LoneWolf,

I think you need to start by thinking about and articulating what you are expecting of a community. You already said you believe in bunk down instead of bugging out. However, you live in an apartment in a very densely populated metro area, which is also earthquakes-prone. Are you looking for a group of people to maybe buy some property and build a few houses/cabins/shacks to fall back into, knowing your neighbours are all also like minded?

Mixing business with friends and/or hobbies doesn't seem like an ideal approach, though you may find that by learning more about your students, some may very well be like minded; go from there.

Security clearance... That would be ideal if everyone could have a card that shows they are reliable and good people, but unfortunately, that doesn't exist. I suppose you could ask people to provide a police record check, in a similar way to people applying for jobs or volunteer organizations, but this could make you look like a distrustful control freak. So you will have to learn about being a good judge of character and go slow, remembering OPSEC. This is why it's usually a bit difficult to establish a community. A lot of people see the importance of groups, but not everyone is willing to tell strangers about their preps and plans.

I'm not sure if there are prep stores in Vancouver, but maybe this could be a place to go hang out. Buy some stuff, chat with the staff and patrons, show you're likeminded and go from there.

Best of luck.

Yah. Vancouver is one big disaster of biblical proportions waiting to happen. First the falling buildings of Van and liquefaction of Richmond and delta , then the tsunami , then the cloud of chlorine gas from the refineries at sea level, and then no way to get out with crumbled bridges or help to come in.....and to top it all off incase I am being too optimistic, a nuclear meltdown on the Washington side some time after the tsunami hits it......

On the plus side, You have five million people so you might be able to find 5 people you like hanging out with...while enjoying a vibrant music and dance culture I deeply miss.

Here is my thoughts. Consider a two level group. One group to get interested participants to socialise. and the second private group of people you chose from the first. Consider starting a Zombie preparedness group. That will go over well with the hipsters and Van already has a huge Zombie walk culture. It had been my plan. It wouldn't go over so well now that I live rurally. Food for thought
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL14hbmmDvk

LoneWolf,

I think you need to start by thinking about and articulating what you are expecting of a community. You already said you believe in bunk down instead of bugging out. However, you live in an apartment in a very densely populated metro area, which is also earthquakes-prone. Are you looking for a group of people to maybe buy some property and build a few houses/cabins/shacks to fall back into, knowing your neighbours are all also like minded?

Mixing business with friends and/or hobbies doesn't seem like an ideal approach, though you may find that by learning more about your students, some may very well be like minded; go from there.

Security clearance... That would be ideal if everyone could have a card that shows they are reliable and good people, but unfortunately, that doesn't exist. I suppose you could ask people to provide a police record check, in a similar way to people applying for jobs or volunteer organizations, but this could make you look like a distrustful control freak. So you will have to learn about being a good judge of character and go slow, remembering OPSEC. This is why it's usually a bit difficult to establish a community. A lot of people see the importance of groups, but not everyone is willing to tell strangers about their preps and plans.

I'm not sure if there are prep stores in Vancouver, but maybe this could be a place to go hang out. Buy some stuff, chat with the staff and patrons, show you're likeminded and go from there.

Best of luck.

Thanks bud

I think of all the disaster scenario- Vancouver is most likely to be hit by earthquake. As a reservist, we periodically get briefing and training ( DOMOP ) about potential disaster. Earthquake seems to be the one
that is most likely to happen. Richmond is going to be water world if that happen. Perhaps, I should invest a bug out plan out of CZBB.

Good advices about students. This is my idea: do you guys remember watching those nuclear submarine movie with ICBM ? captain gets a plastic container with the nuclear arms code and it is only mean to be broken in case of nuclear war. I can give to students with talents I need then if sh@t hits the fan they can break the plastic container which contains the location for meet up and other important information.

Vancouver has couple store like DS tactical and MD Charlton or couple gun store might be a good place to meet. I read that in the state most Mormons preps ? is that correct ?

Yah. Vancouver is one big disaster of biblical proportions waiting to happen. First the falling buildings of Van and liquefaction of Richmond and delta , then the tsunami , then the cloud of chlorine gas from the refineries at sea level, and then no way to get out with crumbled bridges or help to come in.....and to top it all off incase I am being too optimistic, a nuclear meltdown on the Washington side some time after the tsunami hits it......

On the plus side, You have five million people so you might be able to find 5 people you like hanging out with...while enjoying a vibrant music and dance culture I deeply miss.

Here is my thoughts. Consider a two level group. One group to get interested participants to socialise. and the second private group of people you chose from the first. Consider starting a Zombie preparedness group. That will go over well with the hipsters and Van already has a huge Zombie walk culture. It had been my plan. It wouldn't go over so well now that I live rurally. Food for thought
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL14hbmmDvk

yup ! you are from Vancouver alrite. 😉

It is part of the Mormon culture and religion to be self-reliant and to not become a burden on society or their Church. I don't know if every members can be seen as Preppers though. There might be LDS members of this forum that might be better able to speak to this subject.

