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duke fan 85

duke fan 85

Whateva! I do what I want!
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Feb 17, 2018
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Rocky Mount, N.C.
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Question for the preppers/survivalist folks:
If and when SHTF happens, do you belong to a group of some kind, or do you plan to be on your own?
I understand the pros of being in a group. The roughest toughest super duper operator couldn't watch everything all the time.
At the same time, when you're somewhat new to a community, how do you go about finding a group to join?
 
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If the SHTF were to occur, it would take a community to survive and thrive. I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the best things you can do is to try to build that local network and community around you. Forming a prepper group of trusted individuals is difficult and doesn’t usually last. Instead, get to know your neighbors, get plugged into your local neighborhood. If you’re in a city, consider moving.
 
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You need to create your own. Prep like you are going to be on your own. You will need to be very selective and wise as to who you let join your group. Determine the skill sets needed and then prioritize them. As @noway2 already stated if you are in the city get into the country.
 
noway2 said:
If the SHTF were to occur, it would take a community to survive and thrive. I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the best things you can do is to try to build that local network and community around you. Forming a prepper group of trusted individuals is difficult and doesn’t usually last. Instead, get to know your neighbors, get plugged into your local neighborhood. If you’re in a city, consider moving.
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What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Been there and threw away the t-shirt. Trust factor is dang near impossible to maintain. Think about how many people you know that you trust. Now scale that up to people you don't know. Walk around your neighborhood, smile and wave. Strike up a conversation every now and then and see if they mention hunting, fishing and stuff like that. Grow a garden, share the food. Grow some chickens, share some eggs.
 
Moving isnt an option for me. I am lucky to have family land in the country though. Getting there will be fun, but growing up in eastern NC is good because I know all the back roads and how to read a map (a skill lost on younger folks).
As far as plugging into my community, most of them are elderly, antigun folks. I've actually had neighbors to stop me in the parking lot going to or from the range to ask me why I would have guns.
We live in a small 2 bedroom apartment in town, so gardening isnt an option. I tried 3 years in a row. The first time I planted some stuff, landscapers mowed over everything. Next 2 years I enclosed everything with bricks. They moved my bricks and still mowed over my plants. They picked days when I was at work to do this, then when I asked our apartment manager I was told I shouldn't be planting things which is bull and not mentioned in our lease.
But as I said earlier I have family land that we grow various vegetables on. I also have a decent stock of foods as does my mom.
Security wise we are set from a hardware perspective but I'm the only really qualified (former army infantry trained) shooter. Most of my relatives can shoot and a few also have military training but they are also 65+ years old and while my uncle could handle watching a road with a rifle he couldn't handle a roving patrol and I can't do it on my own.
My wife is totally opposed to the idea of prepping. She says that should something bad happen she wants to die very fast. That worries me but I prep for both of us and I hope that in the moment, her survival instincts will kick in. We don't have kids and given the current political climate I don't think we will be having any in the near future.
I have a lot of work to do and I have a sick feeling that 2019 is going to be the year it happens. Just laying all of this out in a coherent manner has helped me identify my weaknesses which is good.
 
duke fan 85 said:
Question for the preppers/survivalist folks:
If and when SHTF happens, do you belong to a group of some kind, or do you plan to be on your own?
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Got family just north of the NC border in the SW Va mountains...already talked/discussed at great length with them about SHTF, what-ifs and plans on what to do.

Imo, attempting to go all John Wayne when sh*t falls apart is a good way to get seriously dead. You've got to have some form of support network.

And speaking of support networks...

Was discussing this with my better half a couple days ago. Personally, I think one element that will trigger SHTF is already in play. Right now, there is a nationwide shortage of 60,000-80,000 truckers. Think about that...everything you buy, from fuel to food to clothing to medicine has, at some point in time, been on a truck. When sh*t does not get from here to there, especially basic necessities, that's a huge issue. It's estimated that by 2021, there'll be a shortage of 100K truckers. That's a lot of stuff that will be delayed in getting where it needs to go, or it may not even get there at all.
 
wsfiredude said:
Got family just north of the NC border in the SW Va mountains...already talked/discussed at great length with them about SHTF, what-ifs and plans on what to do.

