[eastbay]

Do you have a good woman who can dress game, work a wash tub and who looks sexy in a flour sack dress? If you don't you ought to keep an eye out for one before TSHTF.

You mean, one like this?
[web]http://www.angelpig.org/floursack/flour_sack_dress.gif[/web]

Yes, except it needs to be filled with a woman.

Oh. Does it matter what kind?

[smallpoxgirl]

No where to run to. Not gonna wander off into the woods with a sack of rice Timothy Treadwell style.

For better or worse, this is where I am for now.

[mos6507]

I am ready for the zombies baby. Staying in the city. I got my rainwater catchment, my big food garden, my chickens, my root cellar filled with food and my guns.

Sorry for the semantics, but you have a big food garden with chickens you consider yourself in "the city"? I take it you're not living in downtown Chicago. Sounds more like a small town with lax zoning regulations.

[thuja]

I am ready for the zombies baby. Staying in the city. I got my rainwater catchment, my big food garden, my chickens, my root cellar filled with food and my guns.

Sorry for the semantics, but you have a big food garden with chickens you consider yourself in "the city"? I take it you're not living in downtown Chicago. Sounds more like a small town with lax zoning regulations.

Welcome to Portland, baby.

[Snowrunner]

I am ready for the zombies baby. Staying in the city. I got my rainwater catchment, my big food garden, my chickens, my root cellar filled with food and my guns.

Sorry for the semantics, but you have a big food garden with chickens you consider yourself in "the city"? I take it you're not living in downtown Chicago. Sounds more like a small town with lax zoning regulations.

Welcome to Portland, baby.

Sounds good, can you please give me your address?

[thuja]

I am ready for the zombies baby. Staying in the city. I got my rainwater catchment, my big food garden, my chickens, my root cellar filled with food and my guns.

Sorry for the semantics, but you have a big food garden with chickens you consider yourself in "the city"? I take it you're not living in downtown Chicago. Sounds more like a small town with lax zoning regulations.

Welcome to Portland, baby.

Sounds good, can you please give me your address?

Of course. Its 666 East Jesus Street. Just past Armageddon Avenus. You can't miss it. Its the one with the gun turrets.

[Snowrunner]

I am ready for the zombies baby. Staying in the city. I got my rainwater catchment, my big food garden, my chickens, my root cellar filled with food and my guns.

Sorry for the semantics, but you have a big food garden with chickens you consider yourself in "the city"? I take it you're not living in downtown Chicago. Sounds more like a small town with lax zoning regulations.

Welcome to Portland, baby.

Sounds good, can you please give me your address?

Of course. Its 666 East Jesus Street. Just past Armageddon Avenus. You can't miss it. Its the one with the gun turrets.

Sounds good, I'll get into my tank. Expect a loud knock in a bit.

[thuja]

Sounds good, I'll get into my tank. Expect a loud knock in a bit.

I'll be waiting...bring the kids...we'll have a potluck.

[Loki]

Of course. Its 666 East Jesus Street. Just past Armageddon Avenus. You can't miss it. Its the one with the gun turrets.

Yep, Portland, metro area population of 2+ million and growing exponentially. And yes, chickens. I live in the heart of the beast, and chickens occasionally wander my streets (the neighbors apparently haven't figured out how to keep them in yet). We even have farms and forests in the city limits (for now). No decent shooting ranges, but that's why the gods created Clark County.

Despite our insufferable holier-than-thouness, our hyperliberal city council can't be bothered to spend a few pennies on expanding the community garden program for those of us not rich enough to be able to afford the $300,000+ house prices here (they used the money to subsidize illegal aliens/employers instead). But that's a rant for another time. At least I've got my one little allotment.

As for the OP, I'm staying put, for now at least. But next week I've got a job interview for a position on an organic farm. Not exactly in the hills, but definitely not in the city. Would be a painful pay cut, but I'm seriously considering it. Portland ain't bad, but the country is better. Especially if I can learn how to farm.

