Or at least that is how a good 80% of people feel. I was at work talking to some buds and someone stated exactly what the title says and it has prompted me to write this today. Of my experience in a State of Emergency and the effect it has on those who are not ready for something this simple. What is sad most choose not to be ready. I understand if you dont have the funds at the time. But a lot of people CHOOSE to not prepare. It is just weird to me because I was raised up to always be prepared with food, water, firearms, and ammo.
Ive been stocking up on ammo, reloading supplies, food, and other things for a while now. I guess I could be labeled a prepper and if that is a bad thing then my excuse is if I need one that is, Is that I live in Florida where hurricanes like to mess things up bad enough like last time to render my whole county and many neighboring counties void of electricity and clean water for over a month. A month and 3 weeks for me personally. No driving for at least the first month to a month and a week due to debris. No Mcdonalds, no Walmart, no KFC, no ice cream, no nothing. Nothing except for what you have. Which is fine with me. It was like a 2 month long camping trip......
To see the general public (80% or more of the people) of my small town change from normal to dangerous was amazing and terrifying. You don't realize how dependent people really are on the things that make life easier such as A/C, vehicles, fast food, lights, phones, etc. So dependent in fact that they think all is lost when they don't have these things. I admit living in Florida with no A/C sucks but I got use to it. These people had about a week or two of food totaling in their pantry and freezer which is not enough. What is enough you say? I don't know. When you think you have enough its not enough.
At the time I had 3 months of food for my home. Not including the pantry and freezer. A hurricane was on the way and the news said it would land north of us.........but it did an unexpected turn and the eye went right down main street Wauchula and Arcadia (our sister town). 150mph winds. Most people didn't have time to prepare or evacuate. The hurricane was a CAT4 which isn't as bad as a CAT5. But Hurricane Charlie was the most densely compressed hurricane in recorded history. Which means anything near that eye is in some real trouble. And we were.
The day of the hurricane after it was done destroying everything it could. I tried to get out of my front door. But it wouldn't open more than 2 inches due to the oak tree in the front yard falling down barely missing the house but preventing the door from opening. The back door had a forest of debris up against it and it also couldn't move. The side door that led to the carport that wasn't there anymore did open. Apon stepping outside you couldn't see across the street.....or see the road........I had a pizza hut sign or what was left of it in my yard. Pizza Hut WAS 2 miles away, it was destroyed it was a good pizza hut too.
The first week or two, people were working together and helping one another. Having cook outs with grills because everyone's freezer was out and all the food was going to spoil anyway so why not cook it now. Scrambled eggs on the grill was a normal thing in the morning. Grilled chicken and grilled pork was common at this time. Most people were uncomfortable at this time but coping well and sharing food and having a good time. by this time some of the roads were starting to clear up and you had trenches of debris on each side of the road preventing you from seeing the houses behind them. The roads that were clear were essentially walkways or 4 wheeler roads. But at this time most people walked around and saw what damage was done.
Then came the 3 week point. Most people at 3 weeks had already eaten all of the food in their pantry and freezer. The majority had electric stoves so no boiling. The propane tank for their grill was out due to a week or two straight of grilling. The majority started to get hungry at this point. But not desperate or dangerous. Yet.
At approximately the one month mark you had close knit groups that would avoid contact from everyone else which pretty much consisted of families and their close neighbors that had enough food for them. Most unprepared people at this point haven't had any real food for a week or more. Gang activity started rising as well as wandering crack heads and other desperate people begging for food. Break ins, Muggings, siphoning of your car gas, etc start happening. And simply put, other people that are not in your close knit group are considered dangerous. You don't know if they have a kid they would kill for to feed. Or if the person was unstable, or hadn't had food for 3 weeks. At this point you start feeling like its a requirement to sling your loaded m14 on your back (loaded as in on the ready, mag full, in the chamber, with safety engaged. Not a LOADED model M1A) while you clean debris, do yard work, cook, sit, play cards, do puzzles, etc. The thought of protecting your assets that grant you and your loved ones survival as well as you and your loved ones with a firearm become a reality.
The human inside you wants to help people that are desperate but then the survival in you thinks "Well if you give this person food then that person will become dependent on you like a stray dog. And will continue to expect food. Does this person have a family that will also need to be fed too? I don't have the food to give or else I and my family will end up like them." And its quite simple. Your survival and those you love are worlds more important than someone you don't know. And that is the bad thing because desperate people are thinking that same thing.
