How are people so unprepared?

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Medaphysical@reddit

I genuinely don’t understand how you can live through covid and not take this as a serious possibility.

If anything, covid showed people that you don't need to prepare for much. It was billed as a huge problem and most people had no real issues continuing to get their groceries and supplies.

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I had no real problem but I think COVID did show what could happen if we have a "real" pandemic. Something much more deadly and/or much more transmissible. What if it was actually unsafe to go to the store?

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hollisterrox@reddit

What if it was actually unsafe to go to the store?

It was, and still is.

I think the answer to OP's question is right in this comment thread: people, even preppers, are happy to live in denial.

Right now, today, covid is killing 500-1000 people per week directly, but causing "long covid" in many, many times that number. 'Long Covid' is just a funny way of saying "disabled", and most Americans are just whistling past the graveyard when they go to concerts, basketball games, business conferences, etc.

I'm saying, it is dangerous to go to the grocery store today unmasked, and yet almost everyone is doing it that way, not even taking the simplest precautions.

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You're not the guy I replied to, get your accounts mixed up?

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AdditionalAd9794@reddit

It doesn't get much more transmissible than Covid, I believe it's estimated everyone in the world has had Covid an average of 3.4 times or something.

I think the only virus we've seen more transmissible than Covid was the swine flu.

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As another person noted, not at all. He’s from out of state. That being said, my direct neighbors (on my dead-end road) know I shot two moose this week because I showed up with a box of meat for each of them.

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XFiles93@reddit

Honestly, people don’t realize how understaffed emergency services are relative to population size. If trucking/shipping halts for just 2 weeks most major institutions, including hospitals and food services fail. Americans don’t realize just how fragile it all is. We are not good at taking no for an answer. We throw tantrums and get what we want, or we pay a fee and get what we want, we threaten others and get what we want. Life can’t be manipulated that way, Americans don’t get it. The toilet paper and flour scarcity of 2020 is looked back on as a novelty. People don’t want to get it because the truth is too overwhelming.

Don’t forget that you were describing a US worker during a post war boom. There weren’t many places in the world 50 years ago that you could get a 3/2 with some land in a safe area and raise a family on a laborers paycheck.

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TomSmith113@reddit

Irrelevant. The U.S. has been either at war or in a post-war leading into a new area for its entire history. The U.S. has been at war for 93% of its history, at peace for only. This country is and always has been in a perpetual state of war/post-war periods, and today is no exception.

TheMorningDove@reddit

And you’re basing this off of what exactly? Your feelings? What is the difference between a “gun” and an “assault weapon”? Do you believe everything leftist news feeds you?

Everyone I know who is into firearms also has some prepping skills and supplies. I have personally found that firearm owners are much more likely to be preppers than non-firearm owners.

I believe it has to do with accurate and realistic assessments of risk. Virtually no one carries a pistol everyday with the mentality that they will need it. You carry because in the very rare situation where you need to use a firearm you will likely be saving your own life and the lives of your family/friends. Prepping is the same, I don’t store a ton of clean water thinking our water supply is going to shut down tomorrow, but in the rare case it does I want to save myself and my family/friends.

Guns are not the enemy and trying vilify gun owners or make them seem unprepared just shows your own ignorance and self-entitled arrogance.

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ecouple2003@reddit

You're not from Texas, are you? Or, as Lyle Lovett said, "That's right, you're not from Texas."

I've had guns all my life. However, lots of people are under the impression that a gun makes them 7' tall and bulletproof. They have a place, but buying multiple guns may make someone believe they can just take what they want rather than prep ahead of time and that's a very dangerous mindset. For everyone.

Just my two cents.

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TheMorningDove@reddit

But that's the thing, I am from Texas. I live and work in Dallas and I don't know a single person who believes that a firearm alone is going to get them through some sort of SHTF scenario. I don't hang out with gang bangers, but I also don't care if those people survive. Responsible Texans know what's up.

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ecouple2003@reddit

DFW is a little more civilized than most of TX as is Austin, Houston is still a gamble, but there are people all over Texas that can't keep their kids in good clothes but have a couple of grand worth of guns and always looking for more. Guns, both reported and not, flourish in Texas and unfortunately not for the better of the public.

