luck, when the shit hits the fan. I’ve never been able to have that close group of friends you can depend on. One-by-one every drifts away, meanwhile the standard avenues just don’t pan out. Some of the worst people I have been screwed over by have been members within my soon to be ex church. I am living in the middle of liberal land (Minneapolis MN) It seems the only choice is to be a lone wolf prepper. I’ve found that you really can not trust anyone.
Thats about where im at these days,
So your not alone in that discovery.
All us lone wolves sorta constitute a group…sorta?
Jeff:
A little secret is to get really good at Medical, firearms, how to make thing (like soap, food prep, ECT.) If you get really good at knowing how to purify water and how to collect water, you would be an asset to any group you might wonder on to. If you make it central Ill. We are looking for good people with assets that they can add to the group. My God watch over you.
Sgt. Dale,
Sorry, but I want to clarify – – are you in central Illinois?
Jeff.
Hang in there. It sure is hard to get people together with any kind of skill. Then try and raise their skill level to your level by teaching them. I will tell you I can go it alone but I would have to become one mean tough son of a bitch. If one has to go it alone they must be very proficient at simple but high productive measures. You also have to break the need to communicate with others and understand that anything you do that is stupid, may be your last act.
You’re not alone in Minneapolis but I feel your pain. Outside of my family (who tolerates me) and one other person (who I was surprised to find out was a prepper) I know of no one else in the area. Of course, I’ve been spending most of my free time learning the seemingly limitless amount of things I need to know to keep my family alive. It’s all quite overwhelming. I wish I had woken up sooner but I guess better late than never.
Remember a liberal lives on spending someone elses money and tellng them what to do. I suggest, you go buy a T shirt that says: “Live free or Die” another one that says: I love my Country-The Gov is getting on my nerves” and a third that says: “Talk softly, be kind, shoot straight” See who comments.
I’ve been called a cultist, for stating the obvious that US economy is going to collapse from the amount of debt it has and can not repay. And some day the US dollar is going to be worthless. I’ve given up on warning them on upcoming SHTF. If they don’t want to know, then what every happens to them they deserve.
I feel you pain, Jeff. Been there and done that. All of it.
The only thing that shut my husband up was Superstorm Sandy. My preps saved his ass, and he knew it.
UNFORTUNATELY the people who torment you will have to live through something like that to get it.
Yep.. it is like talking to a fence post… (and the post is smarter).
Nice job as usual, Holly. And speaking of Prepper Island, I figured it’s time to update that old theme song-
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful crash,
It started when the system failed,
And we all ran out of cash.
The mate was a crafty banker man,
The skipper foreign born,
They led the nation down the path,
Of ridicule and scorn.(of ridicule and scorn)
The market crashed and chaos reigned,
The citizens got loud,
The jackboots came with pepper spray,
To quell the angry crowd.(to quell the angry crowd)
A few escaped the awful mess,
Went out to Prepper Isle,
With first aid kits… and freeze dried food,
A million rounds… for the guns,
A water-pump,
And the rest, here on Prepper Isle.
Smokin;
You oughta write songs…
(Al Yankovitch style)
I’m telling you okie, we gotta get us a guitar player, or something and record these songs…..The Doomers Quartet or something could be the name of the group (LOL). The proceeds could go to some worthwhile cause with prepper values….just a rambling thought.
We need to have a point on this island where we get to “vote off” the banksters in any way we choose.
It would be fun!
SmokinOkie, nobody else can touch your humor. keep it coming. braveheart
SO: If you can play a guitar, or fiddle ….. can I be your manager? Great stuff! 🙂
” I Am A Rock”
I am an island.
by Simon and Garfunkel.
http://youtu.be/PKY-smJ6aBQ
I like to ease into discussions with my neighbors; I never just blurt out what I do. I start by taking my neighbors some of my homemade jerky, chili or salsa and asking them to taste test it for me. The conversation turns to cooking, then gardening, then canning and so forth. Most of my neighbors are hunters so I barter with them for meat to turn into jerky. They provide the meat, I make the jerky and chili, give them back a portion and keep my portion. When we have rapport and a little trust with each other, we talk politics and build a little more trust.
