1. Fire, both house and forest. Forest is less than a mile away.
2. Long term power cut.
3. Long term gas shortage.
4. Nice young RAF chap dropping his Tornado in my back garden.
5. Accident while away training.
6. Maniac farmer with muck spreader.
7. Terrorist attack.
8. War

I'm less but still noticeably concerned with random crime and suitably versed with WMD's to take them quite seriously.

Following suite, and now that I am once again a Colorado resident:

1. Fire, especially now that I have gas utilities again. The house is equipped with CO monitors, smoke detectors, and I have 4 fire extinguishers, and I know where the gas shutoff valve is.

2. Snowstorm, for which I am buying a gasoline powered snowblower, I am filling all my oil lamps again, and I am rigging a 24v control circuit for the fireplace gas system (in case the power also goes out). I am also getting 4 studded snow tires and chains for each vehicle, and have added a 0 degree sleeping bag to each vehicle's kit. I have enough foul weather gear etc for a platoon.

3. Gas shortage, I commute, no longer a problem.

4. Commodity shortage (groceries, sundries), my pantry is overstocked, my refrigerator is stuffed, and I am about to replace the deep freeze I got rid of in the move from Orlando with an even bigger one, which I intend to fill with deer and elk meat soon.

5. Terrorist attack/natural disaster/act of God, I pray everyday. It can't hurt, and who's to say that wasn't what kept me alive in Baghdad?

6. Violent crime, Browning BPS with extended mag in 12 gauge with 20" barrel while at home. Glock 21 with extra magazine loaded with 200 gr. hydrashoks. Maintain situational awareness.

I never worry about power outages much, they generally don’t last that long and with a gas range and a kero heater I can easily provide heat. The garage also has a wood stove in it and I could move out there if I had to for heat. The last big power outage that killed power to 50-million homes all over the north eastern seaboard originated with my electric company (Toledo Edison) but even when many were without power for days, we were only without it for a few hours (I think it was 3-hrs)


A home fire is a concern, but with care and fire extinguishers at the ready it’s a minimal concern.


Gasoline shortage is not something I worry about or plan for too much other then a tank of gas in the van and an extra 5-gal can. I don’t want to store more then a few gallons for emergency use. I think it’s best to prepare for this by having enough supplies to weather short term shortages. Long term fuel shortages would probably mean a much more drastic economic collapse. This could lead to a loss of all the supplies we use as a society. I think having supplies of food, a way to make drinkable water and a way to cook on hand can really give a comfort zone for this. I suppose hunting could supplement your food supplies, but a lot of people will think this and the woods may not be a safe place with large numbers of hungry people with little firearm experience wanting to shoot everything that moves. Probably better to stay out of any woods.



A riot is a possibility, we had a small one a few years ago when the Nazi party came to Toledo and had a march in an inter-city neighborhood. My brother is a county sheriff and was on-scene during the riots. They were told to stay on the perimeter and keep out of the rioters way, let them do what they want to do in their own neighborhoods. Don’t shoot anyone and cause an incident. The Nazi demonstrators were not the ones rioting, but more the ones stirring the pot.





Violent crime.
I try to avoid areas where it generally happens. But a firearm is the answer to this in an extreme case, but it’s always better to walk away then to shoot. Many times just allowing a gun to be seen can defuse a situation. I agree with being aware of your surroundings can be the most important thing here.

>I was just wondering about other parts of the country (world) and what you plan for and what you don’t plan for or feel the need to not plan for.

1. Home Invasion
2. Burglary

I guess the only real difference to the victim is whether or not you are home. A true home invasion usually involves significant violence. Many burglaries only result in property theft or damage.

A few weeks ago we had break-in attempts two nights in a row. We were home. Flash lights, screens removed, etc, etc. They did not get in. No one is dead, critical or in jail.

We considered the attempt a worthy test. A scenario plan was written. The plan was passed by interested parties that would be involved if a real entry and conflict played out.

If you are a potential victim give it some thought. A good source of information is -

GOOGLE SEARCH -
Results of about 1,380,000 for "home invasion" [definition].

I go with a ten year rule - if it hasn't happened her in ten years, I don't put it on my worry list. Also, what is likely to happen every year?