And then came the Month and one week mark. Just one week of people being desperate. Some people having little food for upwards of a month. You and your group of trustworthy people or in my case my neighbor had rotating midnight shift watch at this point to guard assets. If you were not family then don't even come by. Then the National Guard finally made it in. Then the National guard arrived. The day they arrived they had to quell a riot at our Walmart. Yes its a small town and yes our one single Walmart that everyone goes to but couldn't because it was closed due to electricity problems, damage, and flooding as well as every other store and business. The national guard quelled the riot with the presence of m4 rifles and the delivering of MRE's. After that the Guard set a curfew for night time and delivered water and MRE's up and down the streets every day after that. Me and my neighbor respectfully declined the help each time the hummer came by. I just waved at them from my porch with my m14 in my lap with my cardboard sign in my yard that was universal to everyone. It stated in sharpie "Don't even Bother." And my neighbor had one too but his had an arrow pointing to my house and stated "What he said." Those signs were made around week 3.
And the last week or two everyone was acting like they did on the first week. Because uncle sam came and saved the day and they got their comfort bubble back.
I use to think stocking up and being prepared was a good thing. But now its simply a requirement. Food, supplies, ammo, and firearms. After seeing how just a month without electricity and the ability to get clean water and food turns most people from a normal happy dependent on everyday comfort safety bubble items person. To, a break in to your house and steal or hurt/murder you because you have stuff and they don't and they need it no matter what. Firearms and ammo are just as important as food in a situation like that. Without a defense you lose your food without food you may lose a lot more. What I wonder is what would of happened if the national guard would of been a week or a month later? It would of been a lot worse. Some of that 80% or so of people would of died of dehydration at that point. People would be outright killing to survive at that point.
All I can say is you cant ever be too ready for something whether its a change in politics, change in weather, or change in other crap. Like the saying goes. "I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it." You can never be too prepared. Only not prepared enough.
Charlie hit us AUG. 9TH, 2004 as a Super compressed CAT4 Hurricane
Frances hit us SEP. 5TH, 2004 just a couple weeks later as a CAT3 Hurricane
Ivan sat in the gulf on SEP. 12-15TH, 2004 or so and pummeled us and flooded us then weakened and moved on. It was a CAT5 hurricane luckily it didn't make landfall.
Jeanne hit on SEP. 25TH 2004 as a CAT3
For us in Wauchula Florida the later hurricanes were wimps. After having the most compressed and destructive hurricane eye in history pass over your house and only last 3 minutes when a standard eye usually lasts 20-30 minutes.
Ive been stocking up on ammo, reloading supplies, food, and other things for a while now. I guess I could be labeled a prepper and if that is a bad thing then my excuse is if I need one that is, Is that I live in Florida where hurricanes like to mess things up bad enough like last time to render my whole county and many neighboring counties void of electricity and clean water for over a month. A month and 3 weeks for me personally. No driving for at least the first month to a month and a week due to debris. No Mcdonalds, no Walmart, no KFC, no ice cream, no nothing. Nothing except for what you have. Which is fine with me. It was like a 2 month long camping trip......
To see the general public (80% or more of the people) of my small town change from normal to dangerous was amazing and terrifying. You don't realize how dependent people really are on the things that make life easier such as A/C, vehicles, fast food, lights, phones, etc. So dependent in fact that they think all is lost when they don't have these things. I admit living in Florida with no A/C sucks but I got use to it. These people had about a week or two of food totaling in their pantry and freezer which is not enough. What is enough you say? I don't know. When you think you have enough its not enough.
At the time I had 3 months of food for my home. Not including the pantry and freezer. A hurricane was on the way and the news said it would land north of us.........but it did an unexpected turn and the eye went right down main street Wauchula and Arcadia (our sister town). 150mph winds. Most people didn't have time to prepare or evacuate. The hurricane was a CAT4 which isn't as bad as a CAT5. But Hurricane Charlie was the most densely compressed hurricane in recorded history. Which means anything near that eye is in some real trouble. And we were.
The day of the hurricane after it was done destroying everything it could. I tried to get out of my front door. But it wouldn't open more than 2 inches due to the oak tree in the front yard falling down barely missing the house but preventing the door from opening. The back door had a forest of debris up against it and it also couldn't move. The side door that led to the carport that wasn't there anymore did open. Apon stepping outside you couldn't see across the street.....or see the road........I had a pizza hut sign or what was left of it in my yard. Pizza Hut WAS 2 miles away, it was destroyed it was a good pizza hut too.