I have never invited anyone to my BOL as that is a whole different set of neighbors and while I’ve made friends with a few of my country neighbors, I’m still just a weekender, until the reno is completed. The old timers come by to see who bought the property and what’s going on and I sit on the porch and chat with them. Still in the building rapport stage with them, but I feel they would help if I asked. It just takes time; you can’t force yourself or your beliefs on people. Got to build that trust first.
patientmomma sounds like you have it figured out. we moved out here a few years backs and didnt ecpect how closed-up the locals would be. if you arent second generation at least, you arent local! one of our neighbors have been living out here over 30 years, and they are still considered “new”.
i like your idea of trading jerky. we have been doing some bartering and always try to pitch in where we can. trust is earned slowly, but thats ok because ours is given slowly, too.
seems there are lots of us in this neck of the woods. it is a shame that opsec makes it risky for us to link up, but sure seems that is by tptb design. they must be sorely afraid!
It’s difficult to weigh the benefit of collaborating with neighbors to the loss of OPSEC that comes with sharing information. Your neighbors may seem 100% on board but when the SHTF they might use info of your preps to do you in and feed themselves. The key is to get to know your neighbors outside of a prepping capacity first. Even then…. You can NEVER fully trust another human being.
We’ve had a neighbor stop in to check out our chicken coop, the husband is making that his fall project so they can get biddies in the spring. That’ll make 7 neighbors with chickens in 3 blocks, or so I’m told. I know it is 4 now for sure. Lots of libtards around here, my one neighbor with chickens swears they are just her sons pets. My husbands cousin is a state cop, unionized of course, but he has very conservative ideals. I gave his wife the survival moms book for Christmas because she’s an ER nurse, and has seen some shit. They also have baby no 5 on the way. We’ve thought of speaking to them, but DH and I both worry that he may think we are crazy, and put us on the list for survival supplies if SHTF.
I do have 2 coworkers who prep like there is no tomorrow, and another who loves to talk sustainability. The man makes half a mill a year, and wants to be able to be self sufficient. He’s also president of our corp. so that really installs confidence in the economic jobs picture.
On another “jobs” note, one of the Surgeons I work with, (probably the best in his specialty in the state) is very savvy in finance, economics, and just a damn good businessman. I asked him to confirm or deny a rumor for me the other day, and he confirmed it as fact. His partner knows someone at A large teaching hospital human resources dept. they (The hospital) are getting 10,000 applications for every nursing position they post online, from around the country. With obamacare, and hospitals in this state tightening their belts, that teat will be drying up soon I fear. That or wages will be driven low by running off senior staff and cutting entry level salaries.
Young folks….Don’t just get an education. Learn a trade you can fall back on when there are NO JOBS.
I don’t know if you would be interested, but OK THEN (the guy we were talking to regarding my relatively horrible choice of location in the state) and I are exchanging shill e-mail addresses so we can communicate. We thought it would be fun and informative. What do you think, and would you be interested?
Sure, I would have to set something up…probably by this weekend, maybe?
Sounds good to me!
Mine is going to be in moderation in the post below, so look for it.
[email protected]
Good article.
Folks I’ve been leading a group with help from others, for about 5 years now. What I have found is to listen to what people are saying. You will find that they will give you little hints to what they are doing or trying to do or set up. Take it one step at a time. Find out how they stand on what is happening with our Republic. If they give the answer you are looking for, then start with your own group questions. You need people with medical training, firearms training, food prep, construction, water purifications, ECt. this is just few things you will need. I could on for just about ever with the type of personnel you will need.
If you form a group you need rules!!!
If you form a group there will be a need to for alliances with other groups. You and your group ARE NOT AN ISLAND!!!
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO GOD ON YOUR SIDE. KEEP HIM WITH YOU ALWAYS. This is the only way you and your group will make it.
Hmmm? Hey Sarg. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY THERE ARE PEOPLE MIGHTY ENOUGH TO BE A ISLAND OF SOME SORTS. iF BEING A ISLAND IS THAT BAD OR ODD, THEN SHAME ON ONE OF THE GREATEST ISLANDS THAT HAVE EVER HONORED THIS HOMELAND i.e. DANIEL BOONE. HE WAS NOT HAPPY UNLESS HIS NEAREST NEIGHBOR WAS AT LEAST 10 MILES AWAY. WERE THE GREAT MOUNTAIN MEN ISLANDS? SURE WAS. THEY WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST. I THINK FOLKS WHO SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE CROWDS ARE MOST GENERALY THE THINKERS INVENTERS AND THE DO,ERS. YOUR RIGHT! NO MAN IS A ISLAND– HE,S A PENINSULA!
