Apocalypse, Z-day, Economic Collapse, WROL/SHTF. Are you ready?
Think about this:
If something bad happens, will you be prepared? Natural disasters, Economic Collapse, Z-Day, ect. is going to catch a lot of people unprepared. Two things will happen, your community will bind together, or it will tear itself apart. The best and worst of humanity will come out in a lot of people. Roving bands of marauders could come and try to take your supplies and perhaps your women and kids. What will you do? What resources are in the area? How much food do you have on hand? How much water? How are you going to make the water safe to drink? Do you have a garden? How will you preserve the food you grow? You’re basically going to be forced back to the 1800′s, and you’re going to have to work your ass off for everything you need. All of you really need to look at yourselves, your neighbors, and your community as a whole and try and establish a plan. Get ready, it IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Here’s a good philosophy video to watch about WROL
(Without Rule of Law) I really suggest you watch this and think about all of the things that are said. Put together a list and start buying little things here and there. You’ll be suprised at how fast it all adds up.
Comments (62)
Chris Riker on 17 Jul 2011 at 9:11 pm #
RICE IS CHEAP AND GOES A LONG WAY AND FILLS YOU UP! A PLASTIC DRUM, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE WILL HOLD ALOT OF RICE. BE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR A REASONABLY LARGE SIZE BLOCK OF “DRY ICE” TO KILL ANY BUGS OR EGGS THAT MAY BE IN THE BAGS OR SACKS YOU BUY AT THE STORE OR WAREHOUSE. WHEN IT’S FULL ENOUGH, PUT IN THE DRY ICE AND SEAL THE DRUM SHUT, NOT TO BE OPENED TILL YOUR READY TO USE IT! SET ASIDE SPICES YOU “LIKE” TO SEASON IT WITH AND BE SURE OF YOUR WATER SUPPLY. A COUPLE BILLION CHINAMEN CAN’T BE WRONG!………….DO THE SAME WITH OTHER GRAINS AND OATS AND BE SURE TO HAVE A GRAIN GRINDER WITH ASSORTED SIZE GRINDER ENDS. COURSE CORN MEAL TO FINE FLOUR!
CompShootet on 17 Jul 2011 at 10:20 pm #
I live in a rual wooded area 7 miles from a small farming town. Of my 3 immediate neighbors, one farms. There are farms all around . Few have horses and old horse drawn plows and implements. I (we) can provide security in trade for food and metalworking skills . My well is artisan and constantly flows the excess off at the surface . So far I have a good jump on freeze dried # 10 cans for about 1 1/2 yrs . The type of ppl here will join together since we all know each other and hunt , fish ect. Since I shoot a lot I have a large supply of reloading supplies. Once the family enacts the evacuation plan up here we can also supplement the food stores with the non hybrid seeds . My parents were from the depression era and passed the canning skills on to my sisters who still do it . I can grow a small garden but honestly my skills are mechanical more than a green thumb . Geographically I have deep woods to the south . Impassable by road vehicles and to the north is muck swamps. One east/west single lane road that you can see 4 miles to the west and 2 miles to the east and only a few connecting roads every mile or so. Several of us have cb radios and a base cb setup . Since cell phone coverage is spotty at best it is considered as limited use to contact the family on their progress up the secondary roads. All in all I would like have them do some dry runs with their BOB. But even with the family, neighbours and even me much will depend on how much warning if any we get , I just got back from the Dominican Republic and that always bugs me to think about how to get out of there when the shtf.
Haslantis on 18 Jul 2011 at 2:47 am #
@Chris Riker
people should stay away from dry ice if they can help it using it has the risk of blowing up the container as dry ice is just frozen CO2 which at room temp is gas so gas expands and you get in physics terms an Explosion which could turn out to be what normal people call explosions.
jay on 18 Jul 2011 at 7:58 am #
angry where can i get me one of thoes button up barrels???? as im from england i cant find one any where cheers
Angryvikingman on 18 Jul 2011 at 12:07 pm #
@ jay, well, I don’t know about in the UK, but just google ”open top food grade plastic barrel” and theres a link to the barrel supplier on the button up barrel article. Then you’ll have to fill it yourself, which is relatively inexpensive.
wheelgunner on 20 Jul 2011 at 10:58 am #
This is actually a good cover-all article for the site.
And it’s more like the 1600′s, because the knowledge base amungst the survivors will not stand as high, expecially in regards to all the forgotten, and half forgotten, tools that hold a specialized role in life without the mass electronics and the laws that sheild you from the fury and decisions of men who find themselves in power over you.
