Post away,great discussions and we all are interested in the subjects here.

How do prepare for everything? The answer is you can't. You can only prepare for what you think is the most likelihood of events that may dramatically affect you and your area. Otherwise you might as well pack up and scurry off into the mountains and take on the bunker mentality of "living" that other so called survivalist forums promote and subscribe yourself to their paranoid thinking and mentality of fear from Bio attacks, Terrorist attacks, Nuclear plant fallout etc...

Tes,I dont live in fear,Im not in a bunker.

But Im a realist and can see trends.When I CAN prepare I do,when its too expensive it just cant be done.There does need to be a balance.

To ignore nuke meltdown....not here ever again.

Ive seen 2 now blanket large geographical areas (Yes,fallout on the west coast,and EAST coast even)....to say Im immune because I dont live next to something,no.Not me.

Bio-warfare? Its a reality,the military trains for it and has weapon systems designed to defeat it and still operate,its REAL....and there has never been a weapon system developed that hasnt been used,historical fact.Add in tech,its a very real possibility for the next war.Paranoia,no,reality in a real world,it exists.

100 bucks will protect a family with meds from anthrax and partially from a nuke meltdown

Im going to expand my borders beyond my local area as some threats just dont recognize borders,but can reasonably be prepared for.

And some cant,period.

I was an Eagle scout as a kid, so the whole "Be Prepared" thing always stuck with me.

With that said, I didn't really get into true emergency preparedness until Y2K and then 9/11. 9/11 hit especially hard, as I was living basically right across the Hudson river from NYC at the time. Had a pretty good view of the smoke from the burning rubble of the trade center every time I looked out my window. Made me realize how I was basically living right next to a major target and should probably prepare accordingly.

Life is the best teacher. Every time a problem occurs, I learn what I need do in the event it were to happen again.

I learn to add an additional piece of gear, learn a technique or use a combination of both.

That and I seem to have a first aid “fetish.” I study first aid guides, read articles, practice what what I read or otherwise learn and test first aid gear. I also have collection of first aid kits. Every time I buy a new kit, I have to open it as soon as I get in the car.

Jeanette Isabelle

I was a Boy Scout when I was a kid, and spent most of my time outdoors. Joined the military right out of high school and learned a lot from that experience.

Personally, I just don't like being dependent on anyone or any organization to take care of me in any way. I don't believe that the government should provide for people's care.

And I don't like the idea of being like the folks I see every day who can barely manage to figure out how to put gas in their car or change a tire.

I'm the go-to guy at work for problem solving, it comes natural to me. I spend more time thinking outside the box than inside it.

I had a few rough experiences when I was a young adult, which brought back memories of some smaller lessons my dad had taught me as a child. His "knife, string, and matches" rule for a walk in the woods seemed to make a lot of sense, especially metaphorically, about so many things.

I'm certainly nowhere near as well prepared as some of you, but then things have been a little rough lately. It also gets tough convincing family sometimes why I want to purchase a small camp stove and a few cans of fuel for it, but then if we have an extended power outage they'll be grateful for the hot meals, and that matters more to me than a lot of things. The same applies to the tarp I keep with the spare tire in the car, though the first aid kit is never questioned, and my 'crazy man kits' come in handy for bandages and allergy meds more than anyone else thinks to be prepared for them.

I think I'm wearing them down a little.

I think it helps if you have outdoor interests or your job gets you out. You will wind up with equipment and experience that will help in a lot of emergencies. A lot of what might be termed my 'prepping activities" is nothing more than organizing my outdoor baubles and trinkets so that they are accessible when needed on short notice.

Hang in there - your preps will pay off.

Some level of emergency preparation seems like common sense. A perhaps more interesting question might be: who did you come to decide on your current level of preparation?

For me, the combined concerns of budget, energy, and my area's likely risks have led me to prepare only for the short term threats. This level of preparation seems like something that almost everyone can and should do. However, I don't think this is all a rational process. Why do some prepare for the long term as well, while others worry only about the short term? I think psychology is involved.

Like Izzy and LesSnyder, the hurricane season of 2004 was the tipping point for me. I've lived in Florida my whole life and that season was a doozy. I was moving 150 miles north DURING the first hurricane, Charley, lost my house in the second, Frances, and STILL keep lots of personal items in plastic bins in my garage. Bugged out during Frances, went north toward Georgia. Wound up as far as Valdosta before the parking lot that was I-75 finally made me say enough is enough. Had my mom with us and she went into heart failure while there. Yep, pretty much buggered that year. Since then I've been fairly prepped, but food and stores are my main concern for long term. All that "doomsday preppers" makes for pathetic TV, so stick to this forum and level headed, "we're all in this together", VERY helpful and kind people will make the journey fun, humorous, and enjoyable.