I'm ready for an earthquake. All out social collapse, not so much. I could go a month easy if people didn't kill me.

Cash? You mean paper printed with the full faith and credit of the government?

I live on a small Peninsula that juts out from a series of Peninsula's. All of my neighbors are very self sufficient in one way or another. There is one prepper in the mix, a really good guy from Cali who I let hunt on my farm.

My basic life-style supports survival...we have a ginormous garden, can, fish (live on the Potomac - food on the fin), hunt, etc. There is an abundance of trees for heat, we keep over 100 gallons of gas and diesel on hand all the time to drive generators for our well, etc. The basics are covered for years.

I kept a bug-out plan in place for hurricanes, but I am well and truly f'ed if I ever had to bug out under duress.

We all are.

So, I'll stay.

Why yes - printed paper!!! Our FIAT system has been working 'great' since the early 70's and all the other countries 'believe' in it.......soooooooooooooooo................our govt tells us all the time that paper is better-er.

Lets face it, in the unlikely event of an all out collapse, anyone living near an urban area is effed. You can see small examples of this with natural disasters like Katrina, it doesn't take long for people to start acting like animals. I would try to get the hell out of town and out to my inlaw's farm in central KS. The fewer people the better.

As far as prepping for "real" natural disasters go, FEMA has a publication for disaster prep:

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/f&web.pdf

I like to keep around a months supply of food for each member of the extended family. Rice placed in Tupperware containers is a good backup food source and is relatively cheap. A few dozen cans of tuna, beans, some pasta, and you are good to go.

Water can be stored in a few 5 or 10 gal camping water containers. Two quarts a day per person (1 gal =2 days supply). If I was really prepared I would get one of the portable water filters from Cabelas and have a few rainwater collection containers hooked up to the gutters and downspouts.

Cooking can be either outside or at the fireplace if there is no natural gas.

First aid kits along with a few other otc remedies and medicines for most normal things that happen (asprin, Advil or Tylenol, benadryl, epi pen, etc)

Good batteries in the emergency radio (Midland XT511 Emergency Crank Radio) along with the flashlights.

Two 10 gal gas cans with stabil added. I like to place stabil mixed gas in the chainsaw and snowblower and run it for a few minutes to get the old gas out. I don't let the gas sit for too long (3 mos) before I swap it out for fresh.

Some form of generator (installed whole house or portable) with enough gas to run for a few days. Our generator is whole house and runs off natural gas. It turns on and off automatically.

That is about it for most local disasters that have happened around here. We are rural enough that we can hunker down and not be overrun by the unwashed masses...;)

I'd love to stash gold but not at todays prices. As for prepping I'm likewise ready to go camping but don't think we'll need to.

I saw this one episode where the guy was at least 50 lbs overweight. He was fully prepped for any kind of disaster, but completely unprepared for his upcoming stroke.

People need to look at relative risks and prepare accordingly :)

Was that the one with the music producer in Nashville with the creepy "Free Candy" style van?:D

I have two ponds full of fish..a flowing creek...free range chickens that provide more eggs than we can eat...plenty of guns and ammo...and 8 acres to grow things that backs up to national forest and plenty of wildlife....but most importantly, good common sense and a higher than average skill set. My family would be fine.

Naw. I think that I would side with the actuaries. More like to be affected by much more common events. I'd put my energy into joy.

Diverdan

Made me spit milk out ma nose!!:D