HangMan on 20 Jul 2011 at 7:16 pm #
Wish me luck guys! Haven’t been on in a while, off to basic and then to Airborne! Hopfully sniper school if I can score well enough on the range.
QAZZY 1-9th on 20 Jul 2011 at 9:11 pm #
Army? If you want to get into sniper school, go to the Corps. That’s my MOS, and I don’t regret it. To get the best damn job in the Corps, you need to go the extra mile with a first class PFT and do pretty well shooting the M16, but if you can run 3 miles in 18 minutes go for it.
Best of luck.
Semper Cogitant on 20 Jul 2011 at 9:35 pm #
@HangMan – Good luck, thank you for your service, kick ass and stay safe. Advice from my own limited parachuting experience: Don’t land on your back side, it really hurts, I couldn’t sit comfortably for like a year.
Back on topic: Am I ready?
Mentally I think I’m as ready as I can be. Twenty odd years of ER and EMS experience, including a couple major disasters, have helped we prepare mentally for disaster.
As far as skills, I think we’re in good shape. My emergency medical experience will be invaluable. My wife and I are both experienced nurses and at least in a community setting we could probably survive on just those skills. We can also grow food, at least on a gardening scale if not actual farming. She is an good seamstress and cook. I am a fair cook and a crappy seamstress (seamaster?), but I have good basic mechanic and electric skill and the tools to go with the skills. I am a ham radio operator and those skills and equipment will be useful as well. I can shoot well, to hunt or for defense, and am reasonably well armed, and I have well defined view of the value of my family’s lives, and have seen enough violent death that I have no moral qualms with deadly force at all.
Food is probably one of the most important areas of preparation, and though we can produce food we’re weak on storage. Our pantry might last us a few weeks, but we’re working on improving that. This is probably our second weakest point.
Physical security is not so good where we live. We’re in stereo typical suburbia somewhat north of Seattle, with not much open space near us. Population density is the big worry here, crime and looting will be a serious problem. Our next move will take us to the country, but given the economic conditions around here that’s years away. On the plus side though our immediate neighbors include cops, firefighters, nurses and a couple engineers, our neighborhood is unusually well armed for the area and there is a good mix of skills.
We have young kids, and that’s a complication for survival, but we’re trying to teach them a good set of skills, and most importantly to think about things. As they grow older our chances in an EOTWAWKI situation should improve.
Our weakest point, and one that we are working to resolve, is physical fitness. Depending on the situation this could be deadly. While your most important survival tool is your brain, you body is definitely second. We should be working harder on this.
Overall preparedness I’d give myself a B-.
Good video link. I’ve always liked nutnfancy’s work.
QAZZY 1-9th on 21 Jul 2011 at 4:40 pm #
Thanks to Semper Cognitant, I feel that we should self-evaluate ourselves.
I’m in great physical shape, running 25 miles a day total, and swimming 1500 yards a day. I live with my Marine reservist brother, and a guy from my company. We have enough guns and ammunition to wipe out a city block or two. Between us, we have a seamstress, a cook, an EMT. We already have a small garden (lame, considering how this is a house with three big guys in the military, but we like berries, and we live in apartment), so making a larger one shouldn’t be too hard.
Our placement is a problem, considering we are in an apartment, and clearing it will be a hassle, but once the stairs are destroyed, holding the building won’t be much of a problem. Escaping is no problem either, considering our experience with rappelling and childhood experience with setting ziplines.
We can all deal with stress well, being deployed to Afghanistan and seeing horrors.
What I’m worried about is the high population density in our area.
big bear29 on 27 Jul 2011 at 12:20 am #
I hate the walking dead tv series . Its like an afternoon soap opera with zombies in it , plus the characters are idiots . I couldn’t force myself to watch all the episodes but I did watch most of them . These morons are making one mistake after another in the series .
1. They are constantly passing up the chance to get better weapons . They will sneak back into a zombie infested city to get some hunting shotguns and bolt action rifles , but they won’t touch the military assault rifles that are lying all over the place at the military FOB’s and check points .
2. These idiots are terrible at paying attention to what is going on around them . It doesn’t matter if there are people standing watch the zombies always manage to sneak up on the survivors . It would be fairly easy to spot a group of zombies staggering down the road and you would likely hear them before you see them . Because they are constantly moaning and groaning and they are making plenty of noise dragging their feet along the ground .
