Prepping for Others, Not Just Yourself

It’s safe to say I have over a year’s worth of storage food for my family should anything go sideways (tiered storage, various types etc).  I also have a pretty robust water storage supply in addition to a well I just had checked and in a worst case, a river about 3/4 of a mile down from the house.  Here where I live the ability to “hunker down” to avoid most of the public, even those that might wander out of the city, during a time of crisis is definitely a bonus.  As in, if you find yourself at my doorstep you’ve drifted a long ways off of the beaten path my friend.  Yet all of these considerations have been made with my immediate family in mind, what if that number doubles or triples – what happens to my ability to sustain folks?

I’m sure all of you are monitoring the CoronaVirus outbreak, while I’m not totally convinced it’s going to be TEOTWAWKI it’s definitely gaining some traction.  Here is the latest from Zerohedge as of this evening:

China now admits to 7,771 cases across the country, Adding nearly 1,800 from 5,974 yesterday. The death toll has climbed to 170, and 170 patients have been cured. Some 31 cases were labeled “severe” and nearly 82,000 are under observation. What is perhaps most shocking is that the number of suspected cases soared by nearly 3,000 overnight from 9,239 to 12,167.

In another major development, state media reports that the first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Tibet. It was the only region in China with zero confirmed cases, though that streak is now over.

In a disturbing development, three of the Japanese citizens rescued from Wuhan aboard Japan’s evac flight Wednesday have tested positive for cornavirus – so now the Japanese government is essentially importing the virus on the evacuation flight. We hope all those on the flight will be quarantined for a while given the virus’s reputation of spreading asymptomatically.

Here’s a breakdown of all the revisions…

• Confirmed cases +29% (from 5974 to 7711)
• Suspected cases +32% (from: 9239 to 12167)
• Severe cases +10% (from 1239 to 1370)
• Death toll +29% (from 232 to 170)

It’s easy to take a look at the above and start extrapolating, so…in 1 more week it will be X and in 2 weeks it will be Y and who knows how many more in this country.  Next thing you know you are ordering gas masks and bio suits off of Ebay while digging punji stick pits in your front yard to ward off evildoers.

We’re Coming Over!

I’d like to take a more practical approach to this given scenario, one where my family starts showing up at my doorstep hoping to escape whatever threat is out there.  All of them live in cities and most are at least 2 days drive from here but I’m convinced, if it got bad enough they would head my way.  So what am I supposed to do, turn them away?  Of course not, these are my parents, in laws and siblings – not exactly people I’d toss and MRE to and tell “good luck” while turning my back on them.

The Easy Part: Stockpile More

If given the means the easy part of this equation is simply stockpiling more stuff.  More food, more water, more toilet paper for poops and all of that stuff.   This isn’t exactly a cheap undertaking but the idea of my year long supply quickly becoming a 2 month supply isn’t exactly appealing to me.  Certainly in a worst case scenario we would be frugal with our preps and stretch / reuse whatever we could but the fact of the matter is 10 people consume way more food and supplies than 3 people, it’s unavoidable. In order to mitigate against this I’ve had no choice but to simply stockpile more storage supplies.

The Hard Part:  Space is Limited

On a good day my house can sleep 7, and that’s if one person decides to take the couch.  Sleeping accommodations could be made for more folks with air mattresses or additional blankets but that’s not the hard part.  In today’s society we are used to having our own space, most of the time the house is filled with my wife and I and we have the freedom / space to do our own thing(s).  In a scenario where there would be 6 to 10 folks I can imagine people getting in each other’s way and on each other’s nerves very quickly.  Sure, you do what you need to do in order to survive but if one can’t get some space every now and then it would be tough.

The Caveat: Bring Your Own Stuff

There is one thing I would make a contingency upon coming to my place.  Bring everything you can fit in your vehicle.   Relevant supplies, canned food to precious metals / cash and even firearms.  While I understand they might not have the stash or even the means to bring a ton of stuff with them showing up with a bag of peanuts and a sad face won’t cut it.  I would make it very clear that they needed to bring whatever they could to assist the cause.

Side Benefits: Labor

You gotta sleep sometime, there is no such thing as a one man army.  More people = more hands to do work, and more folks to pull security if that becomes necessary.  There might be a need for an outhouse hole to be dug or other projects like expanding fencing, all would definitely be easier with more hands involved.  Additionally if someone became ill for whatever reason there would be folks to pick up the slack.

Final Thoughts 

All of this is theory of course but definitely things that I have considered, maybe you should too.  There is one thing I failed to mention and hopefully it would go without saying but probably have to be stated.  With that many folks in one spot there would have to be a hierarchy, one which starts with me at the top.  While I get it in that my parents or in laws could be on site, it’s my house and therefore my rules.  I think establishing that right up front could alleviate some confusion and conflict.  Are you planning to prep for others beyond your immediate family?  Let me know in the comments section.