I prep for:

1) my kids... .

I think I agree with this reason most of all. If it weren't for my kids, I likely wouldn't Prep.

Hello to all
Why am I prepping,a good question and I hope I can give as good an answer.
I try to believe that every one is fudamentally good , untill they screw me then I have a hard time to trust them again.
I served in Canadas military and believe in this country, we have or had a verrry good reputation as peace keepers.
I have seen first hand what civil unrest can do to a country and its people. I think you would be suprised how fast s society
can go from organization to complete and utter chaos. What is also supriseing in how quickly it becomes town against town ,
religion against religion and yes even brother against brother. If I have a herd time to forgive or trust someone who screwed me once
how much longer will it take for a country to heal. This is why I prep I do not have the answers, will something set off an internal unrest here
who knows,all I know is once the food and water or power is suspended for any length of time people will change and not for the better I think.
These are just my thoughts so be safe and god bless
Hobo

This is a great thread!

I started prepping beacuse of another forum that I have Admined for years, long story short it's members belonged to a Bird Flu Forum when that situation looked like it would go pandemic.
A bunch of us got together thru let's say a "Lunatic Frindge" forum and we have stayed together for many years since. Most of which are spread across the globe, literally, so its nice to finally have some locals to talk to...

Personally my main concern is Economic, although there are a ton of other issues that could literally be cause for prepping.

All one has to do is take one look at Greece, anyone with a hint of prepping knowledge knows what that would do here in Canada if we were met with that same senario 😮

They say supermarket shelves will empty within three days of any disatser where trucking or rail cannot get through, I say here in the GTA it would be HOURS NOT DAYS and there would be DEATHS while it all happened.

If Spain follows Greece like all indications are pointing right now I will be doubling down on my preps for fear of what will be the trickle down effect, or better yet folld gates opening finacially this summer.

I'm prepping because of Katrina. If that has taught me any kind of lesson, it's that weather can and will ruin things - and the biggest lesson was I'd rather not be cared for at the whim of any gov't agency, however good their intentions. Hurricanes, fires, tornadoes - the results are usually the same - the gov't isn't prepared, they aren't really organized, and for a certain period of time you really are on your own. And despite being forced to pay insurance, I certainly don't trust them to take care of mine and me.
Also, the fragility of our modern power grid and systems has certainly caused me to think. I live very near a large hydro plant...and despite my nearness to it, I get my power transmissions from lines coming from the states. And during heat waves, we all know how things can happen there.

So, in the spirit of my forefathers (and my intense interest in) and their pioneering, I not only believe I have to take my family's care to be my sole responsibility, I also strongly feel that if there was less burden for organizing and care for the public, then authorities may be able to right the wrongs that could happen in a more speedy fashion.

Runs With Scissors

I am liking these replies!!!

I prep for one reason and one reason only... I have learned way too many times in my life, the bottom will fall out, prep accordingly. And that is regardless of circumstance.
The prepping basics are pretty much the same whether it is personal, weather, terrorist or pandemic (first four off the top of my head) Water, Shelter, Food, Medical, all for as long as you can prep for. I honestly want to be in a situation of not having to leave my house for 6 months and not having neighbours to wonder why!
...
But, I worry about family/personal issues more than anything and that is what I end up losing sleep over.

This is my philosophy as well. I don't get cranked up over the specifics of each one so much any more. The basic requirements are the same regardless of the situation. We have experienced our share of family illness, difficult personal times and financial struggles that would have been a LOT easier to handle if the basics of life were already taken care of. Get out of debt. Have 3-6 months of living expenses and necessities stored up. Have a plan. Life is more peaceful when you have options.

100% agree

I prep because I have people I care about and feel responsible for. I also really enjoy my life and my prepping activities and cherish a challenge. I could never back down from a survival challenge... especially not THE big one.

What I find the most intriguing/interesting about prepping is trying to find effective ways around the financial restrictions. I can't afford all the tools and equipment needed for all the projects i want to complete. I can't afford 2 household vehicles AND a bugout rig. I can't afford to stock years worth of food AND also keep my family well fed day-to-day.

So, we find work arounds and ways to integrate one component into another.

As for what I think may be the most likely scenario... i follow the same mentality that an earlier poster does... "Who cares?" Either prep for anything/everything or don't prep at all. Considering all the various dangers that could end our world/society as we know it... if we only prep for 2 or 3 or 5 or 10... chances are one of the remaining 30 alternatives is what'll nail you.

Nicely put Oddmott. Right on!

I prep for
so you will need to do this

you also need to prep for this

Seriously, prep for anything and everything, prep for the weather, prep for natural occurrence and man made occurrences.

Right on, well said Oddmott! I have no idea why in prepping but I feel so strongly about it. There is no real reason for it, I guess it's just an insurance policy, one that I'm in full control of. Makes me feel more comfortable that I will provide to my family if the time comes that I must.

Hey wilderness whats that second thing you need to prep for - unprepped, hungry sheeple banging on your door wanting a handout?

I can't say that there are 3 specific things I'm mainly prepping for, but one big thing that's ultimately going to cause (is already causing) a domino effect and bring about many changes around the world is climate change. And no, I'm not a big proponent of AGW one way or the other, although I do think we've helped speed it up to a large degree. Climate change is happening much faster than ever was conceived of, it's real, it's here and it's going to effect food and energy production, natural resources, wildlife, economies, infrastructures, world politics, populations, health. So climate change and its potential consequences here in my own locality is what I've been prepping for during the past couple of decades already.

My top 3 are as follows,
1. Infectious Pandemic (I worked through SARS; we came so close)
2. Breakdown of infrastructure (just look at the trouble we are having with prescription drug supply)
3. Natural disaster

.

Here's a scenario I think is not only likely, but almost inevitable:
First, remember back to the year 1999 and the Y2K scare. Yes, it turned out to be unfounded, but I remember going to Canadian Tire a few days before New Year's eve and they were sold out of batteries, candles, and other things like that.
Now, think of the much larger global panic growing over Dec. 21 2012. Even if nothing happens in the natural world, I see the lead up to the end of the year may involve:
1. Stores selling out of not only batteries, but food, gasoline, and just about everything else.
2. Nervous investors pulling their money from the markets, creating a lack of liquidity. That would cause a temporary global financial crisis
3. Panic on the streets as the two above problems impact everyone for a month or two.
I for one am not going to be surprised if these things happen, nor am I going to panic. In the very least, prepping will help us all ride out these kinds of man-made problems.

.

Y2K had a lot of people nervous for sure. I think that the 2012 panic will be worse. Combine that with what is actually happening and going to happen this fall, and I think we've got a real recipe for some bad stuff. I'm referring to:
1. The USA is bankcrupt, and the only thing they managed to agree upon was to postpone doing anything till this fall
2. The USA will have its presidential election this fall.
3. The USA continues to loose control of the middle east, country by country as they oust their leaders.
4. The European economy is headed for full meltdown
and on and on it goes.

One thing we know from history is that when the world economies get bad enough that's when the big wars break out. And we all know that if the Republicans in the USA win the election this fall, that's exactly what they'll want to do to stimulate the economy. Their target will most likely be Iran. Will the friends of Iran (Russia and China) sit back and let Iran get bombed into the stone age when they need Iran's oil? I doubt it.

If I'm totally wrong (which HAS happened in the past), then we'll know very soon.