I’ve been prepping for a long time!

hikermor - November 11, 2022

First of all. I was a kid during WWII and I learned then about scarcity and rationing.  Later on, my parents always had a well stocked pantry we rarely did any last minute shopping for anything.

In college, I began hiking and technical climbing and began to equip myself for potential emergencies.  I also had my first search and rescue experience, very educational.

I eventually made a career in the National Park Service, frequently in isolated spots  (Wupatki National Monument) and continued my volunteer SAR work which soon became rather frequent.

I soon learned that I needed a bag, packed and ready to go with basic items, and with other things organized within quick reach.  The items within this bag needed to be changed with the season and location of the operation,

Later in my career I came to Channel Islands National Park, a fabulous place with many isolated spots.  Relief was not always on time and packing extra food was routine..

Living now in SoCal, I routinely prep for wildfires and earthquakes.  I still maintain a bugout bag which was handy when wee had t leave at 2 AM when a big fire came through.  I am prepared to remain at home if we suffer a big EQ, which is likely to be a good initial strategy.

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You certainly have see your fair share of world and local events, have been preparing longer than many have been alive, and sounds like you have real life experience helping others which in turn taught you many survival lessons. You are a wealth of knowledge for sure!

From what you have seen over the years, which decade of people do you feel people were most prepared or could handle and survive a large scale disaster? For example, were people in the 60’s generally more versed in life skills such as canning and doing without or is today’s generation better with more access to knowledge and maybe more income?

 

Actually, I don’t think my experiences can provide a credible answer to your question.  We experienced a large wildfire a few years ago (the Thomas Fire) and the neighborhood bugged out quickly, leaving the area clear for fire fighters.  (my only large scale disaster) I was glad my pack was ready, along with the pack I had organized as a result of recent CERT training and a few water jugs.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is welcome development since the 60’s. stressing immediate action to assist the community.  There was no CERT in the 60’s; there should b more now.

Inexperience and too much booze were common elements in the victims we aided back then;  I understand that has not changed drastically.  We had abut 50 operations a year then.  Today they have around 100.

 

Thanks for your service.  You seem to have lived a fulfilling life and I always appreciate your comments here.  Your life experiences and knowledge help lots of folks here.  I just retired and am likewise prepared to remain at home during a crisis.