If you knew power was going to go down and you knew you had a choice between having all your preps confiscated while you were herded into a govt. shelter or heading for the hills to live on tree bark. What would you choose?

-- Anonymous, May 10, 1999

Answers

Tree bark can be very tasty espically when seasoned with wild herbs and local mud. Beats the hell out of bread and water or MREs.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 1999

There was a great collection of articles in March's Wired about the things that happened when the ice storm hit the Northeast last year. One of the stories was about a government shelter and the problems the folks who administered the shelter had with the folks they were trying to "protect." After reading that article - I decided that being at home with our own supplies (food, water, heat) was hands-down better than being crowded into a shelter with all types of humanity.

If I only have the choice of heading for the hills and tree bark - and a government shelter - I only have one question - What kind of trees?

Terri

-- Anonymous, May 10, 1999

A choice is rarely, if ever that simple. If it's 10 degrees outside with two feet of snow on the ground, you're going to take your young children or elder grandparents to the shelter. Besides, being "herded" into a shelter implies no choice in the first place.

What isn't generally recognized is that government generally has little to do with the running of local disaster shelters. Years ago I did take the course and acquired the certification to run a Red Cross shelter. A hurricane on the east coast, which forced people to evacuate their homes to inland shelters, even required the use of that certification. The only time we even saw anyone who could be considered a "government" worker, was when the local police made a quick check in at the shelter to let us know what roads were open, etc., and to pick up a cup of coffee before they went back out into the storm. They, and the National Guard troops were busy trying to keep the roads clear so the evacuees could get to the shelters, and so emergency vehicles could operate. In a large area disaster, it's basically ordinary civilians who do the bulk of the work in sheltering others.

Also, the majority of every year, National Guard troops are just ordinary civilians, like all the rest of us. They're the guy or gal next door and don't turn into jack-booted thugs the minute they're activated. (There's always a percentage that don't show up for an activation at all, just for that reason.) In my view, it's much more likely that in any wide area disaster, the government and/or military will have a very tough row to hoe in getting even basic organizational tasks done. Most people are on their own, or dependent on family, neighbors or community resources.

Consider that as of Fiscal Year 1996, there were 1.5 million people on Active military duty (many of them stationed overseas) and another 920,000 in the selected Reserve component (comprising the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve). Also in 1996 the total population of the U.S. was 266,476,287, as far as the census could estimate. That's roughly about 178 civilians for each member of the active military, and about 290 civilians for each member of all the National Guards combined. Plus there are also 800,000 civilians (nearly as many as the total Reserve component) who are "support personnel" doing various administrative work for the Armed Forces and without whom the military bureaucracy would have great difficulty in functioning.

If I had concerns about government actions during a crisis, I'd tend more towards thinking they won't be there at all for those who might want or need their help, not the omnipresent reverse. In my opinion, individual, family, and community risk-management preparations are the most practical for any circumstances.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 1999

bonnie,

what about the emergency management cowboys? did you ever go to an art show or a fair and notice the authoritarian air of the 'traffic coordinators?' a little power is a dangerous thing.

i live in a small resort town in pa...very small. everyone knows that i am prepared, including the local ema folks. one of them told me, in a jocular fashion, that if, in fact, it does turn out to be as bad as i feel that it will be; i will be the first stop they make. i was told they have the authority to confiscate food, etcetera in an emergency situation.

NOW HEAR THIS!

i will not have everything that i have done and all the food that i have purchased/prepared confiscated. because i have prepared i do not have to worry if the temperature drops to 30 below...i have a fireplace insert that protrudes 18 inches[for cooking] and 6 cords of hardwood. i also have axes, awls, etc.

i am only 5'4 and a size 7 but *NO ONE* is getting in my house that is not invited and i am *not* leaving unless i choose to.

my brother, who has a very high position at the dod, lives in bethesda, he and his family plan to come here. i have another brother locally and he plans to come here. i have my mother who i plan to bring here. i have two daughters that live on the mainline in phila and they are coming here.

yes, i have a rather large house and i live in the mountains with plenty of trees to cut down and a lot of wood that was knocked down during the bad storms last year.

i have an inordinate amount of food and i intend to keep it that way. i made sure i have more than i or my family need in the event others require assistance...but i will give because i want to not because i have to. and if i have to...i will shoot to defend my property.

i never thought that i would ever say something like this, and i am not proud about this...but i will do it if i have to.

no, i will not head for the hills. i am going to stay right where i am.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 1999

I lived through that big North East ice storm & i can tell you that in our cold climate (Upstate N.Y.) the determining factor wether or not someone stayed home - OR NOT- was back up heat (we has a wood stove) or a generator.

as far as leaving our home we didn't then & won't in Y2K.

I have heard that wood bark has large amounts of fiber though. If it's freeze dried & Nitrogen packed in 5-gallon pails it's also really good for starting that wood stove!

-- Anonymous, May 11, 1999

Bonnie,

I love your comments here and generally concur. However, in this case, while I agree with you, that is the way it was. I have read too many things from crinton about inviting foreeign military that he has been training here. Everything from all the armies of the 17 former soviet republics to the Chinese Red Berets have been training here in the US. PDD 63 is one of the places where he invites in foreigners to "help".

-- Anonymous, May 12, 1999