As I said, I'm fine with responsible gun ownership and control but they're not the be all and end all of prepping. Just a part.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

You said nothing incorrect. Guns shouldn’t be the staple prep, but the odds of you needing to defend yourself are equal to or higher than a nuclear attack or extinction level pandemic

Well for short term, a rice cooker with a power bank, a propane or butane burner, or even a charcoal grill could work. That said in an extended SHTF scenario wood will be the most sustainable options. Back to the basics ya know

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alt0077metal@reddit

Stop catastrophizing every little thing. It's not the end of the world. Covid wasn't the end of the world.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

I agree it wasn’t a very deadly pandemic. It was a trial run. If you ran out of certain goods with a pandemic with a .7% mortality rate how do you think you will fair with a pandemic with a 10, 25, or 50% mortality like the bird flu has. I ran out of eggs, ground beef, and household cleaning products. So I learned the lesson and became a “prepper” by stocking up a 3 months supply of food, water, and cleaning products.

Safety fridigity I guess. Not just in big disasters but small things like a loose cupboard or a spare umbrella at work/school etc

(My parents did not care about the loose cupboard. It fell on me btw)

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AZ2986@reddit

Covid was a wake up call. Even a small snow storm where I live is a wake up call. It's amazing how quickly people realize they are unprepared for anything and clear the store shelves. During the poor air quality from wildfire smoke last year, air purifiers sold out in less than an hour after the air became smokey where I live.

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FenceSitterofLegend@reddit

They lived through covid and figure they can survive any pandemic.

"Most people don't believe something can happen.... Until it does."

After Covid, I learned my lesson. Not even prepping for "the end of the world" but just preparing for a job loss etc. If people don't see how fragile the supply chain/system is by now, it's simply because they don't want to. I know, understand, and respect the fact that times are very difficult for a lot of people, including myself but it doesn't take a whole lot to buy ONE can of soup or ONE roll of paper towels or any other basic household every now and then when you go to the store, then put it away in your "emergency stash." Those very same item's that people lost their shit over during covid and were quite literally willing to do harm to get.

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Frequent-Youth-9192@reddit

We absolutely did not fucking "luck out" on Covid, wtAf?. The World Health Network just issued a PSA about Covid causing AIDS, which we've known for over 4 years. Yeah, Covid causes fucking AIDS bro. And the version from Covid is faster and more aggressive than the one from HIV. Its still killing millions, just less so on the acute infection and over the years following it. Children are developing diabetes, young people are getting diagnosed with full blown dementia, Parkinsons, accelerated cancers, dropping dead from blood clots and pulmonary embolisms. Yeah, turns out Covid is actually a chronic infection seeded deep in our bone marrow, organs, tissues, even in our bones.

I suggest you catch up all that you missed cause you clearly have not being paying any attention or keeping up with any data on Covid and have no idea that we're still in a massive ongoing pandemic that has only been getting worse.

I would much rather die from an extremely deadly bird flu on the first round than live with Chronic Covid. Thats a much quicker, easier way to go out. Long Covid is fucking torture.

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smellswhenwet@reddit

I also believe it’s Normalcy Bias. The belief that things will continue as they have been.

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Led_Zeppole_73@reddit

Covid never really affected anyone in my family, except for the TP issue, which wasn‘t a big concern for us at any point and shelves never went bare. If anything, it was the mass hysteria that was the hardest to deal with.

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midtier_gardener@reddit

it was the mass hysteria that was the hardest to deal with.

Same. Gonna admit that I was caught up in it too, as I saw the clips of ppl dead people in other countries on the news. I'm not prepping as much for the bird flu or mpox because I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal. Maybe I'm wrong.

Oh please ofc they matter. What does that have to do with me prepping for mpox, birdflu or covid?

Nothing I could have done could have affected or not affected their chances of getting covid.

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KB9AZZ@reddit

Your reason aside, to me it makes sense that everyone should have enough provisions for at least two weeks and probably two months. Having a small buffer in your pantry is not crazy it's smart. Anything can happen not just a pandemic and you may not be able to just go to the store. Furthermore your digital money locked up on your plastic card may also be useless. This can happen from a loss of infrastructure, or the banks/government may just decide you don't get to spend your money.

A relatively small amount of dry goods and canned goods will last you a long time. Having some cash is helpful, gold and silver too. Silver coins at $20-$30 each are great trading/bartering tools. Other items will work too.

