The Very First Thing

[Spandex228]

Yes got to agree with you there BP.

[Steve]

There won't be anything to celebrate. Life will not be better after TSHTF, if you're a loser now whilst life is easy you'll find it much worse afterwards, if you're a winner now your life will be worse although at least you have a chance.

[MaryN]

Have to agree with you, Steve. It's certainly not going to be a walk in the park!

[bigpaul]

depends on one's philosophy of life.
if you THINK it will be worse after TSHTF then it WILL be.
if you are someone with a positive attitude then you will make the best of it you can.

---

survival is mostly about mental attitude.

[Straight Shooter]

I just wonder.....what people think....if your on a pension , wage,investment payments,or in fact any income source at all...This will stop DEAD.....okay you have food,water,shelter,heat,and can cook...you have weapons .....so are you going to sit on your arse and eat it all.....NOOOOooooo so what,s your plans...or do you think tshtf will only last a few weeks/months, in which case you would have wasted time by not having follow on food ?

[bigpaul]

the whole point of food stocks is to have these when you cannot get anything else:
1. its winter and there are no animals or fresh plants about.
2. your waiting for your first harvest.
3. its just plain not safe to go outside.
food stores should be used to SUPPLEMENT any fresh food not instead of.

[Straight Shooter]

Could not agree more BP ....so what,s the plan with any FRESH food..does anyone have anything in the ground ? are any keeping hens,rabbits,sheep,goats and pigs ....not possible for many on both counts....we all MUST have a plan....any plan will do for your circumstances but we must have a basic plan.....bloody hell ! this has turned into a survival thread....i nearly forgot why i came here...gone all funny now.....going for a lay down....to much man !

[CharlesHarris]

When an event is evolving is not the time to make last-minute purchases or trying to reach family members on the public telephone network, which will likely be jammed beyond its carrying capacity with everyone trying to call at once. This is exactly what happened in DC and NYC on 9/11.

Everyone in the family needs to know what the triggers are and what the plan is. If your trigger trips, everybody executes the plan and there is no need to muck things up trying to stop by the grocery store to pick up the last bog roll on the way home.

If you don't already have food storage in your home for at least a month, and sufficient supplies, including some cash to get by for a few weeks to a month when all the cash point machines stop working, when the excrement is sucked into the propeller and blown over the aircraft, is a bit late to catch up.

Basic to our family plan is a nearby meeting place in the neighborhood, where everyone gathers to count noses after a fire, etc. We have made arrangements with a neighbor within walking distance for a safe place for people to go and wait. In town nearby we have a designated meeting place at our church, which serves as our community shelter and soup kitchen. I volunteer there on Wednesdays to help cook, serve meals, clean up and get to know others in my community. It is a good place to catch up on local news and intel, as several serving military personnel, law enforcement and public health people are church members who support the program and participate on their own time, unofficially.

If our entire community were affected and we had to evacuate, we have prior arrangements made with friends in an adjacent state about an hour's drive away. Our home would be a potential evacuation point for them as well. We have established, Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency plans, routes and locations, which have been pre-scouted and actually driven and walked or biked.

Backup communications are important. While everyone has a mobile phone, vehicles are equipped with 2-meter band amateur radio, which provides state-wide coverage using established repeater networks, and longer range capability using voice over Internet protocols, IF the internet is working. If repeater systems were off-line and the Internet non-functioning, the mobile radios are reliable for 5-25 miles in direct unit-to-unit simplex, depending upon terrain. Everyone also has a portable hand-held 2-meter radio which can access the repeater systems, or provide short-range local area communications without them. There are other radio options which don't require a licence.

In the UK you have PMR446 which is a low-powered UHF radio service for use by small businesses, family farms and the general public. I believe you also have low-band CB radio in the 27 Mhz band, which is another viable option. While both are relatively short range, being able to communicate within your area of operations is vital.

[Spandex228]

Thank you I need to do some alterations to my plans !!

[bigpaul]

depends on your definition of TSHTF which may in turn have a bearing on what your plans could be:
SHORT TERM: a definite time frame, anything from a few days to several weeks.
LONG TERM: anything from several MONTHS to several YEARS.
INDEFINITE: anything from YEARS to DECADES, nothing will ever be the same again, a complete return to basics and a new way of life.