3. These morons don’t bother to try and get more gas until they have already run out of it . You would think that they would have enough brains to find some more gas before they run out but that doesn’t seem to be the case with these fools and they look for it in all the wrong places . In the first episode the cop goes to a gas station that has a NO GAS sign at the pumps and is surrounded by twenty or thirty cars that are out of gas and covered with blood . Anybody with a brain in their head would realize that something bad had happened there and that they shouldn’t be there .
I’m sure that some of you could add to this list , feel free to do so .
McLuvin on 27 Jul 2011 at 7:32 am #
They are making tha same mistakes that most people would in their situation. Surprisingly, the majority of the population has never considered how to survive an emergency. Add to that the mental trauma of a zombie outbreak, and mistakes are bound you be made.
3-15 INF on 28 Jul 2011 at 4:58 pm #
wow, here we go again- another guy who is rambo hot shit and runs 25 miles a day
Angryvikingman on 28 Jul 2011 at 7:24 pm #
Yeah, I’m going to do an article about fitness. I went for a run today for the first time in…… well a long time, and lets just say that the results weren’t stellar.
McLuvin on 28 Jul 2011 at 9:59 pm #
I didn’t even read Qazzy’s post.
You really run a marathon everyday and swim almost a mile? I know serious triathletes that don’t train close to that. Do you have a job?
Reaver on 28 Jul 2011 at 10:59 pm #
running that much actually is bad for you, particularly in the long run. messes up your joints.
QAZZY 1-9th on 30 Jul 2011 at 8:23 am #
I just love running. I probably should do it less, but clears my head. I do have a job, but this is what I mostly do when I’m not at it. I probably should work more, for a bit more dough, but hey, I’m not supporting a family. I’m still at the point in my life where I can do pretty much whatever the hell I like. Then I’ll probably get married, get fat, then live a sedentary life, but until then, I’m living it up.
Woodrow on 30 Jul 2011 at 9:59 pm #
Hey all! Peanut butter it one of the best things you can buy for an apocalypse, that stuff don’t expire for quite a while, and it’s universally known as the “poor man’s cure to hunger.”
QAZZY 1-9th on 31 Jul 2011 at 11:24 am #
You can use peanut butter to shave, if necessary, in lieu of shaving cream. Helped me in college, since I was piss-poor, and to my eternal shame, I ate the peanut butter that I used to shave with.
Reaver on 31 Jul 2011 at 12:18 pm #
that’s disgusting… it would have stubble in it.
McLuvin on 31 Jul 2011 at 1:08 pm #
You got some stories, Qazzy!
QAZZY 1-9th on 31 Jul 2011 at 1:23 pm #
Yup. Dealing with financial problems, nearly throwing my life away with a brief drug addiction, going cold turkey. Pretty much, I’ve used exercise to escape a lot of my problems. It’s pretty productive.
Oh by the way, I’m not just one person, I’m two (brothers, both interested in this blog, it’s pretty awesome).
3-15 INF on 01 Aug 2011 at 8:26 am #
so what,your’e a marine recon sniper reservist that runs a marathon a day? Hmmm, what a hero….
3-15 INF on 01 Aug 2011 at 8:27 am #
…and a drug addict… we all feel safer knowing your’e the few and the proud..
Reaver on 01 Aug 2011 at 10:31 am #
any particular reason you just decided to be an asshole?
3-15 INF on 01 Aug 2011 at 10:55 am #
telling it like it is? you approve of those who swore an oath to uphold and defend the constitution to have a little drug problem?
Reaver on 01 Aug 2011 at 11:54 am #
he said he dealt with a brief drug addiction and quit cold turkey. he didn’t say whether this occured during his enlistment. recruiters often ignore problems like that as long as they are dealt with prior to enlistment and your drug test comes up clean.
QAZZY 1-9th on 01 Aug 2011 at 1:46 pm #
No, that was during junior high. Never was on record. Hey, at least, I recognized the problem and stopped it.
3-15 INF on 02 Aug 2011 at 8:51 am #
oh i misunderstood, my bad. i thought you meant you were recently dealing with it. Careful not to relapse. Too many vets go back to drugs to deal with deployment stress.
QAZZY 1-9th on 02 Aug 2011 at 10:39 am #
Exercise has really always been my way of dealing with stress. Mostly because it feels good and I like it, but the exhaustion draws my mind away from the stress. After I take a shower and clean up, my mind is clearer and more able to tackle the problem.
wheelgunner on 03 Aug 2011 at 6:47 pm #
One of you really should sign in as the “other” Qazzy.