Preparedness seems to be much less underground in the USA. There are stores that specialize in selling prepper goods and not just online. The small town where I live has a store that offers everything from freeze dried food to tornado shelters and from emergency blankets to tactical vests. The state even offers regular tax-free shopping opportunities on preparedness equipment, usually tied to the beginning of hurricane season.

C5 is a very wise man and I support his suggestion to get 2 groups going. You would be surprised that there are more people out there with like-minded ideas than you think, sometimes, people you would have had no clue about. I'll give you an example. As we discussed our last precious metal purchase, my wife tells me that her boss was also buying precious metals, "he too thinks there might be an economic collapse within his lifetime" she says. She had already told me that the guy was quite into hunting and another time, she said "so my boss went into town and stuffed his car full of cans at Costco because he said there was a sale". Start connecting the dots and this guy would be someone I could approach and discuss about a prepper network.

Use your better judgement about your students, I don't know your context and the relationship you have with them. The idea of the note may work, but it that context, they come to you as a burden : they arrive with nothing but their bare hands and maybe a backpack full of scrounged stuff gathered at the last minute. Are you prepared to have a stash in place at your rendezvous location for anyone that may show up? That could be camping gear, extra clothes, food, etc etc etc. in the long run, having a group seem to always be the better option, but initially, this would be a burden and a potential great cause of friction.

I like C5 ... 2 level group , however, perhaps instead of planning group 1 to socialize,
which often seems to be a flop to get going ,

how about a planned bulk buying group in your area, which when you meet up is sort of socializing
but you have an agenda . You could try this continually, and attract new people for different buys.
Such as one for bulk buy on Berkey water filter, water barrels, and other equipment, not just food supplies.

Then continue on with C5 idea of picking people from the first group.

A very cool person I met once said, "You don't join a scene. You make a scene". Community building is about socialisation more than any other skill. Its impossible to find the perfect, has it together, super prepper. Every human I meet is a complex bundle of neurosis's. They are good at something's and complete write offs in others. You just have to find average people with "Crazy" that you can tolerate. If you want a group, you have to be noticed and fun. One of the problems I face, creeping up to 50 is finding young preppers to eventually take over from me as I start to worry about breaking a hip or having a stroke.
So...figure out a way to make it fun and attractive, not elitist and secretive.
Ive explored a lot of prepper subcultures in my day, from flint napping, neoprimative hippies to militant Christian Reconstructionists to UFO doomsday cults and beyond. I consider the Zombie Survivalist movement the most psychologically healthy prepper group. You just cant take yourself too seriously if you are prepping for zombies. You cant be TOO political and the hot nerd girls in PVC with weapons scares off the religious extremists. The only problem is the fascination with weapons and tactics...as real prepping is far more boring and more about food and firewood. Well, That's it for now. We are driving into the city to watch the new Hunger Games. Rural life can be Dull, Dull, Dull.

OttawaLoneWolf there is an active Transition Town movement with get togethers in Vancouver and most cognizant of peak oil and such are aware of issues surrounding us. Most participants will be on the prepper scale . http://www.villagevancouver.ca/page/about-peak-oil
Also most permaculture types as well are basically keyed into preparedness and there used to be an urban vancouver meet up group . There are instances such as an earthquake where you are better off looking at a local group that can rally in your own community , as you say bug down , and hold a secure stocked zone until help can reach everyone and services are restored . Our aging infrastructure was engineered in theory to withstand an 8.2 earthquake , dyke failure and liquifaction in Richmond is a certainty which is why your highways are built to FLOAT to some degree. Considering your business in place maybe offering a free Begining Preparedness class will find you a few more like minded sorts in your local community which you can offer a free follow up class to help determine those that are sincere.
Ideas like a bulk buying network in the Lower Mainland have come up before in threads on this forum , as well Preppersaurus has made mention of his network if that sort of thing is of interest or he might have ideas for you .

Ditto to Transition Town. They are the sister group to preppers and a wealth of information.

But this note is about a blast from the past. 6 years ago at the beginning of my attempt of starting a Group. Before the shit got real and I became more grumpy. I dug my original ad up for your enjoyment. This was my original attempt.

-Y2K Let you down? Peak Oil taking too damn long?
Don't want to wait for 2012?
Well here is an apocalypse scenario that I absolutely guarantee will happen.

Zombies

You heard me right. Zombies. The flesh eating living dead.
It's a powder keg of doom just waiting to explode.

Have you recently watched the movie 'Zombieland' and thought to yourself, 'geez. I hate it when that happens to me... every single time. How can I be better prepared for the next time the dead rise from the grave and run amok?'

Do you want to practice those most manly of skill sets like, bow and drill fire starting, eating bunnies, souping up your zombie apocalypse vehicle and drinking beer?

Or for all you ladies that are in touch with your inner Buffy the Vampire Slayer that want to improve your Sara Connor skill set. If I may quote 28 Days Later, 'without women, there is no future.'

So, some of you are thinking, 'why would any sane person waste their time with this?' Look at it this way. If you are prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse, you are prepared for any disaster. After the big earthquake, the global pandemic, or socio-economic meltdown you can say to yourself, 'hey that was way to easy. There weren't any zombies.'

