I need a recommendation for a website for realistic planning of events such as a nuclear attack or a total collapse of the dollar.

I don't want any that indulge in TEOTW fantasies or put emphasis on armed conflicts with the unprepared. As Hikermor said, "Laying in a large armory and the required ammo is a massive misuse of resources better devoted to other items."

Jeanette Isabelle

I don´t see how preparing for nuclear attack or dollar crash differ from preparing for a storm, electric black out or earth quake.

Well, all out nuclear attack one may not want to survive. Since the world has returned to the stone age after such an event.

Preparing for a nuclear attack or the dollar collapsing is different because they are long term, resulting in adapting to a new lifestyle.

Jeanette Isabelle

What exactly is the definition of TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It)?

The "This is not a survivalist web site" link in the forum rules is dead.

It seems your two topics are getting pretty close.

Well - to the first point - this is NOT that site.

Second, being "well prepared" can and does mean a lot of different things to different people. To get an appreciation for some of that type of idea (beyond this site and the goals it has) check out the long running survivalblog.com. There are years worth of material there to make you think and could help with this sort of planning. Then... check around and see where that leads you on the wide open intertubes.

So, with that - back to our usual programing!

Ok - all kidding aside, the idea for us here and for the establishment of this site has been best said on the web page:

Equipped To Survive® is the most comprehensive online resource for independent reviews of survival equipment and outdoors gear, as well as survival and Search and Rescue information. Equipped To Survive® will help you determine the best choices to prepare for anything from a hike in the park to a life threatening emergency or disaster. Please note that this is not a "survivalist" site. The Equipped To Survive™ Web site is supported by the non-profit 501(c)(3) Equipped To Survive Foundation and edited by noted survival authority, Douglas S. Ritter.

Good luck!

I can't give you an official definition. I define it as "The world as you knew it is gone. Adapt to a new lifestyle."


Chaos Magnet deleted that thread and reminded me that I could not create such topics. I asked him if I can make this topic asking for recommendations. He said yes.

Jeanette Isabelle

ZombieHunters is a good forum that deals with guns, meds, survival and of course zombies! Survivalistboards is also pretty good for a fringe/survivalist place.

There is a blog called "Notes from the Bunker" at http://commanderzero.com/

Use the 'search' function on his site and you can get some good information there. The comments to the posted articles often have good references too.

The only Zombie Hunters I found is a game.


I'm in the process of reading one of the topics. My initial impression is this is another web site where people live out their TEOTWAWKI fantasies. If you feel this is a legitimate prepper website, I'll continue to read what they have to say.

Jeanette Isabelle

I'm sorry, I meant "ZombieSquad." I sometimes develop CRS!

Taking a step back, first decide what you need to prepare for:

The 'good cop' of the internet: Wikipedia, is always a good place to start.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_holocaust

Covers the likelihood of a nuclear holocaust. And whether you need to prepare for EMP, nuclear winter, starvation....

From the little I've seen of preppers sites they seem nonsense. I've yet to see one (though as I admit, I've not seen many) with a radiation detector in their kit. Surely item number one if you really think some areas are going to be certain death if the wind is in the wrong direction, whatever you do.

As for the dollar becoming worthless; it sounds absurd. The US dollar is the worlds reserve currency. The arabs struck oil, you struck everything. You are a manufacturing, finance, academia, techological, computing, agricultural, fisheries, timber, oil, coal, gas, gold, silver etc, etc giant. A huge (330 million) skilled and educated workforce. A military that could probably defeat the rest of the world combined. You spend as much as the next 10 countries together The count of countries the US has invaded keeps growing. The number that have invaded you has remained the same since 1812; zero.
how could that possibly happen?
qjs

Actually there is one country that could destroy the US dollar: The United States.
If Lee had won the battle of Gettysburg (and he thought he would have if Jackson had not been shot by his own pickets six weeks earlier). The south might have taken Washington and it could be the US dollar, not the Confederate dollar that was worthless.
qjs

Redacted.


I'm currently digging through one right now, looking for nuggets of useful information.


The U.S. dollar is the current reserve currency of the world. The reason for this is, nations buy and sell oil using U.S. dollars. Some people don't like this. Therefore, they've talked about buying and selling oil with gold instead of U.S. dollars. This action will flood the market with U.S. dollars.

Jeanette Isabelle

Many prefer to do business in euro instead of dollar.

The "every man for himself" mindset that I am seeing is turning me off.

As Hikermor said:

If our money becomes worthless and the supply chain stops, I would like it if our gated community could pull our resources together. There are skills in just about every field in our gated community. For example, on our block alone, there are at least three nurses.

The problem is obvious: other than wild turkeys roaming our fenced-in community and lots of trees, what resources do we have to pull together? There's not a lot of space for growing food. Are we somehow able to make trades with the neighboring small farms (which are slowly dwindling due to new home construction)?

Trees can be chopped down and used for something. That alone would free up more space for growing more food. If there is a way to domesticate the wild turkeys, we could raise turkeys. I may not have a green thumb, but I have experience with composting. With all the trees we have, we would have lots of fertile soil.

Is there anything else even if it is not a "survivalist" website?

Jeanette Isabelle

The question of natural resources, especially food, that can be utilized in an emergency is fascinating., It is well worthwhile looking at Native Americans and their history for insights.

If I were in a survival situation anywhere, I would wish for coastal California with its abundant tide pool foods. Twice a day, the table is set, usually abundantly. One has to learn about different foods, and how to prepare them, but there is plenty of chow available. Besides sea food, there is an abundant tuber which can be eaten raw. i have tried it a few times, and it is quite delicious, raw. And then there are oaks and their acorns. Formerly oaks were a mainstay of aboriginal diets, providing enough food that agriculture never really established in California.