You make a good point. PENINSULE. You said it better than I did. Mr. Boone did go out and stayed away from people. He did how ever open up area for people to live. DON’T FORGET HOW HE DIED. FIGHTING FOR THE GREAT REBULIC OF TEXAS! If it comes to that in my time I pray that I will have the GUTS to stand like he did. Thanks for your eye opening reply.
“NO MAN IS A ISLAND– HE,S A PENINSULA!”
I remember this from an old Jefferson Airplane tune.
Sgt Dale: I think that is how the Greek City states began to form, back in the day (800 BC ?)
You are right that is what I was basing the group on.
Sgt. Dale says:
“THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO GOD ON YOUR SIDE. KEEP HIM WITH YOU ALWAYS. This is the only way you and your group will make it.”
Isn’t that what the Jihadists believe???
“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”
~ Gerald Seymour
Your
The difference between my God and allah. Is my God doesn’t tell you if you don’t convert you pay taxes or DIE. My God said if they don’t want to listen just walk away.
You need to know that the bastardized form of Islam that the Jihadies practice is way out there. They will kill you if you are from the wrong sect. When was the last time you heard of a Baptist Killing a Methodist, or Catholic Killing, Muslim. Just for there belief? You have seen Muslims killing anyone of a different faith I know Christians have done this before, but not today just because of you faith. If your God tells you to kill just because you don’t believe like someone else dose. My God have mercy on your soul. Its all a matter of FAITH. I have mine, you can have yours. God Bless you and Yours.
Yuck-yuck, whatever you say Dale.
YMWW, why would you go and try to compare Christian faith to Islamic faith? like trying to compare apples and oranges. not to mention that was a really low blow trying to compare him to a POS Muslim animal. You crossed a line with that one.
Braveheart:
Thanks for the back up!
Sgt.
I disagree with your basic premise that no man is an Island.
While most people have trouble with 2 or even three skill sets, there are many that posses the ability to go it alone. I know many people both single and couples that are able to not just survive but to prosper on their own.
So often people with money have the false impression that because one can earn a good living, that will transfer in the ability to develop all the necessary skills to prosper alone. Your first example was a prime failure of that mentality.
Those of us who have families that have been here for a few hundred years all have stories of isolated travel across uncharted territory looking for new homesteads and not only surviving but prospering as well.
I am lucky to come from a family that has those complete skill sets to be an Island. Being an Island mentality sure makes one sleep better because you cannot trust how others will react in a extreme situation until you are put in one with them.
Example, the commander of the DC navel base took off running rather than help the guy who was shot right next to him, by his own words no less.
Good luck to the groupies.
U r going to help a head shot?
F. T. H.
You make some good points, but your argument is killed by your own writing. Your second sentence “While most people have trouble with 2 or even three skills sets.” This my friend is why you need a group with an assortment of skills. I prefer family but sometimes friends (true friends) a just as good as family.
As far as the naval Commander that ran. He wasn’t armed the THUG had a shotgun and a Glock. The problem there was he wasn’t armed. All for the last False Flag shootings have happened in GUN FREE ZONES!!!!
I’ve be a Cop for almost 30 years and I have seen it all. People react differently to allsorts of situations.
F.T.H. When the SHTF! I pray you will be safe and that God watches over you and yours.
Sgt.
sometimes you need to save your ass, because you cant usually save your ass and your face at the same time.
Kula
GREAT POINT!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!
Good article on trying to get a prepper group together instead of going at it lone-wolf and bunker style.
My opinion is that most Americans still believe this stuff is ‘way’ down the road, thus they will be mostly in need when SHTF and not of much help when SHTF because those days will come suddenly.
It is easy to talk to neighbors about prepping and be joyful when times are still ok. But how will they behave when suddenly things change, much like the book ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’.
I judge a prepper by if they are doing anything or not. If not, then how much should I talk to them?
Actions are louder than words….
Canadian Billionaire Predicts The End Of The Dollar As Reserve Currency; Warns “It’s Likely To Get Ugly”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-17/canadian-billionaire-predicts-end-dollar-reserve-currency-warns-its-likely-get-ugly
we may not have some THE ROAD type cataclysm hit
but
at some point
the dollar will no longer be the world’s reserve currency
and that
WILL
bring catastrophe to the United States
Perhaps or not. It will bring the end of people being able to suck the life out of productive working people. That may not be all bad.
