Being a single female, and being scared of the present day crisis, am I over reacting, in loading up on ammo? I got a case of 12 ga, 380, 9mm and 308. How much water do I need? Do I need protective gear in case of bio or germ warfare? I was reading one of the posts that said, not to use a gas mask from a military surplus, as there have been cases of agent orange or gulf war syndrome. Will someone tell me what I really need on my list to feel safe? I have my handguns, rifles, and shotguns....and lots of ammo. Batteries, flashlights, canned food. <br><br>

Huntress, First of all, you , me and several million others need to take a deep breath and calm down.The overpriced gas masks, firearm sales etc. are one big national sugar coated placebo. I know to many people weary of #10 cans of Y2K greenbeans rapidly approaching expiration dates. You live in Vegas. What are the immediate known threats locally? I know flooding and berserk Elvis impersonators happen,what else? Is your vehicle suitable for desert travel ? Pink T-Birds look great on the strip, not so good heading out to Elko. Im not being insulting here, you have more than most folks. It's time to take a survey of what you have, what you do, and more importantly don't need.Theres a whole new category of growing victims. It's all the people that are now afraid. Don't give them that victory.<br><br>

Excellent response. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Tell yourself you can take control. It will be incremental control over time, not complete control by tomorrow.<br><br>In all situations you need Water, Shelter, Fire, Food. Start with the basics build to levels that make you comfortable.<br><br>Water, to start with you should have at least 1 quart a day for 3 days. That is the barest minimum to keep you alive. Much better would be 1 gallon a day for 3 days, for every person you want to care for. From there you would look at bulk storage of water, water collection systems, and water purifers. Filters and purfiers are different and you need to learn the difference.<br><br>Shelter. Your primary residence is a good start. From there expand your definition of shelter to include clothing, outer wear, rain gear, makeshift shelters, tarps, blankets, etc. A plastic lawn sized trash bag is inexpensive and very versatile. A good wool blanket, a space blanket, poncho or rain gear, and tarp would be inexpensive materials to allow you to provide shelter under different conditions. Think about having a change of durable clothes. Although skirts and dresses may look nice, think about how much protection they would provide if you were in the WTC environment.<br><br>Fire will allow you to cook food, provide heat for your shelter, signal, and provide mental comfort. Have several means to light a fire in bad conditions. Practice starting fires in ideal conditions so you will be prepared for difficult conditions. Matches, lighters, batteries & steel wool, flint & steel, magneisum blocks and strikers, artificial flints, etc. Start with the common matches and lighters. Once you can build a fire with only one match, then begin looking at the only slightly more difficult alternative methods. <br><br>Food: Your body can go 30 days without food and live. You will be uncomfortable and very weak by the end of a month. A couple of days without food but water is not life threatening. You will want to have a store of food to get you through the first 72 hours. These are typically long shelf life type products. Once you have the first 72 hours covered, investigate what products store well, provide balanced nutrition, and you will eat. Food storage and rotation is a change of life style and life long habits for most people. Start slowly and build up to stores that make you comfortable. <br><br>Fear can be overcome by knowledge. As you begin to gather supplies, also be sure to gather knowledge. Knowledge about how you can provide for yourself. A warehouse full of equipment is no use if you don't know how to use it. <br><br>Also try not to fall in the trap that you are so far behind that you will never catch up to where you think you need to be. Set small goals. Develop a basic 72 hour kit, probably in a day pack. Then think about would you add to extend it to a Week kit. How about a Month kit? 3 months. 6 months. 1 year. 3 years. <br><br>Somewhere between a Week and a Month kit, it will no longer be portable. You will come to realize you might want two kits. A portable kit to Grab & Go, what some refer to as a Bug Out Bag (BOB). Then you will have your extended kit if you decide to stay put. At this point you will be hopelessly overcome and will start building mini-kits that fit into Band-aid size boxes that you carry without at all times.<br><br>There is no magic silver bullet. There is no one perfect list of supplies. There is no one answer that is right. You need to determine what are the most likely problems to effect your area. Do you live in Tornado alley or Avalanche country? Do you live in the coastal region subject to flooding or do you live in earthquake country? Are you near nuclear facilities or large military installations? Do you have heavy rail lines or interstate roads near your area of operations that might carry hazardous materials? Are there any manufacturing facilities? Once you identify the hazards in your area, prepare for those first.<br><br>Once you are prepared for the local hazards, you will find it will not take much more to be prepared for a broader range of possibilities.<br><br>