[ReverseEngineer]

We don't have any Hills around here to run to. We only have Mountains. BIG freaking Mountains. The Great Wall that God Built. If I ran any further into them, I'd be in danger of falling off the Edge of the World

So anyhow, been contemplating today the opposite set of problems most of you have and wondering how the community will deal with say a Bank Holiday along with the Death of the Plastic.

After my panic attacks last night, headed into work this morning, all normal as usual, though a couple more folks did say to me "Gee, looks like you were right about the market crash". I'm tempted to respond, "Forget the Market Crash you ninny, its the End of Life as We know it!" However, I refrain from such statements these days IRL, and save them for here

A trip over to two supermarkets showed all shelves not only full, but overstocked. I mean the food is literally falling off the shelves. I'm wondering to myself, knowing the size of the population, just how long would it take for us to eat all this stuff? I think it will take quite some time, we just don't have enough people around to empty out these shelves up here. We don't operate with JIT shipping here, it all comes up by container ship, its stocked months in advance, and one has to figure as long as they want to keep the Slope pumping oil and soon Natural Gas, they are going to keep some ships moving in this direction.

I am now tending to think that unless we literally suffocate from methane or take a direct hit with a nuke strike, it could take as long as 2 or 3 years before this business directly affects my life. This does not of course make me any less concerned about the general state of the world.

Far as my job goes, we appear to be doing better than ever and my position feels secure at the moment. Although a few parents I know have been affected with job losses (mostly in the auto sales industry), the local economy mostly operates off the money spent by the Slope workers and by the Soldiers. I don't think we will see job losses in either of those categories of employment.

I think if the dollar fails, a local currency will be issued 1:1 and prices and wages will be effectively fixed for a while. I think there will be heavy restrictions on travel, and the border here will be effectively closed to anyone other than people who have a direct job possibly building a new NG Pipeline or the rotation of military personnel though the bases here.

Given this analysis, it doesn't appear to me at the moment my actual survival is immediately threatened or even that the work I do will change much in the near term. My main personal concern now would be how long the internet lasts as free communication with the rest of the world? Anybody with guesses how long the net will be kept operational in this form?

Reverse Engineer

[SuperTico]

Here goes: I saw this coming when the current Nazi regime stole term two and acted accordingly. I'm out of the city, out of the state and out of the country. 100% prepared.

In 1992 Miami had a hurricane by the name of Andrew. Miami hadn't had a real storm in nearly 3 decades. Most of the population had never seen a hurricane and had forgotten the images from H. Hugo in 1989 so the thing was to buy film, beer, masking tape for the windows and throw a hurricane party!
My neighbors all laughed at me as I prepared for that storm much the same way they laughed at me as I prepared for the current storm that is brewing.
At midnight 8/22/1992 everyone was putting their coolers away and going into the house as it began to rain. At 3 AM the "brisk winds" became 170 plus miles per hour and by 4:30 there was an estimated 40 billion dollars damage and 80% of the houses were un-livable.
5:30 AM brought a clear blue sunrise with not a breeze to be found ( or tree, phone pole, driveable car or intact window-roof)

This is the way violent storms operate. I suggest you get yourselves in gear! It is HIGHLY possible that one of your next mornings might bring you closed banks, a closed stock market, and more armed Nazis in the streets than you ever knew existed.

Good luck to you all. Remember there is no such thing as luck.

"It's called the American Dream because you'd have to be asleep to believe it." -George Carlin

[CharredRodent]

I wanted to get 30 or 50 miles from Anchorage myself but instead I'm moving to a bigger lot with a few acres and trying to grow a small hayfield and vegetables. I tried to grow some wheat this summer but it was too cold and rainy. I did get a lot of potatoes and cabbage to grow.

Peak Oil will create big problems in Alaska although initially Alaskans will continue to be asleep about the problem because high oil prices keep the economy going but we are not protected hardly at all. Gas prices at the pump are still higher then any of the highs the newscasters give when they list the highest gas in the country. Food and other expenses are not buffered here. The food on the shelves will only last a few days once the shortages in the lower 48 start hitting.