Imo, attempting to go all John Wayne when sh*t falls apart is a good way to get seriously dead. You've got to have some form of support network.

And speaking of support networks...

Was discussing this with my better half a couple days ago. Personally, I think one element that will trigger SHTF is already in play. Right now, there is a nationwide shortage of 60,000-80,000 truckers. Think about that...everything you buy, from fuel to food to clothing to medicine has, at some point in time, been on a truck. When sh*t does not get from here to there, especially basic necessities, that's a huge issue. It's estimated that by 2021, there'll be a shortage of 100K truckers. That's a lot of stuff that will be delayed in getting where it needs to go, or it may not even get there at all.
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I watched a YT video about the trucker shortage. Very scary.
 
duke fan 85 said:
I watched a YT video about the trucker shortage. Very scary.
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It is.

Unfortunately, I think a good bit of the population is oblivious to it. They simply assume that hungry/go to the grocery joint, outta gas/go to Sheetz, outta Rx meds/go to CVS, trash can full/garbage trucks run once a week...

Yeah? Well, what if the shelves at Lowes are empty? What if Sheetz has yellow sacks hanging on all the pump nozzles? What if Walgreens didn't get that shipment of meds? What if the garbage collectors don't get by once a week?

Any of those situations would be enough to cause chaos in just a matter of days.
 
For sure. It's a scary world and we are much closer to SHTF than the average citizen realizes. I work in a hospital and I saw what the Puerto Rican hurricane did just to fluid supply. Its amazing what a shortage of bags filled with salt, sugar, and sterile water can do to a hospital.
We joked about hitting Food Lion for salt and sugar and mixing our own (which is a very real possibility post SHTF and something I'm glad I know how to do).
 
Once the ball drops, I'm planning on cooking one of the neighbors on a spit. Probably an old, slow one. There's a retired school teacher two doors down. She's plump, too.

Once that word gets out, it'll assure that everyone else within one square mile leaves me the heck alone.
 
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VA_GENTLEMAN said:
We live at the end of a very thin, very long and very volatile supply chain....
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An ice storm, tropical storm, or similar, can drop a supply chain to its knees. One of my sons was in Wilmington during the last hurricane. The city was nearly cut off. Water was 48 hours away from being shut off for the city.

And those of us who were paying attention in 2012 and saw the hoarding mentality with just ammo, got a glimpse of human nature that some of us never saw before...
 
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fieldgrade said:
Once the ball drops, I'm planning on cooking one of the neighbors on a spit. Probably an old, slow one. There's an NYC retired school teacher two doors down. She's plump, too.

Once that word gets out, it'll assure that everyone else within one square mile leaves me the heck alone.
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That’s sick! I’ll bring the A1 sauce..
 
fieldgrade said:
Once the ball drops, I'm planning on cooking one of the neighbors on a spit. Probably an old, slow one. There's an NYC retired school teacher two doors down. She's plump, too.

Once that word gets out, it'll assure that everyone else within one square mile leaves me the heck alone.
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I've got something better than A1 sauce. My dad was a helluva cook and taught me his various bbq sauce recipes. I'm sure I can find something suitable to fat yankee roast lol.
 
The shortage of truckers is spot on we are constantly having issues with freight companies not being able to accept loads for just an eighty mile haul do to shortage of truckers. It’s not only local but international.
We will have a recession in 2019 as to how bad not sure but you can count on it.
 
Darkhorse said:
The shortage of truckers is spot on we are constantly having issues with freight companies not being able to accept loads for just an eighty mile haul do to shortage of truckers. It’s not only local but international.
We will have a recession in 2019 as to how bad not sure but you can count on it.
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And the problem with the shortage, other than what has already been mentioned, is this...

If the deficit in haulers contributes to an upheaval, an already bad stuation is going to get much worse. Many of those folks who do drive for a living have families; wives, kids, husbands, fathers, mothers and so on. If things start to get sporty, I'm certain some of them will opt to stay with their families to provide security instead of reporting to work, so the existing shortage just took another big hit.

