Natural Disaster Preparation

[coloradokevin]

So, as we all know, and have all seen on the news in the past couple of days, a powerful hurricane is heading up the eastern seaboard as we speak. Right now this storm seems to be on track to nail NY city, possibly as a Cat I-II, and I know that at least some of the areas in that city are under a hurricane warning at this time (my little brother lives in Park Slope, and a hurricane warning went up there early today).

Events like these don't get me thinking about the presumed threat of an unleashed government, as other related threads have touched on. Instead, they get me thinking a lot about individual preparedness, and an ability to shelter in place for a period of a week or two.

I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one, since this is a gun forum, but I can't see how anyone would consider themselves prepared for a disaster in a major urban corridor without having a gun!

My brother isn't anti-gun, but he also doesn't own one (just because it is a pain to do so in NY, and because shooting isn't that important to him). We talked on this subject earlier today, and both pretty much agreed that it might be interesting to see how things go in this case, with a hurricane bearing down on a very populated and significantly under-armed population.

Regardless, I think these events serve as a good reminder to not forget a means of defense for times when society may not be functioning in a very civilized manner! It isn't all about zombies, or the end of the world, and sometimes it really takes little more than a really BIG thunderstorm to throw society out of balance!

Just my $0.02. Weigh in as you see fit!

 

[BK]

Preparedness begins and thrives while the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the stock market is climbing, and everyone else is planning their vacations and playing at the park. A Mormon fellow taught me this. Stocking the property full of long term food storage, large and filled water containers, a drum of fuel, oil lanterns, firewood, board and sheet lumber, wood stove, and all kinds of other useful necessities, and yes bulk ammo and components for ALL the guns. Do it everyday, not on the last day. On the last day you should be taking inventory and hunkering down.

 

[stanger04]

Well you assume it is an under armed area but it is not. NY has a lot of guns in it, just not registered. The best way to prepare for this type of situation is to leave. If he doesn't have a BOB then it is too late.

 

[Seanpcola]

Been through plenty of hurricanes including Ivan in '04 which completely demolished my house. I was NOT armed during any of these storms or during the aftermath. I can say with full confidence that one is a fool NOT to be armed during a natural disaster such as this.

Immediately before landfall and during evacuations, the looters show up. Even seen firsthand a dead looter that was "working" during the hurricane.

Immediately after the storm: Yep, looters again

The days following: Desperate people
Scammers
Leeches coming into the area looking for work (or an easy mark)
Patience is thin, tempers are hot

I

 

[hso]

Look at real disasters and you find that the majority of people tend to pull together more than prey upon each other, but there are some jackals that show up looking for easy gain.

Also you find that those folks that pull together often organize to protect themselves and their neighbors. They use many means to accomplish this, only one of which is firearms. Those firearms used don't have to be what the fantasy apocalyptists envisage. A few people watching with a couple of shotguns available do quite nicely to run jackals off.

Far more important than some fantasy arsenal are neighbors banding together with a commitment to one another and a few resources to make it stick.

 

[Hawthorne2k]

Far more important than some fantasy arsenal are neighbors banding together with a commitment to one another and a few resources to make it stick.

Yep. A chainsaw, strong back and a willingness to help (along with a .45 at your waist) will do a lot more to get you and your neighborhood back on it's feet than just the .45.

 

[stanger04]

I agree it depends on the people you are surrounded by. I live in Alabama and we went through the power outages with all the tornadoes. Most of us followed the curfew and helped each other where we could.

On the other hand my wife's ex showed up and I almost shot him, trying to get him to leave. Again I feel always have a BOB and a plan, you never know. Looking at Katrina and any area facing a disaster leave if an option. Things can be replaced people cannot.

 

[tarosean]

Look at real disasters and you find that the majority of people tend to pull together more than prey upon each other, but there are some jackals that show up looking for easy gain.

This...

That is for the most part what we experienced during the last Hurricane that I had to endure (Ike). While I took on around 10 evacuees from the coastal areas. They had to grab and go which left them ill prepared. In short we burned though our supplies of food and water quicker than I anticipated.

I only had enough gas for the generator to last a week and there was still no electricity for several weeks. So gas ran out and food started to spoil, but we would gather with the neighbors and cook whatever we still had that was good.