Has anyone seen this……
mediamatters dot org/blog/2013/09/16/the-most-important-story-you-didnt-hear-last-we/195893
Detroits new corporate head shut off the lights because people weren’t curtailing their electricity use as fast as they thought should happen. Freaking idiot. Coming to a megopolis near you!
Them little red capped containers sure feel nice.
This article has merit to it, but there is something that I have found out too often with most people, they are a lot of talk and not to be trusted. Remember EVERYONE, 99% of the people that are your neighbors are NOT preppers, and will ONLY leech off of you. There is a huge trust issue here. Remember that number 99%, that means basically that 1 in 100 people are going to have commonalities and 1 in 100 people that you can have fiath in. 1 in 100.
Let’s face it, a non prepper is a cancer to someone that is prepared and sacrificed much. This means that whom you choose to be part of a group or whom you let know that you have supplies MUST be trustworthy. Joe Saturday that knows that you have food and supplies is going to come to your door and demand to be fed. The same Joe that told you all that you WANTED to hear that Joe has prepping and and saving for tomorrow. People, most of them are real big talkers. Loose lips sink ships. Be careful with whom you associated with.
No about no man is an island. There are people that have survived quite well all over the planet alone, or with a few others. The old adage that they is safety in numbers is true. However circumstances may force anyone of us to be alone and have to function and live as an island. This should be planned for by everyone, just in case. When crap buries the world, all that we have planned for may just go right off the table. Everyone should plan for the problem of becoming a man/woman as an island.
I am desperately trying to protect everyone out there, as so many become so overly enthused with finding people that will tell you that they are totally interested in prepper/survivalist planning and be the biggest monkey wrench in the survival of any group. I knew someone that told me that they had all these months worth of food, supplies, all this survival equipment. I found out that this person was full of manure and just wanted my approval. They had 1/10 of what they said they had when I visited their home. Phonies are dangerous to your survival if you let them in too deep into your life. Everyone out there, be watchful, so many people now speak with a forked tongue. They have become liars like the glorious politicians that have helped teach them well.
@BI you are so right !
Not only is joe coming , he is bringing all his friends and family with him. Especially the ones who are armed and current/former LEO/military.
A few minutes after the procession begins , they will have come to a groupthink position. As in if you do not share , hostilities will ensue , up to and including burning you out.
Even the rambo monkey’s will have a hard time dealing with people who have nothing too lose.
Be informed
To my way of thinking, this is your best post yet.
But I suppose that’s because it mirrors my own
philosophies to a tee.
A few others here also share this basic premise.
They know who they are.
Be Informed agree with you entirely. We do not talk about our preps to ANYONE. What we have done is gone out of our way to get to know our neighbors. We also catalog their skills and have quite a few barter items put away. Based on what we know at this point our local farm community should survive. We have a few folks who may be a problem but they seem to have some useful skills. In this part of TN and rural, people still have large gardens, chickens,beef cattle and hunting skills. We have natural meeting places within healthy walking distances. We believe the time to organize will come, but not now.
Well put BI
BI
good point about trusting people
recent example
I applied for a transfer within my company
I told only a couple of people and swore them to secrecy
well
within 3 days
I had NUMEROUS people coming up to me and asking about the job change
OpSec
OpSec
OPSEC !!!
In this case satori, one is none and two is everybody……
Great article Holly!
Of course you and Stan are not ones to slouch, either! ; )
The takeaway from all of this. People will perish. Smart, prepared communities may survive.
CPA has just about been reached. Get Ready to buy at the bottom at this cycle. Wise peeps buy now.
Great to see Holly Deyo posted here. Have also been following her for years, truly a great prepper resource.
It is very difficult to build a relatively like- minded community of preppers as we are yet so few and we do have to be discreet and prudent. That said, over time we have hooked up with some very close friends of many years all located in a small, very close knit community. We have skills and resources we bring to the table, and likewise they have their skill sets too.
Outside of this small circle, we tell no one of our efforts. We live in a semi- urban area most of the time, our bug- out place only now and then. Urban people have essentially no concept of prepping, much less any idea that the necessity for such is stronger than ever. In contrast, having lived in rural areas much of my life, self sufficiency is pretty much normal living anyway. After all, if you can’t gut a deer, bait a hook, or grow tomatoes and corn, something is wrong with you, man!
