I had the pleasure of attending the Mother Earth News Fair at Seven Springs a couple of weeks ago. I was there for 2 days and got to visit several talks by the presenters as well as helping to man the booth for the Three Rivers Electric Vehical Ass. We had an informational booth there with 2 electric cars, an electric bike and an electric tractor on display. The cars were a big hit, I got to talk with alot of very interesting folks.
The 1st talk I went to was about what to do when Technology fails. It was given by Mathew Stein who has written a book about the subject and has a blog about it as well. He spoke about all of the major disasters that can befall us. One point he made was that 37% of the people in the USA live with in 50 miles of a nuclear plant. He felt that if there was a disaster those people needed to get out of Town, and quickly. Another major point was that the Cities live on a 3 day food supply in the stores. If they can't get any deliverys everyone is out of food quickly. He felt that you needed a 3 day supply of water [at least 1 gal per person per day ] and food , some basic medical supplies, some clothing blankets etc that you have ready to grab and go. Since you will not be able to buy gas in the emergency you will only be able to drive as far as the gas in your tank, plus what ever you have in 5 gal cans in the garage, will take you. He felt that being prepaired was the key. Take the family primative camping, build your own fire, see what you need, what you can live with out, and what you really do need. He of course loves camping and hiking and has done this sort of thing for many years. You always see pictures on the news of displaced people walking along the road fleeing the disaster. They are hungery, thirty and tired, you can be in better shape if you are a bit more prepaired. It was a good talk, but I personally am not going to loose any sleep worring about what Might Happen, I can get water from the springs and I have some food in the pantry and a wood stove and oil lamps if needed. If the house is totally gone in a tornado or a forest fire or earth quake I guess I am screwed anyway,
I guess I am as prepaired as I am going to get.
Never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.