Any PREPPERS here?

[safeorigin]

I hope those in PH don't model themselves after the crackpots here in the US. The Filipino pysche is quite different from that here (US). The crackpots here intentionally wish to isolate themselves from the rest of humanity. That's why they live in isolated regions. Filipinos are more community-minded despite all the bickering that goes on. The last thing you want to do is distance yourself from other Filipinos. That's exactly what you would do by having all these firepower around.

My wife's relatives in Tacloban City experienced the full fury of Haiyan and its aftermath (one nephew even had to dive down nearly 10m of storm surge to rescue his youngest child). They had nothing left but the clothes on their back and their homes reduced to a pile of debris. Yet, they still managed to smile despite having lost everything. They already experienced the Doomsday scenario mentioned here and survived.

Some of my wife's photos during her visit to assess damage to her property.

except there's one problem with "communities"

diffusion of responsibility

the good thing about being a "crackpot" is that they're mostly self sufficient - a mentality that is lacking among Filipinos.

[Jun aka Pekto]

except there's one problem with "communities"

diffusion of responsibility

the good thing about being a "crackpot" is that they're mostly self sufficient - a mentality that is lacking among Filipinos.

I'd still align myself with the community based on accounts I gathered from my wife's relatives. Although there was a degree of lawlessness in the aftermath of Haiyan, they've always been there whether there was a natural disaster or not.

I expected the worst when I heard the news about Tacloban City. But, the closeness of family got all of my wife's relatives through. Not one of them died even though many were squarely in the path of the storm surge. The survivors who were better off opened their doors (and larders) to those who lost everything. As it turned out, they had enough resources to stay alive (with some rationing due to the increased number of mouths) until government and international aid arrived.

For those preppers in the PH, have you given a thought to location of your residences and/or evacuation areas? It won't matter how much stuff you stockpile if they're all underwater or go up in flames.

[Ry_Tower]

I did an essay once on Disaster Preparedness. One of my emphasis was on the availability of potable water which can met by using solar stills. One design caught my interest enough that I emailed its designer for permission to use his slides.

Eliodomestico:

This is good ha. it could even be made big so that you can store more water in case there is no sun.

[safeorigin]

I'd still align myself with the community based on accounts I gathered from my wife's relatives. Although there was a degree of lawlessness in the aftermath of Haiyan, they've always been there whether there was a natural disaster or not.

I expected the worst when I heard the news about Tacloban City. But, the closeness of family got all of my wife's relatives through. Not one of them died even though many were squarely in the path of the storm surge. The survivors who were better off opened their doors (and larders) to those who lost everything. As it turned out, they had enough resources to stay alive (with some rationing due to the increased number of mouths) until government and international aid arrived.

For those preppers in the PH, have you given a thought to location of your residences and/or evacuation areas? It won't matter how much stuff you stockpile if they're all underwater or go up in flames.

I live in a Typhoon prone province and the house is relatively elevated as it is sitting on a shallow hill. So far, we have at least 3 possible bug out locations with plenty of supplies. I guess it's the perk of running two businesses, drug stores and hardware stores.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I live in a Typhoon prone province and the house is relatively elevated as it is sitting on a shallow hill. So far, we have at least 3 possible bug out locations with plenty of supplies. I guess it's the perk of running two businesses, drug stores and hardware stores.

That's good to hear. I mentioned that last part in my earlier post because I think Filipinos tend to be natural stockpilers because of that tendency to flood and the unreliable electrical power. My wife's relatives were no exception. They had ample food and other supplies when Haiyan hit. But, the storm surge washed everything away.

[safeorigin]

Most people will laugh at these guys calling them crazy crackpots, but when disaster hits, not sure if they'll still be laughing...



what people don't get is that they don't necessarily have to go back to stone age technology to survive. Mankind has accumulated vast amounts of knowledge over the centuries and one only has to have the proper motivation to learn. Basic carpentry, basic electrical wiring to something as mundane as fishing will go a long way compared to sitting in the office and being complacent over what the future brings.

Simple question like, do I have a flashlight in my pocket, or some rain gear? It boils down to mentality. Growing up as a kid, the other kids think it's "uncool" to have water jugs, umbrellas, rain boots, and ponchos. This mentality is still predominant when I got into college. The other guys call it "parang bata" or "mommy's boy" just because I have rain gear with me. But guess who has the smug grin when Espana turns into a freakin' river? That's right. See ya suckas!

[Monty]

SO, boy scout ka rin pala. :-)

[_Cathy_]

Growing up as a kid, the other kids think it's "uncool" to have water jugs, umbrellas, rain boots, and ponchos. This mentality is still predominant when I got into college. The other guys call it "parang bata" or "mommy's boy" just because I have rain gear with me. But guess who has the smug grin when Espana turns into a freakin' river? That's right. See ya suckas!

rain boots and poncho? Definitely not cool I hope you were not bullied. Some kids can be really ruthless.

[Jun aka Pekto]

what people don't get is that they don't necessarily have to go back to stone age technology to survive. Mankind has accumulated vast amounts of knowledge over the centuries and one only has to have the proper motivation to learn. Basic carpentry, basic electrical wiring to something as mundane as fishing will go a long way compared to sitting in the office and being complacent over what the future brings.

Where I'm from in rural Nevada, all of the above are the basics, including owning a few guns (deer rifle, shotgun maybe), ATVs, MREs, portable generator, etc. They're normal to everyone because they're part of rural life. Even something as mundane as a snowfall can leave many areas isolated with people on their own.