It's a fragile system, for sure, and it would not take much to break it.
 
@duke fan 85 sounds to me like you need a two, or maybe three, prong approach to your prepping. One, have a lan and practice ex filtration routes to your family property. If things are bad enough, you will want out of the city quickly. Two, would be to weather a medium term event in your apartment. Three would be what to do when you get to the property. The first three to six months will be volatile. The first year and winter will see a die off. You may have to contend with raiders. Stored food is going to be imperative but so will a rebuild plan.
 
'Patriots The Coming Collapse', 'One Second After' or 'Lights Out'. Substitute any cause of the event you want. Scenario is still the same. It is either an instantaneous cause or one that starts slow and drags out. Chance favors the prepared mind. Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout. Always be prepared. Garden in my front yard, garden in my back yard and chickens kinda give it away. LDS Preparedness Manual, the old Boy Scout manual, your favorite collection of porn mags and good old common sense are all you need.
 
I've read all of those, including the other 2 books in the "one second after" series. All good reads and food for thought, but my hope is that we have some warning, at least enough for me to get home from work, preferably enough time for me to safely get to our family land.
 
@duke fan 85 one thing I read that makes sense to me is in the size of a mutual assisatnce or survival group. I think because of fiction books and movies there is a lot of thoughts out there of having a compound with a few dozen armed buddies fending off looters and gangs. I read that a smart goal for a group is around 5 people. Think how hard it is to find people you trust 100% and can bring something to the group. It isn't easy. And last thing you want in an emergency is 15 armed people with a few hotheads flying off the handle and putting you all in danger. So IMO find 1 person you trust that has the same thoughts. Start small and with basic hurricane or storm prep. Make sure you can both get from your homes to a meeting place. Think basics. Work on upgrading your plans and preps slowly. Maybe in a year or so you find another person. I'd not go hunting people. I'd let it happen naturally and not even mention your 'group' to people you've known less than a year or so. Once you have a solid relationship and really know who they are then maybe you approach them if you think they are a good fit. And keep in mind you may think someone would be a great member, but they may have family baggage. You really need to know who you are relying on. You may have to be holed up with their problem kid or leftisit wife. Be careful who you choose.

Good luck.
 
duke fan 85 said:
I've read all of those, including the other 2 books in the "one second after" series. All good reads and food for thought, but my hope is that we have some warning, at least enough for me to get home from work, preferably enough time for me to safely get to our family land.
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Read the A. American series of books. Warning is the optimum. Do you carry enough stuff to get home? Where do you travel, how many days by foot?
 
REELDOC said:
Read the A. American series of books. Warning is the optimum. Do you carry enough stuff to get home? Where do you travel, how many days by foot?
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I read some of those books. Fortunately I work less than 3 miles from my house so getting home wouldn't be a huge problem. I always carry my get home bag with food, water, tools, and extra ammo. If I'm traveling away from home I add some extra hardware to the mix.
So in my day to day life getting home would be the easy part, even if I had to do it on foot. I also walk any where from 8-15 miles a day around the hospital, plus working out in the gym so physically I could handle a long hike. Getting to our family land would be the tough part. Especially in a situation where our cars are disabled, but I still feel confident that we would make it.
 
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duke fan 85 said:
Question for the preppers/survivalist folks:
If and when SHTF happens, do you belong to a group of some kind, or do you plan to be on your own?
I understand the pros of being in a group. The roughest toughest super duper operator couldn't watch everything all the time.
At the same time, when you're somewhat new to a community, how do you go about finding a group to join?
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You need to have friends. I live down the road in Spring Hope.....
 
fieldgrade said:
Once the ball drops, I'm planning on cooking one of the neighbors on a spit. Probably an old, slow one. There's an NYC retired school teacher two doors down. She's plump, too.

Once that word gets out, it'll assure that everyone else within one square mile leaves me the heck alone.
Click to expand...