So for Chicago ( or any part of the mid west) expectations go like this;

1. Blizzard / extreme cold
2. Power loss
3. extreme heat
4. tornado / thunderstorm
5. Other ( mostly concerning loss of provided services for a time or gridlock)


Teacher

( +1 above to a whole different list for outdoor / wilderness activities)

I think the one natural disaster I try to keep in mind when I prepare a BOB or kit is a tsunami, the one forecast to occur when half of a volcano falls off one of the Canary Islands. It's not something I want to occur or even entirely believe will as a worse case scenario, but if that is the standard I am working toward, then my preparations should be able to handle many less impressive events. My thinking is that if you prepare for the worst, you'll be prepared for a lot.

I gear my stuff toward having and being able to acquire food, water, clothing, shelter, fire, first aid, and perhaps a few other things.

My first aid kit is geared towards things I think I can or mght be able to use. No stitches for example, but lots of gauze, tape, an eyewash, disinfectants and some medications for simple things like mild pain relievers (aspirin, tylenol, etc.), immodium, decongestants and antihistamines.

I think you also need to think about lesser and more local events, to see if there are holes in your plans. Preparing for a tsunami may leave you not having considered the ways in which you might deal with things like a fire. Perhaps, you might overlook having a fire extinguisher.

The other ones I tend to think about include storms (hurricanes, blizzards, etc.), terror attacks, blackouts, fire, civil unrest, etc. Each may or may not have me adding things to what I have as gear, but what I want DW and myself thinking about is how do we react and react quickly. NYC is not a place I want to be stuck in for all that long.

I prepare for social/general. By social I mean the infrastructure of society breaking down to a degree. By general I mean that my basic strategy is to shelter in place, and that works against a wide variety of outside disasters, including nuclear, epidemic, and zombies (if they are the slow sort that are stymied by door-knobs, otherwise I'm a bit stuffed).

So for example, although the supermarkets seem to have lots of stuff on their shelves, I know they are serving a wide area and they probably operate a "just in time" stocking policy which means they are liable to run out quite quickly (especially if there is panic buying). I witnessed this a few years ago, when lorry drivers went on strike over fuel prices, and after just a week there were some shortages in supermarket bread. My preparations involve stock-piling food and other consumables (eg toilet paper).

Mains supplies of gas, electricity and water can be interrupted by a variety of things, including the supply company getting into difficulties. I try to diversify in the hope that not all suppliers are affected at once. I can cook with gas or electricity, and I also have an open coal fireplace with a stockpile of coal so I can keep warm. I stockpile drinking water and batteries and have plans for replenishing them.

I don't prepare for the end of civilisation as we know it. That would probably involve finding a career that would be more useful in such circumstances. I don't much prepare for natural disasters because in the UK we don't really have many. Earthquakes are rarely severe, hurricanes and volcanoes unknown. Tornadoes happen but are extremely local so I figure if my house is hit I'll just check into a hotel or something.

My preps for living in Colorado, suburban area, in no particular order:

(1) Emergencies during hiking/outdoors activities (PSK, extra gear - I carry a heavier pack, definitely not an "ultralight" hiker!)

(2) House fire (tons of smoke detectors, CO detectors)

(3) Personal assault (CCW, training, practice)

(4) Snowstorm while at home (extra food, extra 20lb propane tanks plus adapter for Coleman stove, enough LED flashlights to light the entire metro area)

(5) Blizzard on the road (extra clothing, sleeping bags, food)

(6) Computer disaster (frequent backups to external removable harddrives, and DVDs/CDs stored in a safe deposit box)

1. The impending Zombie menace
2. Hurricanes
3. Fires, house and wildland
4. Home invasion robbery, Burglary
5. Temporary disruption of essential utilities & services
6. Temporary disruptions to commerce & the economy
7. Temporary disruptions to civil order & law enforcement
8. Industrial and environmental accidents
9. Anything unforeseen and unpleasant

In addition to being prepared for the sorts of "big" disasters that could befall my community, I consider having food, etc. stored to be an affordable and convenient form of personal, short-term unemployment and disability insurance.

Anyone with three to six months of groceries on hand is certainly better able to cope with a sudden job loss than anyone without.

Jeff

the zombie menace is top priority. But as Shaun of the dead has shown, the army will arrive just in time. I read World War Z and find it very disturbing today that it was announced Kim Jong Ill has become sick. No one saw the crafty North Koreans by the end of the book. Are they hidden safely underground or did they become infected and millions of zombies are waiting to be relaesed? I need to know!

We all know that The Umbrella Corpoaration from from Resident Evil is based on a cabal of microsoft and google run by haliburton.

buy bullets!