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PeacePufferPipe@reddit

It only takes an additional $5.00 per grocery trip to buy a big bag of dried beans or rice. After a very short while you're going to have enough servings to feed a family of 4 for 3 months and it'll all fit in the size of one upper kitchen cabinet. I did just that until devoting an entire closet with restaurant style wire racks for a proper food pantry. It amazes me how people complain they don't have money to buy food preps. They're probably out buying fast food, cigarettes or vapes and alcohol too.

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franky290@reddit

I tried to tell my parents to stack up

I've been slowly stocking up myself. I could have bought more I've been focused on paying extra on the principle of my condo to pay off quicker.

So far I've been slowly stacking up everytime I get paid

Here's the list I have 28 canned chunk chicken breast 20 canned sardines 5 canned ravioli 11 canned black beans 10 canned green peas 8 canned fruit cocktail 4 canned pork and beans 8 canned of crushed tomatoes 3 canned of pineapple chunk 12lbs of rolled oats 5lbs of Peanut butter 40lbs of jasmine rice 20lbs of pinto beans 5lbs of popcorn kernels

3 can openers manual 100 paper plates 96 of plastic spoons 40 plastic forks 40 paper cups 16 plastic cups 9 boxes of baking soda

50 rolls of toilet paper

I'm going to order water containers and buckets to soon. I just don't know which containers to choose yet.

Im stuck on choosing which power generator to use for the condo. I'm trying to make space, but my place is not big

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actualsysadmin@reddit

If storing fuel is hard you can go with a solar powered battery. Get a watt reader and do some math.

I use a Honda 2200 for a fridge, freezer, large window AC, and TV.

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franky290@reddit

Planning to get the reader. Not sure which water container to choose. Don't want it to leak

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actualsysadmin@reddit

You gotta be careful in a condo with how much weight you are putting per square foot. When I lived in apartments I just stashed cases of water around the place, stayed in a place with a pool ideally, and had a water BOB for the tub. I never actually used the BOB, because reusing them is near impossible.

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franky290@reddit

Can't bob be puncture that easily? How much to spend for water containers?

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actualsysadmin@reddit

Yes it can puncture easily. It’s not intended to be moved from your bathtub.

Harder water containers can cost a lot. I keep bottled water, ways to filter water, and I am renting a home with a pool.

I think the most cost effective way to store bulk water is an IBC tote but 275 gallons of water at 8lbs/gallon can get heavy.

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franky290@reddit

Yea I don't think I can fit the ibc at my condo. Especially HOA would see it and complain.

actualsysadmin@reddit

My first year I lived away from my parents I had to work thanksgiving and not spend it with my family. I realized everything was closed down to eat out and some of the grocery stores were still a nightmare.

I went to Walmart to buy some hot pockets and I couldn’t get to check out so I had to buy something from the jewelry dept so they would check me out, then I brought the watch back the next day. Meanwhile I’m starving because I worked a 12hr shift and hadn’t eaten all day.

Would it cause widespread panic if one went off. Absolutely.

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pf_burner_acct@reddit

...how easy it would be for say a nuke or large attacks in Europe.

Like...a Russian attack on NATO? The probability of that is as near to zero as you can get. Russia is not engaged in conquest. They're resisting NATO expansion.

Also said the political stuff in the US could turn into civil war as it seemed heated and that would affect us in Europe. Then 2 weeks later trump was nearly killed.

I've heard this, and I don't agree. I do not think we're anywhere near close to Americans shooting Americans in what most of us (probably) expect a civil war to look like.

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appsecSme@reddit

Russia is not engaged in conquest. They're resisting NATO expansion.

That's absolutely BS take. They attacked a sovereign nation and have engaged in conquest.

Ukraine has the right to decide what alliance they want to join. It's not part of Russia. The NATO excuse doesn't fly.

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pf_burner_acct@reddit

No, it's a fact.

Russia has been absolutely clear on their position concerning NATO expansion. We have every reason to think they're serious. They slapped us once by annexing Crimea. They slapped us again when we tried to make moves in Georgia. Now they're slapping us again in Ukraine by seizing the eastern third of the nation, which gets them their warm water port and land route to it before we finally integrate Ukraine into western economic and military infrastructure (which we will do).