Since I remained home I had access to my guns. The only time I even thought about them was when we seriously contemplated poaching a deer out my back pasture.

A huge church showed up on the end of week 2 and was serving meals and handing out cases of water. So they kept me from harvesting a deer.

 

[coloradokevin]

Glad to hear that some of you have had better disaster experiences than we tend to hear about in the news. Obviously a gun is merely a tool, but it can be an effective tool at times when the police and other emergency responders may be ill-equipped to protect you, and opportunistic predators seek to take from the meek.

But, I also agree that "zombie world" preparedness is not needed in almost every case we've ever heard about. A simple Mossberg 500 would probably do excellent duty as an emergency gun, for instance.

 

[stanger04]

New York seemed to do really well during and after 9/11. The people there did pull together and I could see them doing the same with this. There are the few bad that make a place seem like everyone is. I guess it all depends on you and your neighbors in times of crisis. The only worry I would have is the power out in a packed urban area, I live out in the middle of nowhere and pretty much always have. I guess that jades my judgement a little.

 

[22-rimfire]

I think people will pull together and do what it takes whether it be in NYC, Boston, or Virginia Beach. There is always a bad bunch who try to take advantage of the opportunity where homes are damaged or the residents have evacuated.

I don't think people are much different regardless of what you hear when you really get down to the basics. We are social animals and we survive well due to being social animals where work and rewards are shared via the capitalist system.

 

[threefeathers]

During the Monument Fire in Sierra Vista I was pretty dary prepared, proper Bug Out bags for movement, a good supply of MRE's to eat if necessary. I was shocked at how many of my neighbors were unprepared.

 

[Readyrod]

After the March earthquake my family were the only ones sitting in the parking lot with warm clothes and food. Being Japan we were ok but even my wife (she is Japanese) was worried. She told me to hide our stuff in case. We didn't have any weapons. It makes you nervous.

 

[owlhoot]

If you believe that it is prudent to have a HD weapon or a CC weapon in normal times, why wouldn't you need the same moreso during an emergency situation where most essentials are in short supply, law enforcement resources are max'ed out, and the power is down meaning no lights and no alarms?

 

[Balrog]

Remember society is only 9 meals away from complete breakdown.

 

[Warp]

I don't think it necessary to tell people on a firearms forum to have a means of defense handy in the event of a disaster.

I wouldn't mind reminding people to have water, food, flashlights, gas tanks that NEVER get below 1/2 full, etc

 

[X-Rap]

Remember society is only 9 meals away from complete breakdown.

My benchmark for disaster is Katrina, Then take that to a regional level and you have a proper disaster to prepare for. This is not to downplay what some have lived through but more to point out that there are worse things that can happen than what we have seen in our short recorded history.
Earth quakes that are predicted in the future on the coast and Midwest will be devastating to huge population centers, Yellowstone's volcano if it blows could decimate 1/3 of our country, Tsunami's generated by earthquakes across the oceans have scoured our coasts with 60' waves.
I don't know if any of us will live to see any of these things here but there is ample proof that they have happened in the past. Even in foreign lands the aid we send to a major disaster will disrupt our supplies here. I guess my point is that we should start imagining the unimaginable because Katrina showed just how fast society breaks down when the area becomes isolated and to many are dependent on immediate aid from outside their community.

 

[Mike1234567]

I moved to a semi-rural area a couple months ago and have been building friendships built on mutual respect and trust. There are a couple there who have a cache of firearms/ammo but I don't know what other prepping they've done. There's a current Sheriff Deputy right across the road and a prior Army Soldier (wounded/retired) just a couple houses down the road. All my closest neighbors seem to be good folk and we all agree that we'll watch out for one another and our properties. There are some meth-heads who live down the road and I'm learning who to watch out for. I'm hoping I can convince my neighbors (the good ones) to keep at least a couple firearms (pistol + shotgun), water, food, and other emergency supplies on hand. One has already bought a pistol for HD after we spoke a few times. As our friendships and trust develop I hope we become a community that is well prepared for most any disaster... both individually and as a group. If we all have what we need then we can share/barter between one another and will be ready to watch each others' backs. This is what I hope anyway.