If I'm going to go about "Reasonable Prepping", then what is my aiming point?
Things that are likely to happen over things that are less likely... Superstorm Sandy rather than Zombie Apocalypse...
What are likely scenarios I might face living here in suburban Delaware? Here are some more likely scenarios I thought of.
- Getting snowed in
- Power outage after weather event
- Isolation during pandemic
- Loss of Income
- Contaminated water supply
- Loss of larger power grid
We've seen all of these here in the USA in the past years, and of course, they all have various intensity levels that could be applied to them. Let's think briefly about each one.
Getting Snowed In
This sounds trivial at first glance, but how many times have we stood in lines at the grocery store with a bad storm approaching. I remember this one time living in northern NJ, where I didn't stand in the line - the snowstorm was in March, why bother? But it was a deep snow... I was driving a small car (Ford Festiva) and the plows for some reason never made it up to our area (they literally plowed to within about 5 or 6 houses from our home in all directions). Kids were young, we were low on food at the time and we were sweating it out. Now I usually stand in line, and if we're thinking about prepping, I'd like to not have to stand in line anymore.
Power Loss (affecting our home or a whole region)
This can range from a tree takes out our development to something larger that we experienced in Superstorm Sandy. There, a significant part of the region was without power for at least a week, and some places weren't restored for 2 or 3 weeks. Gas and Water will likely continue to flow in these cases, but you may have trouble buying or purchasing - especially if you require plastic. A means to eat and drink without power is essential. For me, I have gas burners that can be lit with a match in a pinch, and a grill outside.
Heat could be a complication. My gas furnace requires electric to operate. I do have a gas log fireplace that could serve in an emergency, but in my new house, it turns on with a wall switch... I'll need to check in to seeing if it can turn on manually as well. For cooling, we have some finished space in our basement, so that should be tolerable.
I might consider a generator of some sorts, but the thought of having to stand in some gas lines like they did after Sandy just to keep a generator fed is not something I'd like to do.
Isolation During Pandemic
A lot of health oriented sites continue to warn that we as a society are overdue for a pandemic. A big reason to prep would be to protect myself and loved ones so that we don't have to go out during the first few weeks while it is studied and procedures are put in place.
A more significant risk is that since we are frequently out of the country, we return to find ourselves quarantined. (For example, Vicky returns from China around the same time that a "Chinese Flu" comes across the sea and gets quarantined during the administrative panic.) Coming back to a house that has nothing and not being allowed to leave immediately requires calling in a lot of favors... returning to a well stocked house might be better. Our society did this sort of thing just a year or so ago to a few people possibly exposed to Ebola.
Loss of Income
Let's face it, this is something that could affect any of us. The nice thing about this scenario, is that we'll assume the rest of society continues to function, but while reading about food storage on the Latter Day Saints website (LDS folks are strongly encouraged by their church to store a years supply of food), they had a few case histories where families that stored food and lost jobs, could eat through their stored food and reduce cash loss during the time of unemployment. It's food for thought.
Contaminated Water Supply
We need water. Period. Yes, there are some filters, etc. we could use and our water heater stores some, but it's so easy to stash away a significant supply of drinking water that doing so is a no brainer. We're close to some industry and there have been some real world examples of this being a need (e.g., Flint, MI).
So that's enough for now. There clearly are some relatively realistic scenarios where the inability to get food, water, fuel, access to cash and some basic supplies could make life miserable. My quest... for a reasonable budget (not penny pinching, but not spending extravagantly), can I lay in a few long term supplies as a sort of insurance against this?
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