Ukraine has every right to choose the direction for their nation. 100%. You are right, and even Putin agrees, as he's said as much. But Russia, and all other nations, can defend themselves. We were prepared to go ape over Cuba. What is happening in Ukraine is similar to the Cuban Crisis. NATO wants troops on the Russian doorstep. Russia has warned for nearly 20 years that such a move is a direct threat to Russia and that they would take action to prevent it, as they have twice already (Ukraine #1 and Georgia).

The notion that Russia is on an empire building spree is absolutely stupid. They are defending themselves from what they see as a hostile alliance encroaching on their borders, because that's what's happening.

Look at where they focus their military actions. It is into border nations that NATO has expressly stated will join NATO which will disrupt the status quo in the region and directly threaten Russia.

So, you're wrong.

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appsecSme@reddit

They can be clear on their position, but the still do not have right to annex another nation (something they have done).

What you call "slapping" is in fact conquest. It doesn't matter that you euphemize it. Russia's "doorstep" is not in the sovereign nation of Ukraine.

They are not "defending themselves" by any means, just like we wouldn't be "defending ourselves" if we attacked Mexico for talking about allying with Cuba.

You are just re-stating and re-phrasing Russia's illegal, and immoral intentions as if that somehow makes it OK, or means they aren't engaging in conquest. None of that changes the reality of what they are doing and what they have done.

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pf_burner_acct@reddit

You can believe anything you want. The facts are the facts.

This was forecasted in 2015, by the way. So, you know...you're wrong.

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appsecSme@reddit

You are hilarious. All of your "facts" are Putin utterances about his beliefs.

I have presented actual facts on the matter.

And again someone forecasting that Putin would aggressively attempt conquest in Ukraine does not make it justified. At that point Putin had already annexed Crimea and South Ossetia, and regardless, the fact that Putin engaged in conquest after saying he'd engage in conquest doesn't justify it.

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morgothra-1@reddit

You are a patient person, far more than I can manage with these creatures. Good on you.

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pf_burner_acct@reddit

I don't think the prospect of nuclear war over strategically unimportant portions of Eastern Europe is hilarious. I think this is exactly what happens when you have pathetic western leadership.

The idea that this is anything but a gross failure of western foreign policy is idiotic. This is a massive strategic blunder on our end. Only China benefits.

Don't be stupid.

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normaninvader2@reddit

Regarding nukes it would be suicidal but it would only take one misread sign as an attack for return fire to happen..even if it was a tactical Nuke the panic and pollution could cause run on banks or shops.

My wife is one of those "if you see them running, run" people when it comes to infectious disease.

She doesn't get too excited about most stuff bur does worry about COVID.

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thefedfox64@reddit

I'd say, prepping wise, the smartest and best choice is...not living in hurricane prone zones, in states with power grids worse than 2nd world countries. But that part of prep is overlooked, and instead people do what they can. Which is exactly what you are arguing against here. You want them to do what they can, and they are, which is failing in your eyes. In my eyes, just living in that shit hole of a state is failing. Live and let live

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Katherine_Tyler@reddit

In my mind, the only way to deal with a hurricane is to get out of the way.

That being said, my husband and I live in an area not prone to hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, drought, etc. However, I am very aware of the New Madrid fault. If that slips the way it did in the 1800's, I'd say the eastern 1/3 of the US will be shut down for months. (Think of all the bridges that cross the Mississippi. After a major quake from New Madrid, I would expect many of those bridges to be unusable for some time. Some possibly beyond repair.)

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Taway197569@reddit

fingers crossed

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thefedfox64@reddit

Yes, but that's not something you can prep for, unless you are owning a bridge lol

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Katherine_Tyler@reddit

That is one reason I have about a three month food supply. With those bridges out, groceries, medications, etc, will quickly run out and then panic will set in.

I do understand not having enough money to buy extra. I am fortunate that in recent years we have been able to do this.

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thefedfox64@reddit

Oh yes totally.

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avid-shtf@reddit

Moving is my top choice. The grid is shit and hurricanes are getting worse. I’d move today if I were financially able to. Moving to another state, uprooting kids from school, and finding a new job take a huge financial toll compared to buying a couple cases of water, having a full tank of gas, and 10 lbs of rice and beans. Moving away is in our 5 year plan after the last kiddo graduates. Until then we’re making sure we’re as prepared as we can possibly be.

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Fair point.

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06210311200805012006@reddit

I genuinely don’t understand how you can live through covid and not take this as a serious possibility.