I don't even really need guns. I have a couple at my uncle's house back in Nevada. But, I don't see the need for an arsenal. Knives? I have just one (the wife has more) which is sufficient for my needs in the desert. Nothing fancy. But, it gets the job done:


The "crackpots" are those people with fricking arsenals of weapons and other hardware designed for no other purpose than to kill people. For the price of all those hardware, I rather spend them on more food and consumables (medicine, first-aid kits, batteries, etc) in case I have to share with other people.

Simple question like, do I have a flashlight in my pocket, or some rain gear? It boils down to mentality. Growing up as a kid, the other kids think it's "uncool" to have water jugs, umbrellas, rain boots, and ponchos. This mentality is still predominant when I got into college. The other guys call it "parang bata" or "mommy's boy" just because I have rain gear with me. But guess who has the smug grin when Espana turns into a freakin' river? That's right. See ya suckas!

I spent a few years on the Philippines and studied there. When it rained, I had an umbrella to keep me dry. There's no cool or uncool about it. It's all about staying dry or getting wet. I always a brought a schoolbag with me. So, it's no problem stuffing an umbrella in there. Or, I just find a pretty girl with an umbrella and ask if she would share (always a yes). I did the latter a lot even though I had an umbrella in my bag. It's a good excuse to snuggle up close to them.

[safeorigin]

rain boots and poncho? Definitely not cool I hope you were not bullied. Some kids can be really ruthless.

Well, it's practical since they can be made to be super compact. Rain boots are important. Definitely don't want whatever's in the sewer getting in my foot. When it rains hard and there's flood, cat-sized dire rats and cockroaches come out.

I'm talking about these vermins

[Jun aka Pekto]

I'm talking about these vermins

I've seen rats that big on occasion. When I was younger, we had to ride out some typhoons. We were more concerned about 1. snakes taking shelter from the rain and 2. centipedes. My mom encountered a number of rice snakes which she killed with a machete. They're quite common in the grassy areas of the subdivisions at LPC. We also encountered some snakes that were banded. I'm not sure if they were poisonous. But, they were quite aggressive and will confront you instead of trying to slither away.Of course, all that did is piss off my mom even more.

[safeorigin]

The "crackpots" are those people with fricking arsenals of weapons and other hardware designed for no other purpose than to kill people. For the price of all those hardware, I rather spend them on more food and consumables (medicine, first-aid kits, batteries, etc) in case I have to share with other people.

woah, there. I hope you're not overgeneralizing as there are a lot of weapon collectors out there who use firearms for purposes other than shooting people, i.e. competition shooters, historic weapons collectors, range shooting, having fun. I don't think that shooting people crossed their mind when they collected those.

[iceblueyes]

even then, you can't really call them "crackpots"

most of them have seen or experienced calamities where rampant looting and other crimes happen. Kita narin naman natin sa T.V. e
They just want to be able to defend themselves against those with ill intentions. Most preppers naman would be happy to help anyone friendly in those extreme situations.

[Vodka]

anti-gunner LOL

[Jun aka Pekto]

woah, there. I hope you're not overgeneralizing as there are a lot of weapon collectors out there who use firearms for purposes other than shooting people, i.e. competition shooters, historic weapons collectors, range shooting, having fun. I don't think that shooting people crossed their mind when they collected those.

There's a fine line between gun enthusiasts and paranoid racists who think they're being surrounded from all sides by invading savages (aka non-white folks). They're hard to tell apart, they frequent the same gun ranges, they frequent the same gun shows, and they both have the same general survivalist views except one of them has the intent of using their guns on people from the very start.

My uncle is a gun collector as are many of his friends. They're the ones who warned me about some folks who moved in during the past few years and they're not exactly like the regular townsfolks we know.

Perhaps in the PH, the notion is far-fetched. Out here in the US, it's very real. There really are places where Filipinos and other non-white folks have to be careful and watch their surroundings.

Then there are the militias here in Arizona who say they are helping the Border Patrol catch illegals. I don't buy it. Many of them are probably heavily-armed racists itching to use their guns. I wouldn't be surprised if they're responsible for some of the deaths along the border. You don't have to shoot anyone to kill them. A simple lack of water is enough.

[frenchtower]

Tell us how do you plan on defending your family and your stash of food and water against these "crackpots" with guns? A knife? Goodluck with that.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Me? Just go to the neighbors. Many of them have guns plus, our homeowners association is very active in keeping order. Also, the sheriff's (or maybe deputy sheriff's) home is only 3 houses down. There's very few outsider traffic here. The fire department is just around the corner.

A few years ago, my mother-in-law fainted and I called 911. Within a minute, 2 cop cars, a firetruck, and an ambulance arrived.

Edit:

I have guns back in Nevada. I want to bring them here. But, the wife is vehemently against it especially since we still have kids living with us.

[safeorigin]

But then, the main reason why militias are there in the borders is because the border patrols aren't exactly doing a good job keeping illegal aliens out.

Part of the discrimination stems from illegal drug smuggling along the borders which is what Mexican drug cartels are notorious for; I think the whole problem wouldn't have exacerbated if it weren't for Operation Fast and Furious.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I have no problems with legit militias. As a veteran/retiree, I've been approached by them before (a friend of a friend of a friend thing), especially considering I'm not exactly an Obama fan. If all they did was report illegals to law enforcement, cool. The thing is, some act like vigilantes and they are the ones pointing the guns. That I have a problem with. It only takes one with a twisted mind to pull the trigger and we're going to have big problems here.

I'm against illegals like many here where I live. But, I also have a humanitarian mind. Unfortunately, many of these militias don't see them as human beings at all. That's why I'm wary of the militias.

As for the druggies, they're starting to move north (eg near the Canadian border in New York where I lived recently). That's why aerial drones have set up shop there.

[safeorigin]

While it's cool to collect lots of stuff, a reminder from Dave Canterbury