The first week or two, people were working together and helping one another. Having cook outs with grills because everyone's freezer was out and all the food was going to spoil anyway so why not cook it now. Scrambled eggs on the grill was a normal thing in the morning. Grilled chicken and grilled pork was common at this time. Most people were uncomfortable at this time but coping well and sharing food and having a good time. by this time some of the roads were starting to clear up and you had trenches of debris on each side of the road preventing you from seeing the houses behind them. The roads that were clear were essentially walkways or 4 wheeler roads. But at this time most people walked around and saw what damage was done.
Then came the 3 week point. Most people at 3 weeks had already eaten all of the food in their pantry and freezer. The majority had electric stoves so no boiling. The propane tank for their grill was out due to a week or two straight of grilling. The majority started to get hungry at this point. But not desperate or dangerous. Yet.
At approximately the one month mark you had close knit groups that would avoid contact from everyone else which pretty much consisted of families and their close neighbors that had enough food for them. Most unprepared people at this point haven't had any real food for a week or more. Gang activity started rising as well as wandering crack heads and other desperate people begging for food. Break ins, Muggings, siphoning of your car gas, etc start happening. And simply put, other people that are not in your close knit group are considered dangerous. You don't know if they have a kid they would kill for to feed. Or if the person was unstable, or hadn't had food for 3 weeks. At this point you start feeling like its a requirement to sling your loaded m14 on your back (loaded as in on the ready, mag full, in the chamber, with safety engaged. Not a LOADED model M1A) while you clean debris, do yard work, cook, sit, play cards, do puzzles, etc. The thought of protecting your assets that grant you and your loved ones survival as well as you and your loved ones with a firearm become a reality.
The human inside you wants to help people that are desperate but then the survival in you thinks "Well if you give this person food then that person will become dependent on you like a stray dog. And will continue to expect food. Does this person have a family that will also need to be fed too? I don't have the food to give or else I and my family will end up like them." And its quite simple. Your survival and those you love are worlds more important than someone you don't know. And that is the bad thing because desperate people are thinking that same thing.
And then came the Month and one week mark. Just one week of people being desperate. Some people having little food for upwards of a month. You and your group of trustworthy people or in my case my neighbor had rotating midnight shift watch at this point to guard assets. If you were not family then don't even come by. Then the National Guard finally made it in. Then the National guard arrived. The day they arrived they had to quell a riot at our Walmart. Yes its a small town and yes our one single Walmart that everyone goes to but couldn't because it was closed due to electricity problems, damage, and flooding as well as every other store and business. The national guard quelled the riot with the presence of m4 rifles and the delivering of MRE's. After that the Guard set a curfew for night time and delivered water and MRE's up and down the streets every day after that. Me and my neighbor respectfully declined the help each time the hummer came by. I just waved at them from my porch with my m14 in my lap with my cardboard sign in my yard that was universal to everyone. It stated in sharpie "Don't even Bother." And my neighbor had one too but his had an arrow pointing to my house and stated "What he said." Those signs were made around week 3.
And the last week or two everyone was acting like they did on the first week. Because uncle sam came and saved the day and they got their comfort bubble back.
I use to think stocking up and being prepared was a good thing. But now its simply a requirement. Food, supplies, ammo, and firearms. After seeing how just a month without electricity and the ability to get clean water and food turns most people from a normal happy dependent on everyday comfort safety bubble items person. To, a break in to your house and steal or hurt/murder you because you have stuff and they don't and they need it no matter what. Firearms and ammo are just as important as food in a situation like that. Without a defense you lose your food without food you may lose a lot more. What I wonder is what would of happened if the national guard would of been a week or a month later? It would of been a lot worse. Some of that 80% or so of people would of died of dehydration at that point. People would be outright killing to survive at that point.
All I can say is you cant ever be too ready for something whether its a change in politics, change in weather, or change in other crap. Like the saying goes. "I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it." You can never be too prepared. Only not prepared enough.
Charlie hit us AUG. 9TH, 2004 as a Super compressed CAT4 Hurricane
Frances hit us SEP. 5TH, 2004 just a couple weeks later as a CAT3 Hurricane
Ivan sat in the gulf on SEP. 12-15TH, 2004 or so and pummeled us and flooded us then weakened and moved on. It was a CAT5 hurricane luckily it didn't make landfall.
Jeanne hit on SEP. 25TH 2004 as a CAT3
For us in Wauchula Florida the later hurricanes were wimps. After having the most compressed and destructive hurricane eye in history pass over your house and only last 3 minutes when a standard eye usually lasts 20-30 minutes.