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oxprep@reddit

Or they are prepared and they're just not telling you because that's OPSEC?

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Adol214@reddit

Most never suffer real crises. And don't even know someone which did.

Anyone which live an economic collapse, civil war, etc does prepping without even calling themself prepper.

I knew a WWII survivor. She had 3 to 6 month of food, plus was almost self sustain in fresh stuff. She never mentioned potential war or prepping. That was just normal to have.

Today People take as granted too much. Instant delivery of any good, super market with thousand of variant of the same product. We live in age and time of opulence. Most assume this is normal and will always be. Most assume that any glitch Will be minor and short lasting.

Even here you see people which prep assuming internet and phone will be available no matter what.

This will be my new saying. ”Not for doomsday but for next Tuesday”

I keep telling people: “prepping is not for the zombie apocalypse. Think about how many times the power goes out, some places it’ll be out for three or four days and once in a while, it’s out for a week or more. Prepping for a disaster doesn’t have to be a huge disaster, but you should at least be ready for a week or two. It’s not that much and it doesn’t take up too much space.”

Then they get this look like a lightbulb went off on their head. So I feel like if we changed the narrative a little bit more people would prep more.

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reddit_tothe_rescue@reddit

A) I’m just parroting the “doomsday vs Tuesday” thing people around here say a lot. I didn’t come up with that!

B) They wouldn’t admit it, but some people actually do appear to be prepping for a zombie apocalypse. You see people stockpiling ammunition and a year’s worth of food like the end of civilization is about to happen. Gives us rational peppers a bad name!

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

To be fair a 50lb bag of rice, 50lbs of beans, and a bulk case of TP is sufficient for 90 days. Not living amazing but it’ll do. But yeah I try and avoid the advance water filtration and nutritional advice. I just want them to keep it simple

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Mountain-Status569@reddit

You remember how many people had their head in the sand during Covid? “Essential businesses” would never shut down in a bigger crisis because people would riot. I remember when Denver announced the liquor stores would shut down… response was so angry that the decision was officially reversed just 50 minutes later.

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gtzbr478@reddit

The difficulties at the beginning of the pandemic weren’t that bad (some shortages, but most people could go to the grocery store) and it didn’t last very long when it was an issue. They don’t see a scenario where they’d need to rely on what they have home and not be able to get more for weeks or months.

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MadRhetorik@reddit

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know that. Couple that with the fact that most of the American population is 1-2 paychecks from total oblivion and you have a recipe for chaos should anything happen. Generally speaking people who are already into prepping tend to make sure they have money in their budget available to prep. Most Americans live in a bubble and are under the impression that this ball can’t stop rolling.

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Spectres_N7@reddit

I would also believe that the majority of us would die from other issues before any real SHTF scenarios actually occur.

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bassta@reddit

Covid just showed me how important is to stay cool, have money and know people. A relative of mine got bad, didn’t want to call ambulance, next day they had problems breathing but no available ambulance. I’ve paid private ( and very hard to find ) ambulance, paid for the best doctors. When he got into the hospital they gave us 50% chance to live through the night. I had to find expensive and hard to come by drugs for the hospital, because they were run out of. He lived, but couldn’t done it if it wasn’t for me and my wife - thinking clearly, solving problems and having enough money on hand to pay through.

“The H5N1 influenza virus currently infects large numbers of both wild birds and domestic poultry is influenza A (H5N1). This influenza A found in birds – commonly referred to as avian influenza – is a highly pathogenic strain in birds, which means it causes high rates of death when birds are infected. Avian influenza H5N1 virus has spilled over from just infecting birds into a wide variety of mammals. Since 1997, more than 900 human cases of influenza A (H5N1) that spilled over from birds have been reported in 23 countries, with more than half of these cases resulting in death. Symptoms have ranged from mild disease to severe or critical disease and death. Fortunately, we have not seen sustained human-to-human transmission.” From https://tephi.texas.gov/training/selected-outbreaks/avianinfluenza#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20first%20time,possibly%20infect%20humans%20more%20easily.

