Americans are looking to stock up on gas masks, emergency meal kits, and power banks as anxiety builds
Americans are looking to stock up on gas masks, emergency meal kits, and power banks as anxiety builds
Is there a specific reason for this or just general vibes?
Vibes. Same reason people stock up on toilet paper whenever the news gets sketchy
Living in hurricane alley, I'm already prepared for hell on earth.
I have a slight tendency towards paranoia and over-preparedness, it's something I know about myself and keep in check, I don't want to be the weirdo living in a bunker full of spam and guns. I keep it to a reasonable level of preparedness, a little extra food, a battery backup for my sump pump, some tools, blankets, water, etc. in the trunk of my car, etc. I'm seldom caught unprepared for anything that might come up, but I'm not actively stockpiling for the end of the world.
My wife tends to fly by the seat of her pants a bit more. I remember when I ran out to buy the backup battery for the sump pump before a big storm she asked if I really thought we'd need it. We ended up losing power for 16 hours, and while that battery didn't last the whole time, it at least bought us a few extra hours of not having to bail out the sump pump with buckets to keep our basement from flooding.
So I definitely took notice when a couple months ago she started wanting to buy some rice and beans and such in bulk to vacuum seal so we'd have a bit of a stockpile on-hand if things started getting rough. If she's starting to get worried like that, it usually means things are already pretty damn bad.
So I've been kicking my usual casual emergency preps up a notch, still holding myself back from becoming a full-on bunker weirdo, but fuck if that's not starting to look kind of attractive.
Just remember to keep stuff cycling; batteries need charging, iodine tablets need replacing, and even the food and water need regular refreshing.
There are very few goods that don’t go bad if left unattended for over 3 years, for instance.
and even the food and water need regular refreshing.
I've had my noodles stocked for over 3 years before i ate them, and they still tasted good. Just my experience.
Keeping them in ideal conditions (no heat, no direct sunlight exposure, no moisture) is essential, however. Do mind these things.
Also on iodine, there was a product out there called "Polar Pure" that I fucking love
Unfortunately, it was basically just a bottle of pure iodine crystals, so they got caught up in some new anti-drug regulations and got shut down because iodine can be used to make meth.
But it was a great product, and if you look around you can still find new old stock. It has an indefinite shelf life (iodine crystals don't go bad) and one bottle was enough to treat something like 2,000L of water.
You filled the bottle up with water, some of the iodine would dissolve into it, and you'd use a capful or so of that concentrated iodine solution to disinfect your drinking water. It had a special bottle design to keep the iodine crystals trapped inside when you poured the liquid out.
Pure iodine crystals aren't exactly an easy thing to get your hands on, but if anyone is able to that's probably a good way to go.
One nice thing about being old, I don't need to buy potassium iodide tabs any more. They say not to bother if you're over 50, the cancer won't catch up to you in time.
So I guess I'm on the radiation cleanup crew if it comes down to it.
But don't stockpile iodine for water purification, household bleach is cheap and doesn't permanently fuck up the flavor of the water
Definitely good advice and we are cycling things.
Our plan is focusing on dry goods that probably would last a couple years (maybe with some loss of nutrients/quality) just sitting in your pantry as long as it's reasonably clean, dry, and no bug or rodent issues. I can't say that I've ever had things like flour, rice, or beans go bad on me, and I've definitely pulled some out of my pantry that have been sitting there for a couple years.
And we're further hedging our bets vacuum sealing them in mason jars with moisture and oxygen absorber packets.
For anyone doing the same, a paper cupcake/muffin wrapper in the top of the jar allegedly helps keep your vacuum sealer from sucking up any dust from your food. It didn't seem like that was a major issue when we were doing it without, but I figure it can't hurt either.
The thing we struggle with is cycling emergency water supplies. We don't tend to use any sort of bottled water, water quality from our tap is actually pretty good (if a bit hard) and we put it through a filter anyway, so we never really think about cycling out whatever jugs or bottles we try to stockpile. I may have to bite the bullet and order a couple cases of that stupid blue can water or something.
Everyone is on their own now. This hurricane season should be a wake up call for some. Prepare, plan, build communities.
I've been buying a bunch of camping/backpacking gear recently, including a couple of water filters and a bunch of freeze-dried meals I found on clearance at Costco (assorted 10-pack box for $10, or $1/meal!). I tell myself it really mostly is for camping (especially since my kids are getting into cub scouting), but I'd be lying if I said the possibility of bugging out wasn't also at the back of my mind.
I also built myself a new computer recently, and went for small-form-factor instead of a normal tower case just in case I need to move on short notice/with limited ability to bring belongings. I've also been simultaneously waffling between trying to fix a bunch of stuff on my house so that it's in good saleable condition and hesitating to spend money on stuff that can't be easily moved. It's a weird feeling.
I hear that, and in parallel, mostly essentials only, minimum amount of purchasing for months now. Not paying a dime into their precious "economy" if I don't have to. Remember too, something attributed to Eisenhower that he said to have heard from a soldier, "Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." So don't kick yourself if you think you maybe didn't plan for a certain thing. Just be ready to adapt.
I've looked at food storage as less, "preparing for a shortage" and more, "a few things I like and regularly use to cover the spread as I pivot to whatever is available." Temporary comfort during (insert random crisis here) to give some time to adapt. Keeps it from being a full on prepper living in a bunker, while keeping enough essentials on hand to cover supply chain hiccups.
Make sure you have at least one alternate communications option available, ham radio, GMRS, Meshtastic, FM radio, whatnot. The voice radios are great for talking between cars on camping trips, or for other similar reasons. The text meshes in some markets are really starting to take off, weather channels, groups for this and that, and coverage is really improving. Pretty much don't need a cell phone at this point.
I hear that, and in parallel, mostly essentials only, minimum amount of purchasing for months now. Not paying a dime into their precious “economy” if I don’t have to.
See, that's where they got me: I would've liked to do the same as you, but instead I bought a bunch of stuff I would've normally waited until later to get, in anticipation that the fuckwad's idiot tariffs would jack up the price if I waited.
Yeah they better start fighting themselves before the Nazis take over.
"I think for a lot of people — and people that I probably would not call preppers — it is a first and only step," Huddleston said. "They go and buy the Costco food bucket, and then a bag off Amazon, and they throw it in the closet, like, 'Cool, we're done.'"
I feel personally attacked by this article (although I do have more prepared than this).
Poor fucking babies after you force half the world to do the same plus bully our economies with your absurd stupidity.
I'm sorry. That was my fault.
Trump, Israel, and Iran sent me a text message asking for me to thumbs up or thumbs down the attack and I was asleep after playing Monster Hunter Wilds.
My state primaried Burnie Sanders in 2016, don't put this shit on me
Yes because random Americans born here chose the pathway the 1% forced us into.
Fuck you.
I didn't want this shit.
Half the world? Bit hyperbolic isn't it? USAID and humanitarian efforts have also been feeding and healing parts of the world for decades, more than any other nation...until recently sadly.
Saying those things in here is just preaching to the choir, the wrong choir at that. You just come across as an asshole.
tell em
If this was preparing for a cave exploration, and in Minecraft, i'd always go with my recommendation to bring food and wood, because everything else can be acquired on the go.
Might shed some wisdom into the real world.