One last comment @Braveheart. I am sorry you had to lose such a dear wife years ago. Indeed, a good woman is very hard to find. Makes me thankful indeed to have been married to mine for 29 years now, my best friend, like minded prepper lady, a gal of the old west who can shoot, fish, and enjoy boxing and NFL. She’s my Annie Oakley, and certainly no feminist. Not sure where you live, but you might think of moving to places like Texas, Wyoming, Montana if you still want to hook up. Have a feeling there is a lovely lady out here who would be grateful indeed to find her Braveheart. You owe it to her to keep looking!
Ralphieboy, I’m just now reading your comment from last night. Thanks. My baby was from Cuba and you ncould say she was Cuba’s version of Annie Oakley. She was also no feminist. She was a nurse and really dedicated to helping people, but you didn’t want to get on her bad side under any circumstances. Hell has no fury like the scorn of a refugee from a communist nation. braveheart
I think you are both right and wrong, as were the people you discussed.
Instead of creating a great homestead out in the toolies that can only be accessed by helicopter, snowmobile or atv, why not seek out communities that are very small and isolated, and choose to have your prepper hide-out there?
For example, I am from Canada and about a dozen years ago, used to live in northern British Columbia where the winters are not nearly as severe as in other parts of the country – it still gets cold, but no worse than Montana or Minnesota or Iowa, or any other of those places.
There is a little village close to where I used to live – about a full day’s drive from the nearest metropolitan area – called Granisle. It is a former mining community, and now that the mine has shut down, it has become basically a retirement and/or fishing community. It is on the largest natural lake in British Columbia, at the end of a dead end road, and has a population of around 500. They are a one hour drive from the nearest town, which has a population of 4-5,000.
There is ample trout, salmon, char, moose, deer, bear and goats to hunt – virtually right out your door. There is a pub, a restaurant, a gas station, a store, a school and a marina on the 100+ mile long Babine Lake. The homes in this village sell for between $35,000 to $75,000 – all built back in the 1970’s by the mining company, and they all have large backyards, and are within walking distance to the lake. These houses are three or four bedrooms and have plenty of room for a big garden. Not fancy, but not living in a cardboard box either. For buying a house so cheap, you could also upgrade it.
If I were to choose a “bug-out” community, this is where I would purchase my pad. 500 people, living out in the toolies together, could certainly do quite a bit together – heck, they already do!
Check it out on the internet. Granisle, BC. (Most of their real-estate is listed by firms in Burns Lake, BC – an hour and a half drive away – but it is cheap, dirt cheap).
Another such community in BC is Ocean Falls, which once had a pulp mill which is now closed – and even has its own hydro electric dam! There are no roads INTO the place – only ferry & boat. It is on the coast, and not only is there good hunting, but also, good seafood to be had. It also is about 500 people now.
These are excellent bug-out destinations.
I think they would work out far better than trying to “be an island.”
Nice article Holly,and lots of good comments. None of us know how the SHTF will look like till it gets here, but one thing is for sure, if you prep, the last thing you want is to be anywhere near a crowd.
I see the potential for survival in both the Island life and the community and depending on how it boils down either could be good. Suppose a pandemic hits, then a large or even small community is potentially a death sentence but the lone wolf is able to avoid the disease by distance.
Then again if its an ecconomic collapse, farming your own food is going to require lots of hands to help out. Opsec is only as good as your ability to defend what you have, eventually your preps will be known( you cant be the only person whos clothes fit them when everyone else has three new holes in their belt)
I like the article however it sounds like the mindset of both cases needed prepping first, and the ability to flex back and forth between camps (island and community)is how you survive.
Well thats how Im going to survive Lord willing and the creek dont rise.
Preps are everything but at the same time mental preparation is key, neighbors are plentifull of every resource, bbq (including propane), ustensils, canned food, spices name it just saying 🙂
Lone wolf checking in
Most of my friends are scattered all over the country, due to what I do for a living and whats happened to my state because of this corrupt government , most people that could , left.
This took most of my trustworthy contacts out far and wide.
Family doesn’t have a lot of males in it, and some of the ones still in this area are worthless In-Laws , or sheeple, cant wake them up, quit trying.
One of them is but he’s over 40 miles away,His wife is useless as far as im concerned attitude problems and thinks shes owed shit(typ) and has a house full of rug rats and is trying to just keep his head above water so he doesn’t have many resources, although he has skills.
I’ll hunker down and exhaust my supplies and try to hold my own , I have natural resources close by, and Ive been in the right mindset for many years.
If the right people come around or show themselves to me,I might back them up.
None of us will get out of life alive, so its always going to be, go as deep as you can for as long as you can.