It's the same reason there were rice shortages in Anchorage last spring. If people start perceiving a shortage may occur they all rush to the store to stock up at once and the system is not nearly prepared for that deluge. Then it will be weeks before the next container arrives. Combine that with the brilliant government planning that keeps Alaska's emergency food supply in Portland.

A few people who either prepared ahead or pushed harder during the panic buying at the end will have a few weeks worth of food. Everyone else will run out after a few days and then regardless of fish and game rules moose will be eliminated from the Anchorage, Valley and Fairbanks areas within about 24 hours. Then people will start raiding their neighbors who they suspect have food.

The military will step in to curb the riots and looting but since the rest of the U.S. is having the same problems Alaska's oil will be confiscated for the military actions and to supply food convoys in the lower 48. In the meantime since all the agriculture requires oil to supply food Alaska will not be able to have food shipped here any easier then any other starving state. And hardly any food gets grown in Alaska and most of the residents are woefully unprepared to grow a functional food producing garden in the tiny 3 month food growing season.

Hopefully the government will recognize the disasterous futility of trying to support 600,000 people off what a few family farms produce. If they are smart they will get the military to release that huge swath of land near Anchorage to convert to a huge farm area. But that requires a smart government. The high gas prices lately took Alaska by surprise so apparently they don't know about peak oil. They had to have last second meetings to decide to pay money to everyone to help with energy. So what about next year? They don't seem to be even thinking about that.

Well that is my cheery opinion of Alaska's preparedness!

[ReverseEngineer]

I wanted to get 30 or 50 miles from Anchorage myself but instead I'm moving to a bigger lot with a few acres and trying to grow a small hayfield and vegetables. I tried to grow some wheat this summer but it was too cold and rainy. I did get a lot of potatoes and cabbage to grow.

Peak Oil will create big problems in Alaska although initially Alaskans will continue to be asleep about the problem because high oil prices keep the economy going but we are not protected hardly at all. Gas prices at the pump are still higher then any of the highs the newscasters give when they list the highest gas in the country. Food and other expenses are not buffered here. The food on the shelves will only last a few days once the shortages in the lower 48 start hitting.

It's the same reason there were rice shortages in Anchorage last spring. If people start perceiving a shortage may occur they all rush to the store to stock up at once and the system is not nearly prepared for that deluge. Then it will be weeks before the next container arrives. Combine that with the brilliant government planning that keeps Alaska's emergency food supply in Portland.

A few people who either prepared ahead or pushed harder during the panic buying at the end will have a few weeks worth of food. Everyone else will run out after a few days and then regardless of fish and game rules moose will be eliminated from the Anchorage, Valley and Fairbanks areas within about 24 hours. Then people will start raiding their neighbors who they suspect have food.

The military will step in to curb the riots and looting but since the rest of the U.S. is having the same problems Alaska's oil will be confiscated for the military actions and to supply food convoys in the lower 48. In the meantime since all the agriculture requires oil to supply food Alaska will not be able to have food shipped here any easier then any other starving state. And hardly any food gets grown in Alaska and most of the residents are woefully unprepared to grow a functional food producing garden in the tiny 3 month food growing season.

Hopefully the government will recognize the disasterous futility of trying to support 600,000 people off what a few family farms produce. If they are smart they will get the military to release that huge swath of land near Anchorage to convert to a huge farm area. But that requires a smart government. The high gas prices lately took Alaska by surprise so apparently they don't know about peak oil. They had to have last second meetings to decide to pay money to everyone to help with energy. So what about next year? They don't seem to be even thinking about that.

Well that is my cheery opinion of Alaska's preparedness!

Long term, Alaska cannot support total population including Anchorage on what you could grow on the land. Your only real possibility right now for self sustaining would be fish farming, assuming the waters remain at an acidity level where this is possible. With overall warming, fish farming could be very productive up here.