Similarly, in the desert Southwest, you have pinyon pine nuts, cactus fruit, and many other leafy green veggies, all certified organic, non-GMO, Fair Traded, etc.

I know less about the native food plant resources of Florida without doing some research, but I am sure there is more than turkeys and trees...

Thse foods were sufficient for a much smaller population than is now present, but most people will remain uninformed or unwilling to drastically change froma McDonald's diet. Those who can make the switch will do much better. Of course, harvesting is seasonal, so careful planning is essential. Realistically , native foods are only supplemental, but they can easily make a big difference

jeanette Isabel wrote:

'The U.S. dollar is the current reserve currency of the world. The reason for this is, nations buy and sell oil using U.S. dollars. Some people don't like this. Therefore, they've talked about buying and selling oil with gold instead of U.S. dollars. This action will flood the market with U.S. dollars.'

How would people stop using dollars make the dollar worthless?
A switch to gold would probably make the US richer not poorer. You have more gold reserves than the next three countries combined. And lots still in the ground.
The countries deciding to wreck the dollar (and I can't see what combination could) would be doing themselves immense harm. The worlds biggest customer suddenly has no money? Who is going to want that?
I think this is stepping into the preppers fantasy territory. A nuclear war, yellowstone erupting, possibly a solar flare of carrington event size would be catastrophic. A weaker dollar not.

qjs

This is kind of a tough discussion. I think that in general terms most of us understand that pandemics have plagued mankind (no pun intended) from the beginning of human civilization. It's been a century since the Western world has faced an epidemic with millions of deaths. Experts have long warned that a serious pandemic is probably inevitable, so it's not if but when. So is COVID19 that killer? Probably not. It doesn't seem to lethal enough to end human civilization.

However that doesn't mean it can't disrupt things badly. The US is far less prepared for a pandemic than many other countries for lots of complicated reasons.

I do think this will be a learning experience. It seems like every big panic/event has its own unique issues. Personally I was pretty surprised to see the run on TP; it makes no sense to me whatsoever. But when this whole thing runs its course I think we'll all have some adjustments to make in our emergency plans.

Due to the nature of this discussion, we have to continue it in private.

Jeanette Isabelle

Due to the minerals in the soil, Florida is an ideal place for raising grass-fed beef. Because the cows are getting everything they need, the ranchers do not need to supplement their diets. But, because of all the new home construction, land to raise cattle is shrinking.

Even is we were somehow able to reclaim the land, how are we to process the beef? I don't know of any place nearby that does that.

This is outside my area of knowledge, but Florida is an excellent place for winter vegetables.

Jeanette Isabelle

If push comes to shove, one would "process" the beef by themselves. eat the tasty bits and remove them from the less desirable items, like intestines.

I did a search on "wild plant foods Florida" - lots of references. Here's a starter list:

Van Atta, M., Living of the Land, B & B Reproductions, Inc, 1973.
Deuerling, R.J., Lantz, P.S., Florida's Incredible Wild Edibles, Florida Native Plant Society, 1993.
Rawlings, M. K. , Cross Creek Cookery,
Bowers, P. G., I Eat Weeds, Buttercup Press, 1996.
Bell, R. and Taylor, B.J. Florida Wildflowers and Roadside Plants, Laurel Hill Press, 1982
Colvin et. al. , Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Serv.
Nelson Gil, The Trees of Florida, Pineapple Press Inc. Sarasota Fl., 1994, photo #46, pg. 172.

Depending upon wild native foods is not easy.Even well established hunter/gatherer groups throughout the world experienced tough times and hardships, but there is food out there for the gathering, and it can make a difference.

Even dandelions provide edible bits...

I "winter" in Why AZ, a very small town on the edge of a very large native nation. A native woman said "You look at the desert and see a hostile and barren place and I see Wal-mart."

Nomad.

Exactly!! That native nation has occupied that turf long enough to know it very well and use all its resources correctly.

Thank you for this recommendation. My first impression wasn't all that positive. However, I'm glad I looked into it anyway. There is a section that addresses the correlation between prepping and religion. And while I don't have a clear direction at this time, the fact that others in the same boat and I are talking about it is a good thing.

Jeanette Isabelle

Glad it was helpful, Jeanette_Isabelle. There's some really nice folks over there, to be honest. Like anywhere there's a few nuts but lots of helpful people as well.

I've been reading content on The Prepared lately.

I find their input fairly level headed. Granted some of it goes beyond what I think is necessary on the preparedness scale, but it gives you things to consider.

A lot of good reading and product evaluations from a variety of experienced individuals in relative fields.

That was great while it lasted. One of the moderators, for whatever reason, could not accept that I made a mistake with some wording.

I learned what I needed to. Therefore, I don't need any additional recommendations.

Jeanette Isabelle

Yeah, the moderation over there is kind of all over the map. It's much better here!

Herman30 & all: Reading your comment about the post nuclear Holocaust world, I am reminded of a comment by Albert Einstein. Not an exact quote but the gravamen of his comment was that while he wasn’t sure exactly what weapons would be employed in WW III, he was certain that WW IV would be fought with sticks and stones. Sage advice that the whole world should take to heart.

top of my list is still Bruce Clayton's old 1980 book.

he states that being ready for the absolute worse-case scenario of a global nuclear conflict, one is then prepared for lesser disasters.

https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Doomsday-Survivalist-Disasters/dp/B000EI4M5W

https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Doomsday-Bruce-Clayton/dp/0873641752

I was looking for discussion groups that deal with that subject, not books.

Jeanette Isabelle