@VRF; I don’t think I’m too far from where you are at. I’ll back you up if you need it.
GR
Good to hear boss, same back atcha
Boy are you right on target VRF! Very well put and correct.
Noah did by himself. Don’t usually disagree with Mac. Mac is right about me though, I’m fucked!
For me, on my island, I’d rather have good friends who’s temperament and dispositions I’m already familiar and comfortable with than an acquaintance that may have the same interest in one area but is incompatible in many others. Just because someone already knows how to milk a goat doesn’t mean I want to live under the same roof with them. They may like disco, I’d rather have to teach someone how to milk a goat than have someone under my roof dancing to Saturday night fever.
As I sit and go over my preparations, defenses, plans, looking at what is very likely coming my way and what is going on all over this world a strange feeling has come over me; I believe I feel what General George Armstrong Custer was feeling at the Little Big Horn. I am totally surrounded, I don’t care if you live in a concrete jungle or so far back in the sticks that you may be the first human to set foot on the ground there. You are surrounded period, will you survive to the other side the odds say NO you will not. Oh some will live longer than others are about all we can hope for. What is the other side going to look like if some make it, I don’t know and you don’t either no one knows, so is it truly worth all the trouble and cost to try; YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT IS , and if you go down you will know you gave it your best shot and you died FREE. The main thing in all of this is be PERAPED TO MEET YOUR CREATOR, which my friend is all that matters; believe it or not the choice is yours. I for one know what is on the other side of death HEAVEN or HELL one of the two no more. Live as you will, worship as you will and who you want, for me it is the GOD of the Bible whom I worship. Look at most grave stones and you will see a date of birth and a date of death and the only thing we all have in common is the dash that separate the two dates. That dash and what we do in it is all that matters.
Don’t waver and stand tall for what you believe in. Remember there will be only one of you, so make your life count. We still live in the GREATEST NATION ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH! But,the end is approaching fast.
“No one” is hyperbole. Some people want to, can, and DO live alone in their wilderness “island,” though most can’t.
Prospering quickly post collapse could make you a target. Having a retreat could make you a target, in fact almost any planning will make you a target. I would say during the first 6 months that you really need to be a grayman. Blend in so your not seen, don’t look military or tactical maybe even use bright colors so no one perceives you as a threat. I call it hiding in plain sight, but I would limit that contact as much as possible. Just enough to stay informed, gather intel. and supplies.
Isolation is very hard even for as little as 72 to 120 hours. Its much easier if you are in a group of 2 to 24 but I would not go over 24 because it to hard to command; my ideal is 7 to 12.
You simply can’t prepare for everything because you don’t know what event or sequence of events will occur. No one knows what areas will be safe or for how long. My plan is to bug in as part of a community, however I will know in the first 144 hours if I need to go mobile.
My go mobile plan (Bugout)has many forms from a Motorhome to on foot with a backpack and everything in between. On a low budget I would consider the minimum for a Bugout as a Backpack, Boots and a Bicycle.
We just don’t know where it will be safe, so just having a static plan could make you an easy target…
To survive after a collapse is going to require you to do things you never would have considered prior to collapse. I suggest you start thinking about your feelings and emotions now. Every decision is going to be difficult post collapse.
I rather suffer alone then deal with people’s betrayals. Trust will be at a premium during the SHFT. Whats going to stop people from being even worse with pure chaos and anarchy? The lone wolf path is harder, but even death would be less painless then having to deal with people. I do not play well with others
Im of the island mentality. Thankfully Im a jack of all trades. Grew up on the farm and learned everything needed to take care of crops & livestock and repair fix and make do with old obsolete used equiptment. I don’t like most folks. usually the more aquainted I get the less I like them. However I never let them know it. Im like Red Forman on that 70,s show. I tell my wife I only want to be around folks that I like. Mainly just her. We relocated and Don’t know the neighbors. We keep a locked gate down by the road. Yet they steal from us. So I left items out of sight of the house with hidden game cameras and know for a fact who cant be trusted. If society fails Ill have to deal with them for shure. Ill rely on the dogs to be on alert when where sleeping. What will be necessary is the know how to be comfortable in any situation. Being miserable and unhappy isn’t surviving its simply enduring. so do this turn off the electric for a time and pretend its never coming back on. Don’t drive the car etc. If you got a group make it a group thing. That will quickly separate the wheat from the chaff. Unless you can produce everything necessary to live a comfortable sustainable existence you not surviving. Living in a bunker off stored preps isn’t surviving thats simply enduring. Many folks are simply enduring already trying to live and work the way things are already. So they pay for entertainment & play. If you enjoy what you do to survive you never really work a day in your life. your lifestyle and livelihood become your play & entertainment. Learn to Know How to be self reliant. The self reliant person never has to wait upon the time & pleasure of others to get something done. Those who wrongly believe that they must be dependent upon the actions or inactions of others for their own well being are doomed. Those others will eventually fail you and be your downfall. Folks don’t get along when forced to stay together. Jurys fight. Look at how siblings will fight when the parents die. any club church group or organization will have folks fighting and bickering. add the stress of failed infrastructure and harsh living conditions and everyone trying to be boss and they will start killing each other for no reason at all. Nope I go lone wolf. Just me the wife and the grandchildren. My non prepper children and other relatives and friends will have to fend for themselves. Just think probably 90% will die. Even if by some miracle you have a successful tribe. Another successful tribe will wage war upon your group.