So what will this group do? Get together, share and practice our skill sets? Convoy out of town for some camping, post apocalyptic bush parties? Practice sword fighting? Do motorcycle rides to scout out survivor locations? Organize squirtgun wars against the next zombie march? Get together to have cocktails and watch disaster flicks, or get all dressed up to go out to the latest zombie movie? Maybe a zombie versus survivor, road warrior, fetish theme party? Or flash mob survival bicycle rides?

I cn't say for sure. It will depend on who shows up and what we decide to do. Here is your chance to get in at the beginning. Your skills, ideas and contribution just might save the human race.

A man alone is zombie food. Organize now before they rise. The species is counting on you.

ZAPCOM (Zombie Apocalypse Community)-

Hey. Its like looking back on your old high school photos and bad fashion choices. Dorky but still profound.

OttawaLoneWolf there is an active Transition Town movement with get togethers in Vancouver and most cognizant of peak oil and such are aware of issues surrounding us. Most participants will be on the prepper scale . http://www.villagevancouver.ca/page/about-peak-oil
Also most permaculture types as well are basically keyed into preparedness and there used to be an urban vancouver meet up group . There are instances such as an earthquake where you are better off looking at a local group that can rally in your own community , as you say bug down , and hold a secure stocked zone until help can reach everyone and services are restored . Our aging infrastructure was engineered in theory to withstand an 8.2 earthquake , dyke failure and liquifaction in Richmond is a certainty which is why your highways are built to FLOAT to some degree. Considering your business in place maybe offering a free Begining Preparedness class will find you a few more like minded sorts in your local community which you can offer a free follow up class to help determine those that are sincere.
Ideas like a bulk buying network in the Lower Mainland have come up before in threads on this forum , as well Preppersaurus has made mention of his network if that sort of thing is of interest or he might have ideas for you .

Great point, Syn. Do not take this as the slightest dis. Seriously, Zero intended.
8.2 though. The curved plate under pressure, when it....goes BANG, not rumble....well, I am thinking of the potential of a 9.7 or 8. This is nothing like the San Andreas. Rub, rub. This is Bend and Snap. The San Fran quake should have nothing on this. One plate moving over the other is caught and bending. Its long overdue to release. Real long overdue. 8.2 is bad but that is a ,just, bad earthquake. 9.8 is like a Q like creepy finger of God. "I smite thee" sort of thing.

Have you heard any local geologists or seismologists giving input. Just curious?

Picture the earthquake you picture in your head. Now picture all of that bouncing....concentrated into....one movement. Not shake. BANG! Any thing above you.... like a building....is falling on or around you. Then you are in shock. As you pull it together or not, The first Fukashima like wave hits you...but concentrated.

cernnunos5 do you know how they determine the level they will meet in engineering? It is NOT to withstand the most probable worst case, say the 1700 Cascadia superquake was a 9.0 or better and the larger Alaska quakes were 9.0 I believe so an 8.2 to a 8.6 to a 9.0 is not unreasonable to happen at some future point. We have three plates converging, one a slip fault and the greater subduction of the pacific plate sliding under the north american plate . These three plates make our area as subjected to tectonic preasures as japan or new zealand but our plates have been relatively 'stuck' so that tension has not had relief. The government extrapolate a level to prepare to that meets the most optimal level of liability covered for dollar input . So everyone knows a big quake in Vancouver can exceed an 8.2, I am telling you that is the level the dykes, highways , buildings etc. are engineered to. Therefore considering these standards such as dyking may have been implemented 20 years ago or whenever, and that swarms of quakes may create more damage than ever anticipated , no calculation would have been made say for ocean rise impacts. When a megaquake hits our region it will be an unmitigated disaster because nothing is engineered to withstand it. But any level of earthquake is only one facet that OttawaLoneWolf might be considering. There are all kinds of reasons why we need to network within communities around us.

Thanks Syn.

I recall some one describing it as the entire city suddenly dropping two feet,

I don't think we can predict what exactly will happen with earthquakes or volcanoes like Yellowstone . There has been more seismic reactions these last few years accredited to the oceanic plate becoming heavier as the ice melt occurs in the polar regions and the North American plate lightening as the ice load diminishes . Many years back I read how mountainous ranges such as the Himalayas and the Rockies buckle due to the preasure exerted as the ocean plates slide under the land plates and the article I read suggested that at some point the preasure is too much and would snap like a rubber band . I have no idea but I imagine that would be quite a violent and sudden change .
I am in the same valley as OttawaLoneWolf and while I could secure things better than I have . I am not entirely prepared for such events either but not completely unprepared.
I worry maybe even a bit more about human competition for resources as I sense things become more desperate for oil, energy, minerals water, food, and so forth and the climate changing for more erratic storms, longer periods of drought in regions , soils acidifying and low lying productive farmlands becoming salinized due to ocean rise and our dependance on precarious systems and balances that have little resilience built in . Those impacts concern me even more than a big earthquake.