When Tom Ridge was in charge of Homeland Security (Remember the color chart?) He encouraged people to purchase cases of bottled water, plastic sheeting and my favorite….Duct Tape.
This was a pretty funny list, considering that I grew up in the generation who thought that ducking under your school desk would save you from an Atomic Blast.
However, we do need to have a list pretty soon, unless you want to be eating at soup kitchens in another 6 months.
Do try to stock up on canned foods, but be warned that canned tomato products and mushrooms do not have a long shelf life.
Pick low acid foods that you cannot grow in your own gardens. High acid foods, such as many garden grown fruits can be home canned in jars.
As far as frozen foods, as long as you have electricity will work fine. Having a generator helps as long as you can get fuel, so it’s advisable, despite the current prices, to store gasoline in approved containers in locked sheds away from the house. How much is anyones guess.
Having a hand gun or rifle is also a good idea. Keep a few thousand rounds of ammunition separate from the weapon, but close enough if needed.
Having a large water garden (Pond) dug in your yard is a good source of water in an emergency. Boiling water in a pinch will work, and you can keep bass and trout as pets until needed.
Try and keep as little cash in a bank as you can. If a bank goes down at the same time as the government, the FDIC isn’t going to save your ass.
Get rid of credit cards. When all else fails, those bastards will still come after you for their money. Same with any mutual stocks.
Know your neighbors. Even in an apartment complex you can all help each other and repel any problems that may occur. Remember, homeless people, no matter what class they came from are going to be terribly desperate scrounging food, water and fuel. The suburbs are no safer no matter how far from the city you are.
And for God’s sake, watch your children. There are idiots out there who will steal them and use them for currency.
Trust me, if you think anything you read about 1929 is scary, you haven’t seen anything yet!
Thanks, George Bush.