>>Will someone tell me what I really need on my list to feel safe? <<<br><br>I’m sorry, but no one can tell you that.<br><br>You’ve put your finger on the problem, though, with the phrase “feel safe”. I don’t think any of us, no matter how well equipped, really “feel safe” right now.<br><br>Like the pursuit of wealth, though, the pursuit of security can be like chasing a mirage in the desert- you never have “enough” money, or “enough” security, and the more you get, the more aware you are of what you don’t have.<br><br>In my back yard we feed the birds, and the overflow of sunflower seeds feeds squirrels and the occasional chipmunk. There was one in particular that lived under the woodpile somewhere that we used to joke about- he had gotten so much sunflower seed that he had to have a huge cache- we guessed more than 50 pounds, buried somewhere. We joked that he was the best prepared for Y2k of anyone we knew. He used to bask in the sunlight on the fence rail, and from time to time I shared the moment with him, basking in the sun on the deck, just enjoying the day, each of us at least not minding the company of another species doing the same.<br><br>One day I saw a cat get him, and there was nothing I could do. All of the sunflower seed he accumulated in his life didn’t help.<br><br>I knew a man once that was obsessed with survival in the ‘70s and ‘80s, had an impressive arsenal and knew how to use it, honed his skills and seemed to feel that he was prepared for the worst. He died of a heart attack. I’m sure a lot of people here have similar stories.<br><br>Most of us here are equipped to some degree or another, partly from rational judgement, maybe partly because we enjoy the process of learning and preparing… in the end, we’re all going to meet the same fate, and make that same final journey. It may be worth preparing for adversity- we tend to think it is- but it’s not worth obsessing about so that you sacrifice the quality of your whole life. If you do that, what are you fighting to preserve? That last day must inevitably come, and when it does, and you have the chance to look back knowing that it's over, will you care more how long you preserved your life, or how you spent it?<br><br>If the next asteriod hits in our lifetimes, we’re all going to have a Really Bad Day, regardless of how much “stuff” we’ve accumulated. In the meantime, I would be very surprised if you run out of ammo in a firefight before it ends some other way.<br><br><br>

Good question from you, and good replies from the others. Here are my two cents: I noticed that your profile said that you are a corporate exec....do you work in a tall building? Think about your dangers there....granted, the incidents from last week will have everyone thinking about that, but fires happen in tall buildings daily. Assemble a kit for your workplace with some water, food, flashlight, first-aid kit, radio, etc. (there are dozens of posts around here with suggestions). I also want to point out the hoods as mentioned in this forum that are designed to temporarily protect you from the fumes and gasses from a fire. Check Brigade Quartermaster...I know that they did have them.<br>You have certainly found a great place on the web for a lot of good information from not only Doug, but all of the members of this forum. By being aware of the need for preparedness and marching in that direction, you are better off than most of the population....sad to say. Good luck, and God bless.<br><br>

If you haven't already read Chris' adventure on the island. I feel one of the greatest survival tools we have is our mind. Being able to adapt to your surroundings and use what you have can mean life or death. Even if you are well equipped you can still fail. I know of a man who died of hypothermia and was less than 1\2 mile from his car. On his back he had a rucksack with a thermos of hot coffee, a large quilted shirt, a tarp, and a lighter. The best they could figure he had ran around in circles, became exhausted, fell down and died. <br> With a rifle you can harvest food, protect yourself, and use the cartridge to start fires. with a handgun you can do the same. If you don't have a gun use a knife. No knife use a stick. No stick use what you have. <br> In equipping to survive, you not only equip with stuff, but you increase you state awareness, stuff becomes secondary. Like you I have plenty of rounds for my guns. I too moderately prepared for y2k. Preparing is the fun part, surviving is a gift from God. <br> This site has information on just about anything you need to survive and the members on this forum will not steer you wrong. Give them information on the situations you find yourself in and they will give you the best they have. <br> <br> Good Luck, Rick<br>Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.<br> <br><br>

Rick, Thank you for responding to my concerns. I will look for the article about Chris and his island survival. Please know, I come from a Law enforcement family. My Father was in charge of search and rescue. At his ranch, he had 10,000 water tank his own gas tanks and generators. Food storage, and everything a person would need to survive. He passed away in 1986, and I live in a condominium. Now, I have to rely on what he taught me and observed. Thank you again, for taking time out of your day, and for your moral support.<br><br>

Dear Chris, You are right, I need to slow down and take a deep breath. First, of all I used to have a pink 57 t-bird.. but now I drive a truck. I am not a helpless, shrinking violet, I am a strong outdoors woman, and I want to be prepared, and feel that if an emergency arises, I will at least have a chance, and know I did all I could. Thank you for your reply. I so much appreciate all the views expressed to me from the other members. By the way, are you the Chris, that they talk about, that was on the island? <br><br>

That was me. Do you have an inventory? It's easy to miss the forest for the trees looking at an impressive pile of canned food, only to overlook a P-38. When I began my serious ( and ongoing) upgrade, I copied Doug's list. Then I wrote in what I had, the quality and quantity ( Exc, good, fair,oops!) Then I set priorities by need and budget. An off the shelf Cold Steel SRK @ $60 is adequate, even though I yearn for several high end blades.The money saved went into a overdue upgrade from my premium, but vulnerable down bag.The basics go a long way. My premium Wiggy bag and sparklite makes the odds of amputating my own frostbitten foot unlikely. I can rationally pass on the MILSPEC surgical kit for more first aid items, like moleskin for blisters, which are.<br><br>

Dear Chris, what is the title of the article about the survival on the island? I am leaving right now to go get more water. Is it appropriate for me, to write one post to thank all who answered my question?<br><br>

I am new to this web site, and wanted to thank you for the information you posted for me. I can relate, about the storage of the sunflower seeds and the little critter that worked so hard, only to be had by the cat. With all the information, I have received at least I will know, where to start. Thank you again.<br><br>