This article then covers the cows..,

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WasteMenu78@reddit

It takes mental work to prepare and sometimes people would rather trick their minds into thinking everything will be okay so they don’t have to do that mental work. Ignorance is bliss sorta thing

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4Wonderwoman@reddit

“I don’t like immigrants” downvotes

“I enjoy missing the entire point of the comment” downvotes

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HappyCamperDancer@reddit

My richest relatives are the least prepared. They have net worths of $3-5M and they are "meh" --they have maybe 3 days worth of food. Plenty of space and resources. Yes, I know the difference between how people can appear, how much you spend vs how much you earn and they are NOT paycheck to paycheck.

We have significantly less, but we do have resources and yet we have 4-5 months of food and 5-6 weeks of water. Plus we have a good emergency fund if we need to bug out.

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The moment an emergency strikes, your opportunity to research and prepare for it is over. Helping others accomplish their preparation goals is something we believe in at Black Sentry. Thanks for your efforts to do the same.

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CypherCake@reddit

A lot of people just don't want to think about this stuff. Even getting people to discuss and write a will can be like pulling teeth.

COVID was bad, but not the worst. I think it's given people a false sense of security.

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SweetBrea@reddit

Even a 10% mortality rate would grind the country to a halt let alone a 50% mortality rate. My family just doesn’t get it.

Hell. Less than 1% and our government will grind the country to a halt.

Your family has been desensitized to this as most people have.

Imagine your whole life you're told "Don't touch the stove. It's hot." Then one day you do touch the stove while it is off and you suddenly believe you've been lied to. You're not going to take claims about the stove being hot seriously because you haven't experienced such.

The overreaction to covid, which as you point out had a quite low death rate, has caused people to not take claims about pandemics seriously. They lived through covid and besides the overreaction from the media and government, most people were completely unaffected by it.

I genuinely don’t understand how you can live through covid and not take this as a serious possibility

Living through covid IS why they don't take it seriously.

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CypherCake@reddit

Where are we getting this narrative that COVID wasn't that bad? Are we just ignoring all the stuff that happened and going with direct personal experience? Oh you didn't lose a grandma or two? Oh you didn't end up with long covid? So suddenly it wasn't that bad? Good for you I guess?

I'm not necessarily even defending the lockdowns as they had their negatives but jeez the ignorance it takes to claim COVID wasn't that bad.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

I hope you’re right but I also want my family to be prepared in case you’re wrong. I underprepared for COVID, even as underwhelming as it was. I’d hate to make that same mistake

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AdditionalAd9794@reddit

Just my opinion and anecdote. But if your anything like me it wasn't so much the virus I was underreported for, but the government and societies response I was under prepared for.

I mean you can do all the social distancing and N95 stockpiling you want, but if it's anything like covid, you're probably still going to face infection eventually regardless.

I think the things to prepare for are the cause and effects of the government response. Are you ready for more lockdowns, shipping delays, price increases, are you an essential worker, what about the economic effect and inflation that followed covid, how can you prepare to face that again.

Figure with bird flu, there likely won't be any chicken or eggs at the store

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OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

I was shocked at the number of people who openly believed that Covid was fake or overblown. There are 1.2 million dead in the US alone. If you don't know someone who died of Covid, you live under a rock; yet some people are still in denial. But even more shocking is the number of people who have decided it's no longer a big deal, and have slacked off on vaccination. Surprise, Covid has spiked in the US - we're back over 1,000 deaths a week. Preparation pays off in the long term; ignorance is prompt about presenting a steep bill.

Some people will just never understand basic prepping, or even basic math. And there's nothing you can do about that. Herman Cain awards abound to this day.

Two points about you post though. First, there's zero evidence that Bird flu is going to become human-to-human transmissible. By every measure, it's just not that easy for humans to catch it - it takes direct exposure, like handling sick birds - and the mutations needed to make it jump from human to human just aren't very likely to occur on their own. In epidemiology there's no such thing as never, but this particular disease worries me a lot less than a new Covid mutation might.

Second, an error in the opposite direction - you wrote "if something like this happens again".

When, not if. Pandemics are inevitable; the only question is the timing. Will a new one happen in your lifetime? It depends on your lifetime, but one could happen tomorrow - or not for 100 years. But it will happen, and as we pack more and more people into the planet, continue to concentrate populations, fly people around constantly, and continue to disturb habitats, the odds go up constantly. We will always have pandemics; the only questions are When and How Bad.