QAZZY 1-9th on 03 Aug 2011 at 10:01 pm #
One of us will be 1-9th, and the other won’t.
QAZZY 1-9th on 09 Aug 2011 at 6:51 pm #
To restart this article, how would y’all prepare for a riot, similar to the London ones? I’ve got a plan, it involves a pseudo-hunting/sniper rifle, a shotgun, and staying home.
Then looting.
Reaver on 09 Aug 2011 at 10:22 pm #
set up sandbagged positions at the cross roads at the entrance to my neighborhood, string up trip wires at ankle height and bolt rubber tires in staggered patterns at the entrance. leave an avenue of approach to channel oncoming attackers and allow exits by vehicle for resupply and have men armed with high capacity sub machine guns take the forward positions with 1 or two people provide over watch with hunting rifles on the hill behind them. set up gasoline cans at strategic points with fuses back to the positions to be detonated should sufficient numbers attack.
QAZZY 1-9th on 10 Aug 2011 at 9:45 am #
How about for the next article:
How will you deal with the horde when they come towards your house? A scenario.
How different are mobs and hordes anyways?
Reaver on 10 Aug 2011 at 10:05 pm #
zombies would continue on to pursue food. a mob would stay to loot, burn, kill and rape.
QAZZY 1-9th on 11 Aug 2011 at 8:05 am #
My point is they’re both a large group of stupid people.
A person is smart, a group is stupid, as evidenced by mobs. I’d probably just go along and loot.
Reaver on 11 Aug 2011 at 12:11 pm #
hmmm… there’s cases where mobs have demonstrated ability to pursue complicated objectives, such as Alexandrian mobs tearing apart multiple rulers over several centuries when famine hit, Roman mobs cremating Julius Caesar and his aunt Julia out of grief for their loss and then erecting altars and pillars on the site of his cremation.
QAZZY 1-9th on 11 Aug 2011 at 2:56 pm #
Hmmm…. ancient times. Seems like mobs are just getting stupider.
Angryvikingman on 11 Aug 2011 at 6:59 pm #
Or more stupid even.
QAZZY 1-9th on 11 Aug 2011 at 8:58 pm #
Was that a correction? My English does actually suck (writing-wise).
Angryvikingman on 12 Aug 2011 at 5:46 am #
Lol, more of a joke, but technically it was a correction.
QAZZY 1-9th on 12 Aug 2011 at 9:30 am #
I’m saving up for my own little piece of land near Camp Lejuene, NC.
I’m thinking of stocking it up in case of WROL/SHTF, or maybe just using it as a getaway.
I found a place, and I’d like some suggestions as to what kind of structure (non-house) I can build there just to stay for a weekend, or stock gun/ammo/supplies.
Reaver on 12 Aug 2011 at 11:57 am #
if you’re just going to use it as a stockpile, try an underground cement vault. doesn’t have to be very big, but you can cover the trapdoor with leaves so no hobo passing through decides to break into it to see what you have.
Angryvikingman on 12 Aug 2011 at 1:06 pm #
What’s the soil like? Rocky, sandy, or just normal dirt? Depending on the soil depth, you can do a lot of the work by hand and not involve anyone else in the construction so that no one else knows about it. I can suggest a few options based on your knowledge of construction. Have you ever worked concrete or used heavy machinery? Building forms is pretty easy and you could probably build a 500 sq ft Bunker for around $2-3k. That’s including rebar, wood for forms, a pallet of quick Crete, 2 tons of gravel and equipment rental for a weekend.
QAZZY 1-9th on 12 Aug 2011 at 10:53 pm #
I’ve used concrete for DIY projects, and can assemble wood and metal frames. Otherwise, zero experience.
wheelgunner on 18 Aug 2011 at 12:42 am #
Perfect. You’ve got the job. If it was me, I’d set up a base camp. Anything from a tent to a debris shack, if you can go without power.
QAZZY 1-9th on 20 Aug 2011 at 3:05 pm #
I’ve got a shopping list, but buying it requires some sacrifice (Mountain Dew).
-Two large safes, one with guns, knives and other weapons, and one with ammunition.
-Maybe 500-600 rounds of .300 Win Mag, 750-1000 rounds of .308 Winchester, 2000-2500 rounds of .223, 10000 rounds of .22 (maybe), 2000 rounds of 9mm and 500 rounds of .357 SIG eventually. Not all at once, but to be stockpiled over time.
-I’d like an AR, and two Remington 700s in there, one in .300 Win Mag and one in .308. A Ruger 10/22 and 22/45. A couple of assorted handguns and hand-to-hand combat weapons.
