In terms of survival, I think there are two scenarios worth considering at the present time. The first scenario involves some kind of natural or man-made disaster. Here people are expected to fend for themselves for several days until the government systems get fully mobilized. The second scenario unless a long-term decline like the death of suburbia due to changing boundary conditions. The only mid-term, that is, 6-18 months, I can think of involves a world wide grain supply failure or a pandemic (possibly hitting the monocrop grains).

Regardless, this household is not exactly prepared in the full sense of the word. However, due to our lifestyle and location, we are not entirely helpless either.

Basics:
We live in a mild climate that needs neither heating nor air conditioning in any season. By the simple virtue of living full-time in an RV, we automatically have the following:

  • About 60 gallons worth of fresh water. (I try to keep this topped off).
  • About 250 Amp hours of 12V battery power and 100W of solar panels to charge them back up.
  • An 8000 W Onan gasoline generator + whatever amount of gasoline is in the RVs fuel tank. (We can power a small rock concert).
  • 25 gallons of propane + extra tanks. In the summer, this lasts 3-4 months. In the winter, about a month. Most of the winter usage is due to central heating (gah!) and the warm water heater (more gah!).
  • Suspension. It’s helpful for small earth quakes 😉
  • The ability to leave in 15 minutes, although we have no particular plans for where to go.

Food:
In terms of food, we cook mostly with staples. We have nothing of any serious consequence stored in the fridge except the two C’s: Condiments and Compost. I frankly have no idea how long our staples would last before we run out. My guess is about a month (I’m trying to increase this). Our staples comprise

  • Beans
  • More beans
  • Additional beans, seriously, we have about 10-15 pounds.
  • Rice, another 10+ pounds.
  • Lots of pasta.
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Oatmeal, flour, olive oil
  • A few random cans
  • Onions, potatoes, and other slow decaying produce.

Guns and ammo:
We have none. In terms of hunting for food, I’d imagine that there are too many other people with the same idea. Century old accounts from Europe tell how there were times where no bird songs were heard for decades. Besides, I suspect illegal trapping is more effective than shooting, but I have no idea. In terms of fending off people, I think we would be deep into the zombie wars at that point. I do not think shooting trespassers is technically legal (if they only threaten your property and not your person) and probably not desirable either.

Health:
I am not on any prescription medication. I don’t have latent dental issues. I can walk 30 miles in one stretch, possibly further. “I have a degree in asskickery”. However, I also have a weaker link. Staying put is mostly the better option anyway.

Medicine:
We have a basic first aid kid. I know CPR. That’s about it. This is really quite embarrassing. I need to take some more advanced courses. I think it’s almost a civic duty. Too many die because people were just standing around waiting for the EMTs.

Nuclear:
We live a couple of miles from ground zero. Problem solved.

Personal:
I used to carry a flash light, a multitool, and a first aid kit, but since I rarely leave the house these days, this is not the case anymore.

72 hour kit:
We do have a bug out bag with about 3 days of MREs and a few additional items. It would be fair to say that this is “under construction”.

Things I would like to do to be better prepared [for anything]:

  • Take advanced first aid courses including EMT or volunteer firefighting.
  • Get a HAM radio license.
  • Get a driver’s license.
  • Grow more food.
  • Get rid of the stuff in our shed.
  • Have a few more tools and spare parts.
  • Learn to repair more things.

Additional links:

Now it’s your turn. My guess is the people planning for early retirement are a forward and out-of-the-box thinking crowd, so I would expect above average preparation, yes?