I'm overwhelmed... I know I should be preparing but I don't know where to begin. My husband is working on paying off our debt (do you pay the student loans or the house payment down first?) but should we rather be investing in precious metals. We have at least a years supply of food but where to go from there? I know I should start a garden but it's May in Tucson (every where else too, of course) If you've ever been to Tucson you know May means HOT and I fear it's too late for this year. Do I bag it and start storing seeds? Where do I find the definative, beats-all book on Gardening in the Southwest? How do you store clothes for toddlers that keep growing?? Do I need to learn to make laundry soap? Can you drink pool water? We use Bacquacil (or something like it) or should we invest in a water tank?

I quess the basic questions are: How long will it last and how bad will it be? I gather no one knows for sure and I will prepare for the worst and hope for the best IF I just knew where to start!

-- Dianne Smith (benedict@theriver.com), May 06, 1998

Answers

Gary Carlson's april 29 post in the "survival checklist" thread gives a good methodology, and good info.

-- George Valentine (GeorgeValentine@usa.net), May 06, 1998.

I think you need to look for a destination to move to... a retreat. You will need to store bulk dry food, and lots of clorinated water in dark containers. Think land, growing veggies and fruit, a few chooks (chickens), 2 or 3 goats, and maybe rabbits or pigeons for occasional meat. Get a good book on Permaculture; look it up on the Web. Expect others to try to take what you've got, so you will need to hide your stuff and be remote. There is some security and sanity in finding others and having a small group. Firearms may be necessary for self-defence. This is an option recently removed from us in Australia, where the guns have been siezed and the goverment says self-defence is not an acceptable reason to own even a .22 rifle. Good luck in the coming troubles...

-- David Harvey (vk2dmh@rivernet.com.au), May 18, 1998.