Old Guy:
I have a bumper sticker on my vehicle that says:
If you think somebody’s normal you just dont know them very well…..
So, like you, I have a hard time revealing my prepping plans to any outside my family.
What a bunch of namby pamby pussies! Google “One mans Wilderness” about Richard Proenneke. Al I can say is “MAN UP!”
One small group of ne’er-do-wells would be all it takes to take this guy out.
we have all 3 dvd’s…talk about alone! and some rockin’ tools.
and actually it is “alone in the wilderness” parts one and two that we watch over and over.
I think our government is trying to make sure no American, prepper or otherwise survives this current mess swirling around us.
I just researched a statement I heard on tv about ICE releasing sex offenders to comply with a supreme court decision.
The dept. of homeland security group, ICE, has released close to 3,000 illegal sex offenders as part of 59,347 illegal immigrants who cannot be held because of a 2001 supreme court ruling that states if a criminal cannot be deported because his country of origin refuses to accept him back then he must be released.
According to law our government is supposed to refuse to issue travel visas for citizens of that country who want to visit the US!
Department of Homeland Security hasn’t been pro-active in pushing the visa retaliation and a new immigration bill waters down this law even further.
GAO reports also stated that 220 of 4359 alien sex offenders deported in the first 8 months of 2012 returned to the US and have been arrested for another offense.
Can anyone on this blog explain to me the insanity here? Are these people being released back into society so they can be part of the “homeland security hounds”and the riff-raff that will be after Americans when the real shtf?
I know TPTB are using everything in their arsenal to enrage true Americans to the point that we boil over; and insanity like I see here certainly adds to the boiling point.
We are being bombarded with insanity from our government from every direction.
Khrushchev once stated that Russia would not have to worry about how America would fall. He said we would fall from within. How right he has turned out to be!
There are very few here that can go it alone. I had to rethink my position on the subject and to go it alone is the last bastion of survival. I would not want to do it but we may face it if something really bad happened to us. It is VERY important that if you are lucky to have good people in your group, to cross train. I make it a point if I learn new ways of doing a task, that I pass it on to others. Do not count children out for they grasp things a lot better than you think. Never candy coat, tell them straight up. Be aware there are things that children should not hear or know till they reach an age they understand what is going on in the world. That is a subject by itself.
Another subject I would like to address is fear.
Fear is good but do not let it overwhelm you. Fear of being alone. Fear of the Dark. Fear of being hurt by others. It is as much a problem now as it would be in a survival situation. You lock your doors at night. You do not walk your neighborhood at night and in some cases not even in daylight. How many of you have been scared so bad you pissed your pants? Have you ever been scared and experienced the adrenalin rush and felt the pain as it wore off when you were again safe. Have you ever been in position that you had to do or die. If it ever gets that bad you will experience one of those incidents.
The only thing that overcomes fear is knowledge and training. Most military/police train to react. To be aware of their surroundings and practice many scenarios to overcome fear. Not that fear is completely erased, but lessened so they can act. Not that training and knowledge will be 100% effective but it does give you an edge. I have watch people cry and scream. Others are frozen, then others will run. Some can not speak coherently while others become mute and shut down. So you see you have to not only have to deal with your own fears but with others fear as well.
Give some thought at what others will do when frightened. It is a side of survival that many fail to discuss openly and prepare for.
