Unprepared people

here in north Louisiana this morning at 6 am we have so far 1/4 inch snow with temp of 28. All schools,public works,and most small businesses are closed. Wal-mart no bread,milk,water and other supples sold out. My question is what is going to happen if we have a real emergency? I live out in the country sitting by a wood fire with plenty of wood,plenty of food,and with a diesel generator if needed. I am beginning to think most people are stupid in thinking the government will help and tell them what to do. Most people wait till the last minute and then are mad when there is no help coming. It will be interesting.

 

Things have to change no doubt. My local volunteer county fire station, has gone through too many bureaucratic changes since their 1993 beginnings. I have not been a member for a long time. When I was and when things were simpler, without authorization only common sense, I opened the station up to the public during a post hurricane power outage to one and all for, Water, Showers, Charging of electronics, Food, Overnight Shelter.....
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We had the station open to public and manned by members and family of members for about 7 days. 24/7
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I caught both hell and atta boys for my actions. I think the powers that be were upset they didn't think of it 1st. Some of the County folks were worried about liability ... ?
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Sadly, today, I am cynical that there would be a response even close in a similar event.

 

The only crowded place yesterday was the local Grocery stores. Most were just getting what was needed and we just filled out what we would have bought on any trip.

Came back home and trimmed some brush so I could move hay rings to a more sheltered place. At dark it was 57 degrees. This AM it was wind chill of 6.

Should thaw by noon tomorrow and be in the 70s by Saturday.

 

Aye.
The forecast here is for 1-3" starting after midnight. That's a blizzard around here, so I'll work from home. I refuse to get punted into the weeds by some moron in a huge 4x4 that doesn't comprehend the physics of a large mass, moving at high speed, on a surface with a marginal friction coefficient. I've enough fuel for the genny for a couple weeks, wood for a couple seasons, and enough food for a year. Additional preps for longer term as needed...
As long as the internet stays up there's no work function I can't do from my home office, and the coffee is better to boot.
That said, this summer past I sent my eldest sister a bunch of stuff to help her make it through Irma. Some very basic, in my humble opinion, items that any and everyone need to have on board. A method to collect and purify water, a weeks worth of long term food, a multi-power radio/usb charger, backpacking stove/fuel/cook ware, freeze dried coffee, a solar lantern or two, and a small pack to keep it all in. Sad thing is - she wasn't even aware these items are available at moderate cost! While retired just north of Tampa at an elevation of 7 feet above mean high tide. She got lucky - the wind turned off-shore. But: What is wrong with people....
I dread the occurrence of any really large "event" at a regional or larger area. The fubar'ed alert in Hawaii is a sterling example of the complete lack of self reliance in our current population.

 

A large event is any event you are not prepared for.

 

Can't argue with that. So I prepare as best I can...

 

What got me started on prepping was attending a meeting on Cascadia (giant earthquake, supposed to hit within 50 years on the west coast). At the meeting there were a sizable number of people who said they didn't think they had three days of food in their homes. That was when I first understood that there is going to be a calamity of enormous proportion that could be prevented, but people are seriously too lazy. I still believe in SHTF our biggest problem will be the neighbors.

 

Your final sentence is the one I worry about the most. I deliberately chose our residence far enough out that most of the urban/suburban people won't make it out that far. The vast majority of the ones I work with, very intelligent techies mind you, don't keep their vehicles fueled, nor substantial preps on hand. They make it very obvious in discussions following the companies yearly hurricane preparedness and planning info dump. And we're 100 miles inland!
But there are still other families around. What will be the result, a couple of week post-shtf, when it is discovered I have plentiful water, food, heat, light? This very much bothers me. The only real solution is to move even further out, but then it's out of a reasonable commuting distance, and I do need to be physically present most of the time. I'm looking for a place with much more acreage, and more isolated, but those are rare around here.
A conundrum indeed....

 

See them all the time, The habitability late morons and moreens, Putting on make up, bobbing and weaving in traffic trying to wolf down a Mc barf biscuit, Same ones day in and day out with what I call Head up the azz syndrome
We are doomed when TSHTF.