Sometimes it can be in the delivery of how you bring it up. I am in the middle of a conversation online about the wonders of keeping a pantry (2 weeks or more of food and supplies) I was surprised by how many people joined in saying they actually do this in their homes already. Even more people were there asking questions and learning so they could start. Everyone may not be a "prepper" but there are many people who may have things in their homes ready for emergencies. They may just not call it prepping. I would never tell someone to get 3 months of supplies. That mentally seems like a lot. If you suggested 2 weeks or 1 month. They may have been more willing to get started

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Opcn@reddit

I'm not endorsing these arguments, but just to understand how someone could go through covid and still not be stocking up:

Most people didn't suffer significant shortages during covid, toilet paper was the biggest one
Supply chains are more resilient now
The population is less likely to lock down for months, even if a new pandemic as bad as covid happens
There are more preppers now so others have stockpiles
The same idiots who caused 110% of the toilet paper shortage still have their stockpiles from 2020
The people who are sitting on supplies right now will be willing to sell them in another lockdown
Life is short, enjoy summer, like the grasshopper, don't toil it away like the ant.

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Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit

"The population is less likely to lock down for months, even if a new pandemic as bad as covid happens"

The population or the government? We are already seeing some schools doing remote classes again due to a spike in COVID cases in some areas. There is a curfew in effect for some areas of the Northeast due to Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The government will never waste a good crisis or an opportunity to exert control and authority.

Your other points have some merit but could be debated.

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Opcn@reddit

Either, both. Remote schooling is inconvenient for parents but not nearly as severe a measure as shutting down all the non-essential businesses.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

My family is definitely in the last camp. I think the NatGeo prepped shows gave us a bad rap like we all are obsessing wannabe infantry Republicans but we’re not. Just have some extra rice and beans and water damn guys

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thefedfox64@reddit

I think that's true....but... which side do you leave towards since you said it. Any military background for you? Or do have certain tendencies about religious views that should be enforced? I've seen a few people call put the negative connotation and then fit it like a glove a week later when it's not about prepping but about who to vote for, or what it means to "take care of your family"

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

I definitely fit some of the stereotypes. Former Marine, gun owner, amateur competitive shooter, registered Republican (though this is the first year I will actually vote Red) etc. I’m also a Hispanic Catholic and Ashkenazi Jew that enjoys gay bars even though I’m straight and dresses like a cholo so idk man I can swing in a couple different camps I suppose.

How do you get tamiflu scripts?

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

Sure, Mexico or possibly Canada. But in my case a personal physician.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

You just tell them you have the flu and prescribe it?

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

Nope, told him I wanted a script on hand for emergencies. Basically the same as Jase.

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I dont think people really change their behavior unless they are really forced to, and even then, they sometimes don't even do that. You should check out the book 'Journal of the Plague Year' by Daniel Dafoe, the dude who wrote Robinson Carousoe. It's a nearly first person perspective of the last round of Black Death in London. Nothing ever changes.

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chrs_89@reddit

It’s scary to think about that sort of stuff, so most people don’t. It’s been like that for as long as people have been peopling

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United-Advertising67@reddit

I genuinely don’t understand how you can live through covid and not take this as a serious possibility

It's because the rest of us learned the correct lesson from covid, which is that it's stupid to waste your time on this earth cowering in terror at home over things you can't see.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

I agree take the vacations and go to the parties and restaurants, but have the bare minimum to not have to be waiting in a FEMA line in case something bad does happen. I think the proper lesson is have the right balance of preparedness and living in the moment

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United-Advertising67@reddit

Nobody waited in a FEMA line during covid.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

Correct because COVID wasn’t that bad. The next pandemic or grid down or whatever comes could be that bad hence the point of prepping

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CatchMeIfYouCan09@reddit

Paycheck to paycheck is real.

Secondly, about of people are under the assumption that "everything will be fine, we lived thru covid and it was fine"

I get that they're family and or sucks but frankly any time of need that arises in which prepping was essential to survive will simply cull the herd and provide more resources for those of us who actually attempted to circumvent tragedy.

We have provided family and friends with packets of information that gives them lists of basic essentials and the best places to find them; contact info for everyone in the group; and Evac locations and routes if bugging out is necessary. You know what else it has? Our rules. Clearly defined and laid out for everyone to know ahead of time.

Those rules include (but not limited to) the expectation that YOU are responsible for YOU and YOURS and their supplies and food. That WE will not be sharing ANY of our resources with you or your family and will have no problems not providing the locations of the next step of bugging out and leave you behind if you've proven that you're leeching off of our hard work and prepping.

