I've been reading this thread and several others like it on similar forums. I like to keep some emergency stuff on hand, like enough food to last me and the wife a month or more without resupply. Extra propane and fuel as well, though I don't keep a whole lot of gas on hand.
One thing that I've noticed is that many people assume there will be big groupd of gangs and general baddies running around trying to kill you/steal your stuff. I'm sure that's a possibility in some area's, but one of the first things to disappear would be gas and diesel,IMO. It's hard to travel much without fuel. I figure if you live an hour or more outside a major city, most people probably won't make it to where you are.
Same goes for hunting. Probably the majority of people don't have their own hunting grounds right out there back door, so after a few trips out hunting they'll be effectivly stranded.
I guess much depends on where you live, but for my loation I really don't worry about roving gangs of thieves and murderers. The closest city is 60 miles away, I live about 10 miles away from a town of 5-6000. My biggest concern is water. There is a well on the property and I'd like to figure out a way to get water in the case of a power outage. I always have enough to drink for several weeks,as I buy bottled on account of rusty well water. My little generator won't run the pump in the well. I know the location of a couple of wells with old hand pumps on them, but they are both a couple miles away.
How likely do you think it is that we'll ever have to worry about extended or permanent los of electricity right across the country? I just don't see it happening. Locally, due to weather or earthquake I could see, but not right across the country.
I did buy a bunch of seeds today, since the gun show was a bust, so I feel a little better anyway!