Okay, I nearly pissed my pants reading this....
Still wanting to roast some long pig, huh?
o_0


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Darkhorse said:
Just a little tip. Do not advertise in any way that you are preparing for a SHTF incident people will remember when the zombie apocalypse happens and you will be a target.
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Money quote....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
tanstaafl72555 said:
You need to have friends. I live down the road in Spring Hope.....
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I used to fill in at the Boice Willis Clinic out there next to food lion and burger king. Beautiful area and really well situated to Rocky Mount and Raleigh.
I have a few friends locally but I don't know if they're the type I'd count on with my life.
 
duke fan 85 said:
I used to fill in at the Boice Willis Clinic out there next to food lion and burger king. Beautiful area and really well situated to Rocky Mount and Raleigh.
I have a few friends locally but I don't know if they're the type I'd count on with my life.
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Are you a physician?
 
I don't like to get too public about any prepping I do. I love the idea of networks, and I have reached out privately to establish networks. But at the end of the day, it comes down to you and what you do and can do that counts.
 
Chuckman said:
I don't like to get too public about any prepping I do. I love the idea of networks, and I have reached out privately to establish networks. But at the end of the day, it comes down to you and what you do and can do that counts.
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I suspect that if the balloon went up, there are a number of people in this forum who would immediately reach out to each other and what is now loose and fragmented would come together.
 
If the balloon goes up and we still have internet or telephone I think my family will be fine. But we live about 2.5 hours apart and without some form of communication I'm worried. I've thought about the ham radio thing but #1 my 70 y/o mother wouldn't be interested and #2 I can't have any external antenna outside my apartment. So that shoots that one down.
 
Like I said, moving to the country is out of the question, at least for the near future.
I just have to make the best out of my current situation.
 
duke fan 85 said:
Like I said, moving to the country is out of the question, at least for the near future.
I just have to make the best out of my current situation.
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I want hundreds of acres out west, miles and miles from any town. What I have is Durham. PACE plan (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency), you can be successful where you are.

Read Special Forces Berlin: A Clandestine Cold War. Great book, several SF ODAs were stationed in West Berlin during the Cold War, if the "balloon went up," some of the teams' jobs were to melt into the population, survive by any means necessary, and create havoc. Not saying that you need to be a guerrilla or insurgent (better than you are not), but the mindset is the same.
 
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Chuckman said:
I want hundreds of acres out west, miles and miles from any town. What I have is Durham. PACE plan (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency), you can be successful where you are.
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You're lucky to live so close to such a great university lol.
Other than Duke, Durham doesnt have much going for it.
 
duke fan 85 said:
You're lucky to live so close to such a great university lol.
Other than Duke, Durham doesnt have much going for it.
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It's...something, lol. My dad worked here when he retired from the Marines, my sister went here, I was in grad school here back in the mid-90s, now I work at the hospital. Durham isn't the armpit it used to be, the dynamics sure are different. Gentrification (renovating $50K houses and selling them to techies for $250K) is pushing the 'old' demographics in odd ways. Overall I really don't care for the town. I want those hundreds of acres out west.
 
Chuckman said:
It's...something, lol. My dad worked here when he retired from the Marines, my sister went here, I was in grad school here back in the mid-90s, now I work at the hospital. Durham isn't the armpit it used to be, the dynamics sure are different. Gentrification (renovating $50K houses and selling them to techies for $250K) is pushing the 'old' demographics in odd ways. Overall I really don't care for the town. I want those hundreds of acres out west.
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Well I live in the butthole of eastern NC....
Good old Rocky Mount. It has nothing going for it. But my wife's family lives here and the only way I'll get her away from it is tied up in the back of a moving truck... Since the government frowns on that kind of thing until I can convince her otherwise, we're stuck here.
 
duke fan 85 said:
Well I live in the butthole of eastern NC....
Good old Rocky Mount. It has nothing going for it. But my wife's family lives here and the only way I'll get her away from it is tied up in the back of a moving truck... Since the government frowns on that kind of thing until I can convince her otherwise, we're stuck here.
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The only reason--ONLY reason--I am still in Durham is because all of my wife's family is here now, so I get it.
 
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