Secondly, everyone contributes. Everyone. If you don't then you're not welcome. Don't show up expecting your needs to be met and to sit and vacation this crisis away.

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Andr1yTheOne@reddit

I know how you feel. I'm in the same shitter. My family gives no fucks except maybe my mom. Everyone is in the state of mind, "whatever happens I'll deal with it later".

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

Yeah I’m gonna stock a bit extra but I can’t afford to factor them in completely. Hand them a box and say “goodluck” is about I can do

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Andr1yTheOne@reddit

My family will take whatever I'll give them but I'm not sure if they will ever use the stuff I give or even remember that they have it. Or if they take it seriously.

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chumley84@reddit

Fortunately diseases that are highly infectious tend to have low fatality because diseases that have evolved to infect humans don't want to kill us.

Personally I'm more concerned about manmade disasters civil unrest/nuclear war/another lockdown

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

This is interesting. To be honest I really am not concerned about a war or nukes in America, if I was in Europe that’d be completely different. America is such a world power with such defendable ports and logistics centers I don’t think anything like that could happen here at least for now. Civil unrest is definitely more likely especially with the contentious political climate but that’s a pretty simple solution, don’t leave the house and have guns and training. I really am more concerned with a pandemic/biological warfare and a cyberattack/grid down scenario. China and Russia can’t put boots on American soil but they sure as hell can hack us

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chumley84@reddit

Even a relatively "small" nucular war (think India and Pakistan) would cause a global nucular winter

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

Huh I’ve never thought about it like that. How does that influence your preps?

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I can't control what other people do. I can only control what I do. No sense in worrying about whether other people are prepared. I will be.

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hopeoncc@reddit

I'm always trying to tell them, look ... Compared to what it could do for you in a time of need ... During those BIG moments when you wanna be at your best and have every resource available you can when things get complicated ... To keep them from getting more complicated ... Just create this and store that ... It takes up the space of a backpack or a few gallons (just a few even) of milk and you can forget about it until you need it. It takes suuuuuuch little time and effort. Just switch storing all these things separately, and store them together here.

That's not even mentioning the benefits of having, say, duplicates of things that are helpful to already have on hand even if there isn't an emergency.

It's like just think about all that you rely on or brings you comfort in life ... Notice how without light you can't see in the dark, or how valuable your phone is to you and how quickly you would lose access. How are you gonna cook those things in a power outage? How are you gonna wash your clothes that have filled up the hamper? Shower? Stay warm? Stay cool? And what's funniest about it all, is they say they'll "just" deal!

Bahahahahahahaha y'all have trouble "dealing" even when there isn't an emergency! Bruh! Be real!

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

My dad stocks canola oil because it’s “so high in calories” and I asked him if he planned on living off straight canola oil and he said “yes” with a straight face… like come on pops let’s be real here you can’t survive without Dr Pepper rn let alone in an emergency

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J701PR4@reddit

At least he won’t have to worry about constipation!

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

My dad will be the only survival of the HVC pandemic (Human Viral Constipation)

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CarbonGod@reddit

Because people make it through everything. Not everything is the end of the world. Have basics in CASE. Others just don't think things will happen to them (how many asshats run stop signs, speed, drive like fuckers....they think they will never get caught or kill anyone)......so prepping is the least of their concern.

Technical-Guava-779@reddit

100% agree -> 'They can figure their own shit out. Shared DNA doesn't mean I owe them.' I'm going to print this sentence on my entrance door !

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tits_mcgee_92@reddit

The hard reality is that you can't make anyone do anything. It sucks, because we want to do what's best for our friends and family, but it's much easier for some people to ignore the truth until it's actually happening in front of them. Sadly, by then, it's already too late.

Not to mention many people in the U.S. are living paycheck to paycheck. Telling them to buy a 3 month emergency supply when they can barely afford to put food on the table just isn't a realistic possibility.

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No-Ideal-6662@reddit (OP)

I 100% agree with you and if we weren’t taking a family vacation to Florida in a few weeks and if they weren’t posting all their fancy meals I wouldnt fault them for it lol. It’s just not a priority for them. At least my dad is kinda receptive but he’s under the impression that, since canola oil is high in calories, he can just stick canola oil lol. I’m trying with these ppl I swear