The examples quoted showed that living an isolated existence didn’t have insurmountable practical problems but tended to have psychological problems. If you’re an extrovert you’re going to have problems trying to live in isolation. If you’re an introvert you’re probably going to be fine (psychologically).
Sure there are problems living on your own, what happens if you get sick or injured? There are times when two people can do a job so much more than twice as fast as one person can do it.
However conversely there are real problem having neighbours close by, even if they are supposed to be of a like mindset.
You could have the rise of a leader who demands that everyone does what he (or she) thinks is best.
You have huge OPSEC risks.
Chance of betrayal is directly proportional to the number of people in ‘your group’.
Sure a community of preppers would be great but it’s also impractical you will also have neighbours who are not of your mindset and these risks may outweigh the benefits.
Saying “no-one survives on prepper island is simply wrong. (Typical of an extrovert to expect everyone to be like them).
“Isolated Prepper” will face problems but so will “community prepper”.
I left an experience out.
One time I was scared so hard that after it was all over my body shook like hell and had body aches and all I could do was curse a blue streak for a period of time.
Ah well I’m screwed. My neighbors suck. I’d move because of the neighbors if it wouldn’t mean losing my chickens and getting closer to the city.
My hope is that they all get on the bus.
@slingshot…..no i haven’t been so scared i pissed my pants….but i HAVE laughed so hard i had tears running down my leg.
to those wishing they had a wife to go through shtf with, i have some thoughts. when i divorced my fourth wife, after 4 years on my own i just KNEW i would never have another woman again. i thought there was a CHANCE that the bad times would push a GOOD wife toward me…(you know, desperate times require desperate measures type of thing), but i knew the ODDS were stacked heavily against me…then at 54 years old one walked into my life, and i figgered, what the hell….like they say, 5th times a charm! we had wedded bliss for a year, both wondering what the heck we could do wrong to make things go BAD for us. then it became apperant(now where’s my spellchick) she was very similar to the other 4….she couldn’t handle money, it turned out…before her paycheck comes it’s already spent. i have spent many thousands prepping(why, she wants to know?), yet she won’t even buy a damn box of tampons BEFORE she has her period! my point of this story is to make you THINK about who your spouse is….if you aren’t like-minded, then your mairrage might not survive when the going gets REALLY rough(shtf). on the other hand, there may be NEW opportunities for a mate when it does happen…..so don’t lose HOPE!
The women are not the problem. Can’t get involved with the same sort of person and expect different results.
In short your people evaluation skills suck ,and can’t be trusted.
I’ve been married to one woman since 1977. If she ever dies, I am taking monastic vows. I hope to go to the Serbian monastery on Mount Athos if the worst happens. It was founded by Saint Sava himself.
If anyone can direct me to some group or organization north of Denver (flooding aside of course), I would appreciate it.
The only shure thing is change. Everything else is up to chance luck and The Individuals or groups skills. my opinion is that The odds are equally stacked for the lone wolf as they are for the groups. In the end I think most of each will perish and a few of each will survive. Im a fatalist by nature so dying isn’t something that frightens, worrys or necessarily concerns me. We all die eventually! I hope nothing happens I would be complacently content to live out the remainder of my days drawing the pittance of social security check and playing hobby farm.
Preppers/survivalists tend to be very independent, libertarian folks because those are tthe type that “wake up” from the lies. But just because we buck against the perverse society that exists today doesn’t mean we can deny the absolute nessecity of a group or “tribe.” We need other people if we want to survive!
Thank you for the post. Our organization was just started because of this conundrum with opsec and bettering yourself via the community around us. New skills and new support outweigh most opsec. The key is if you don’t want someone knowing, then just don’t tell them. Don’t bottle yourself up. Live free.
Please check out the book, DISCOVERY TO CATASTROPHE for a fictional account of (first) a handful of like minded people who get together, and later grows to include a number of others.
Please see the review of the book by Chris Ray on his web site, “The Prepared Christian.” In his review he discusses how the author handled a Christian group of fellow preppers, and formed a team built concept.
This fictional account is from a distinctly Christian viewpoint, and comes from a perspective that no one can manage the entire prepping enterprise alone. We are social and relational creatures who must of necessity rely on others and their skills, to successfully survive everything that will be thrown at us.
Blessings,
My world is empty without you…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrDwpp7BeR8
From this old world
I try to hide my face
From this loneliness
There’s no hiding place
Inside this cold and empty house I dwell
In darkness with memories
I know so well…
Your two opening examples are pretty stupid. What real prepper does either of these things?
Chris