-Plenty of long-lasting food supplies, I could dig through ZAC Archives for help.
This isn’t me alone, I have friends to help me stockpile.
Docwade on 20 Aug 2011 at 9:17 pm #
Qazzy, you list those guns and supplies like future purchases. What kind of weapons do you have now?
McLuvin on 21 Aug 2011 at 1:05 am #
I just lost any respect I may have had for you!
QAZZY 1-9th on 21 Aug 2011 at 9:22 am #
That’s okay, if I were looking for respect, I’d search outside of the Internet.
Angryvikingman on 21 Aug 2011 at 9:43 am #
.50 BMG is about $2500 for the single shot model from barrett. and lake city makes those beltfed 22lrs.
QAZZY 1-9th on 21 Aug 2011 at 10:47 am #
I’m actually looking at the bolt-action M95.
wheelgunner on 26 Aug 2011 at 11:07 am #
God help your shoulder.
McLuvin on 26 Aug 2011 at 9:28 pm #
The muzzle break is very effective. It wouldn’t be very hard on his shoulder. At around $6000(sans optics) and $2.50 a round for ball ammo($5-7 for match) it will hurt his wallet alot more.
QAZZY 1-9th on 26 Aug 2011 at 9:32 pm #
Considering how most of my pay goes to shooting, it’s fine. I can make sacrifices. The recoil of a Barrett really isn’t that bad.
The point of expensive ammunition is making your shots count :P
j.d. on 24 Oct 2011 at 12:54 am #
hey qazzy. i’m assuming you did boot at Parris? I’m on the other side so I’m going to boot at Pendleton. I’m in the enlistment process right now. I’m trying to get infantry but i don’t think i’m going to get any chance. Probably artillery. I considered the army but my grandfather was 5th marine division on Iwo Jima. Also my wifes late father is a marine as well. I can’t turn that legacy over to the army or other branch ya know? great site. I just found it this morning. I look forward to putting my 2c in every now and then. i’ve got a bit of a collection for the day of reckoning. the rem 700 is a nice rifle. I’ve got a a collection of 6 german K98′s from ww2. I’ll take an 8mm mauser over a .308 any day. i hunt with it, and i dont use a scope. all iron sights. I can hit a grouping of 5 shots within 4 inches roughly 300 yards. germans made one hell of a rifle. plus i have stripper clips so i can reload the rifle in seconds. i do, however want a rem 700. i’m considering getting a saiga b4 they ban them. I have a feeling obama is going to fuck us gun wise before he is booted out of the office.
SWORD on 30 Oct 2011 at 6:37 pm #
For all of you folks that are kind of new to prepping for the day when shit hits the fan, I would strongly suggest finding some legit forums online and possibly looking into joining an established survivor group. I’m not just talking zombies. There are disasters every year that leave people stranded, homeless, and in general harms way. The storms that toppled the large portions of the country last year (and are already getting an early start this year) leave millions without power, communications or the ability to travel. Belonging to a group means you have people in your area that will be looking out for you. If you don’t show up or check in after a major event, they will come check on you and render assistance if needed.
My group, SWORD (Southern Wisconsin Organization for Refuge and Defense) already has Bug Out locations in multiple towns and, as a group, have more diversity in skill sets and gear. For example: I am the guy with a massive heavy duty armored K5 M1009 4×4 Radio, Comms tower and Faraday box full of toys. Another Member lives on a massive working farm, complete with soy beans and corn every year and small critters to hunt. We have wilderness survival experts, hunters farmers, Nurses, gun nuts… Etc
Getting into a group (Not just getting to know them but REALLY getting into a group) can be hard to do. Were very concerned about OpSec and a good prepper never tells you where their stash or their hide out is. A good group has that level of caution x10. BUT getting into a newly forming group can help you build a level of security and preparedness far beyond what you can do alone unless you’re a billionaire with a nuclear bunker and a private island full of supplies.
Knowledge and training usually trumps the untrained asshole with cool toys. Getting to know other survivalists/Preppers also opens the opportunity to pick up skills that can bring you one step closer to being the quiet suburban commando/demolitions expert that you want to be (that nobody would expect you to be).
“Keep your ammo dry, your steel sharp your head down and your ass alive.”
Semper Peratus
Salazar on 01 Nov 2011 at 2:40 pm #
Hey, I’m new to this, and…not…ready! I’m underage, parents think I’m crazy, and I have next to no budget to work with. any way I can prepare? Or am I fucked?