 

I know the type well. Hi-Tech here pays high $$. And some of the people have $100k off-road mobiles that never had so much as a blade of grass touch the paint. The first time they try off-road will be in shtf, and they'll end up with the nose stuffed into a creek bank, or high sided because they never learned how to drive in rough country. These are the same ones with custom built ARs that haven't had a single round put down range...
For the most part they'll be "departed" a week post shtf.

 

I've heard that the most frightening thing you'll ever hear when the SHTF is somebody saying " Hi, We're from the United States Government, and we're here to help..."

I've always wondered why they leave off the last word.

"...ourselves."

 

In many ways, this. If you can overcome the neighbors who assume they have some right to your stuff because they want it, they'll go find a big brother to help them. Don't doubt it for a moment. We love our neighbors, but we have given them no excuse to claim they didn't know to prepare. We bought 50 lbs of rice for four of our neighbors so they would have some food storage last summer. One of them came over in November and asked if she could have some food to help them out until pay day. I guess I can assume she's gone through that 50 pounds of rice. Sigh.

 

WE used to Make a lot of money year round with out little family Jeep! During the winters, we would assist pulling people out of the fields and bar ditches, and in summers, the same idiots that found the same fields and bar ditches! $25 per rig was a lot of cash back in the 70's and early 80's, and we could make a pretty good "living" doing that in shifts! In the later 80's we had to "expand business" because the emergence of the SUV and the soccer moms meant out little Jeep wasn't cutting it! SO we got a 75 Dodge Ramcharger with a 440 and locked up axles, and winches, we would ether pull you out, or remove large parts of your SUV, and we charged $50 at a shot! Now days, I have the Dodge Diesel with winches, and charge you $50 for the SUV, and $50 four your stupidity!
I still make a comfortable living today doing this! LOL

 

Stupidity is an endless resource, and I applaud the person who can exploit it.

Mining stupidity has a very small carbon footprint. Mining stupidity is GREEN, because stupidity is a never-ending resource.

(The more there is, the more they breed.)

 

Just think about all the great gear they will leave behind!

 

I'm always looking at the top shelf 4X4 trucks they keep stuffing, eyeballing the really good ones to salvage when SHTF! I could always use a good Cummins "upgrade" for a rainy day! Then there are all the dump truck suddenly sitting with out drivers, fuel, and a company to "own" them! Make for a really good SHTF bug rig, or resupply, or barrier penetration, or road block running!

 

Were it me, I would consider saying:
1) "No, but I can sell you whatever you need, at a slight markup over Publix prices. Just give me the money and a list of what you want and I'll have it for you Monday." (Or Friday, whichever is further away.)
2) "I'm sure we can work something out. Neighbors should always help each other out. Do you have some money you can help me out with until pay day?"
3) "You know, I was really hoping when I gave you that 50 lbs. of rice that you'd start saving a little food ahead just for situations like this. I guess you didn't. But, don't worry--I'm sure the (local church)/(not even remotely local church)/ Salvation Army/ food bank can help you out."
4) "I think it's probably time for you to move back in with your parents."
5) "Oh, you don't need to borrow food from me! There's plenty of free food around. Fish, squirrels, all kinds of stuff. Even vegetables. Just don't eat the mushrooms. I'm sure you can fish. In fact, I could use a few fish if you catch too many."
6) "Do you need a job? I know a few places that are hiring."
7) "If your children are hungry, I could call Child Services for you."
8) "No problem! I'll give you $100.00, but first we have to go down to Ace/Acme/Ajax/Atlas/...ZZZ Tattoos and get the word "MOOCH" tattooed on your forehead."
9) "I think you're on the verge of a Learning Experience. I hope you'll share it with me next week."
10) "Can I borrow your car?"

I could go on, but the doorbell just rang and I have to go be mean to a couple of Girl Scouts.

 

Lol, while your being mean to the GirScouts, put me down for 2 boxes of chocolate mints, and 2 boxes of the macarons. I will be glad to pay you next Tuesday!

 

Drooling already..
A member we didn't know showed up at the big range for a night shoot. We call it the coyote suppression drill. Night vision and suppressed weapons only. We use chem hand warmers to make the targets "warm". This guy had brand new kit, still had cosmoline from the factory in the action, and no batteries in his infrared gear. Didn't know what batteries, how to install them, nor how to turn it on.
That is the goodies I want left behind...