Short term however, self sustainment on the food level is not the question. Its sustaining the oil and NG production off the slope. for this you need some population living in the state. Similarly, the farms in WA and OR will need fuel for the tractors. Where else would they get it but from the North Slope? If you JUST direct the Slope oil (and perhaps the ANWAR oil not yet tapped) toward WA and OR, you get a self sustaining system. Add in the fact that you have a HUGE military presence in AK (I'm sure you realize just how bigFort Richardson and Elmenton Airbase is), I really don't think AK will be self sustaining on the food end in the next couple of years anyhow. The food is going to be shipped up here from WA and OR to keep the fuel flowing off the Slope.

You won't do well trying to self sustain here with a subsitence farm, or even by hunting in the near term. The only way you will make it is by cooperating with the Military. Thank God my best friends are Pilots and I teach their children. That is what keeps me going in the short term here I think.

Reverse Engineer

[JJ]

Of course. Its 666 East Jesus Street. Just past Armageddon Avenus. You can't miss it. Its the one with the gun turrets.

Yep, Portland, metro area population of 2+ million and growing exponentially. And yes, chickens. I live in the heart of the beast, and chickens occasionally wander my streets (the neighbors apparently haven't figured out how to keep them in yet). We even have farms and forests in the city limits (for now). No decent shooting ranges, but that's why the gods created Clark County.

Despite our insufferable holier-than-thouness, our hyperliberal city council can't be bothered to spend a few pennies on expanding the community garden program for those of us not rich enough to be able to afford the $300,000+ house prices here (they used the money to subsidize illegal aliens/employers instead). But that's a rant for another time. At least I've got my one little allotment.

As for the OP, I'm staying put, for now at least. But next week I've got a job interview for a position on an organic farm. Not exactly in the hills, but definitely not in the city. Would be a painful pay cut, but I'm seriously considering it. Portland ain't bad, but the country is better. Especially if I can learn how to farm.

webbots (which seemed to predict this collapse pretty well) predict China sized earthquake Dec 10 for Pacific Northwest.

[starsky]

The thing is, nobody knows exactly how this is going to pan out, and preparation will only take you so far. Personally my first priority is to make my work mobile, so I can work through my laptop anywhere in the world. Because I want to travel for as long as humanly possible, I just love doing it, and not sit here and wait for the sky to fall.

Other than that I have a some food that'll last me about 3-3.5 weeks if rationed properly, and that's if I don't get any other food from anywhere during that time, which is unlikely.

And then also a bugout bag with some basic survival stuff that will last about a week with proper rationing, if I need to leave the city.

I figure that too much preparation will make me overconfident and in a way, lazy. IMO it's better to have some initial preparation, because eventually you need to stay focused to get food, water and shelter, sustainably, anyway. Shorter deadlines make you work more effectively and efficiently, Parkinson's Law.

[davep]

I retreat to my doomstead every weekend. I just need more provisions in case the supermarkets dry up. I'm withdrawing a few thousand today and will buy some bulk grains etc.

[VMarcHart]

We can make it...

Make what? Be the Omega Man? There won't any medals being passed out, you know.

[RedStateGreen]

*raises hand*

[Loki]

webbots (which seemed to predict this collapse pretty well) predict China sized earthquake Dec 10 for Pacific Northwest.

Umm, OK. Maybe you an enlighten me as to the empirical evidence that these 'webbots' are basing their conclusions. I've never seen a webbot collect field data.

[Ben]

* raises hand *

(1) I decided a long time ago that running for the hills was not for me. I just don't think it would have been an effective long-term strategy unless there is a community involved. I would have considered it perhaps if I'd had the opportunity to join a community of maybe 5-20 like-minded families.

It's probably instinctual for us to react to a crisis like this with the idea of trying to run, or stock up years of food as if preparing for a long winter, but this in my view is pointless because there's nowhere to run and the winter is not going to end.

If you head to the bunker with 5 years of food/preps and absolutely nothing goes wrong with your bunker/preps, I think you will find yourself at a relative disadvantage in 2014 having been outside civilization and depleted your stores.

(2) Shit might be hitting the fan, but not THE shit, in my opinion. If anything, a global depression suggests to me that this will be a long, drawn out affair. I don't think the dieoff starts in 2008.