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Read the papers and it's becoming more clear that a future Biblical-size apocalyptic event is looming ever so closer. Nuke arsenals are growing, rivals are saber rattling more, and tensions are increasing over a dozen or so hot button issues that could quickly devolve into international chaos. Even a domestic civil war, something no one would dream could ever happen again, is starting to get serious consideration:
The nuke thing is starting to become a real fear, like it was in 1984. For the Millennials here, back during the Cold War, there was a very palpable sense of being one disagreement away from nuclear Armageddon. I remember annual drills at school where alarms would go off and classes would suddenly and orderly evacuate to the steam tunnels beneath the school. "Why are we doing this?", I once asked the principal. "In case a nuclear weapon gets dropped on our town", he answered. The collective childhood memory those exercises created for millions of Gen Xers: get to the basement kids before a nuke turns you into a shadow and a pile of dust.
The nuke threat ebbed for many years, to the degree no one talked much about it. But it's more real than ever, the stakes are higher than ever, and the shifting geo-political sands are less stable than ever. I recently found a website that shows how one will fare if a warhead land in your area. For most of the russian arsenal, based on my location and distance to nearest critical targets, I'm dealing with broken windows (unless a 100,000 kiloton Tsar bomb hits the nearest big city, then I am toast).
I'm no hardcore prepper but I do want a basic cache of supplies. Whenever a big storm is predicted for my area, the local grocery store is practically emptied of fresh foods and staples like eggs and bread. And I have no confidence the civil authorities or charities like the Red Cross will be in a position to render assistance like they typically do during natural disasters. Those of us who survive the initial volleys will be on our own.
I have about six weeks worth of freeze dried food, several rolls of visqueen plastic to cover broken windows, and a small arsenal to fend off any roaming bandits. I also have a simple commode made out of a five gallon bucket and an old toilet seat since going outside won't be an option until the radioactive material gets blown out by the windstream. But I'm concerned I may not be thinking this through and coming up with a comprehensive assessment of necessary resources. I defer to those who have a head start on me when it comes to preparing for the unthinkable--
The nuke thing is starting to become a real fear, like it was in 1984. For the Millennials here, back during the Cold War, there was a very palpable sense of being one disagreement away from nuclear Armageddon. I remember annual drills at school where alarms would go off and classes would suddenly and orderly evacuate to the steam tunnels beneath the school. "Why are we doing this?", I once asked the principal. "In case a nuclear weapon gets dropped on our town", he answered. The collective childhood memory those exercises created for millions of Gen Xers: get to the basement kids before a nuke turns you into a shadow and a pile of dust.
The nuke threat ebbed for many years, to the degree no one talked much about it. But it's more real than ever, the stakes are higher than ever, and the shifting geo-political sands are less stable than ever. I recently found a website that shows how one will fare if a warhead land in your area. For most of the russian arsenal, based on my location and distance to nearest critical targets, I'm dealing with broken windows (unless a 100,000 kiloton Tsar bomb hits the nearest big city, then I am toast).
I'm no hardcore prepper but I do want a basic cache of supplies. Whenever a big storm is predicted for my area, the local grocery store is practically emptied of fresh foods and staples like eggs and bread. And I have no confidence the civil authorities or charities like the Red Cross will be in a position to render assistance like they typically do during natural disasters. Those of us who survive the initial volleys will be on our own.
I have about six weeks worth of freeze dried food, several rolls of visqueen plastic to cover broken windows, and a small arsenal to fend off any roaming bandits. I also have a simple commode made out of a five gallon bucket and an old toilet seat since going outside won't be an option until the radioactive material gets blown out by the windstream. But I'm concerned I may not be thinking this through and coming up with a comprehensive assessment of necessary resources. I defer to those who have a head start on me when it comes to preparing for the unthinkable--
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