I am the “Grounded Prepper.”  Since 1982 I’ve been thinking and reading about the “end of the world as we know it,” both as a military member and peace officer.  I have been entertained by movies and books on the subject, but also talked to extremists and investigated domestic terrorists who have broken laws in their quest for survival.   I have planned and exercised for nuclear bombs, chemical attacks, the Y2K (non-) event and many more.  And I have found myself paranoid after reading “The Patriots,” “One Second After,” and other such materials.  (I recommend both books, by the way…)

 So I’m informed, but I'm also pragmatic.  A “grounded prepper,” if you will.  My approach to preparedness is based on a healthy respect for disasters because stuff does happen.  So we should emulate the Boy Scout Motto:  Be Prepared.  But, I say, not paranoid.

The “Prepper” is simply one who is prepared.  Many might equate this with a doomsday or “grid-down” scenario in which mere survival is the focus.  They talk about weapons, bug-out bags, water filtration, and other topics.    Some folks, in fact, move to the country and go “off grid” to prepare for the end of the world as we know it.  Most of us are below that level somewhere.  You may have a first aid kit in your car, a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, perhaps some canned food or cases of toilet paper from the Covid-19 pandemic.  A few levels up and you might be a “prepper” with a full pantry of canned food, water and a filter of some kind, a few hundred bucks in cash and maybe an investment in guns/ammo.  You’re in okay shape and could probably take care of yourself for most realistic emergencies.  And, like the majority of people in the USA, you live in a city or suburb and are not in a position to live off the land.  

You also understand that we have a pretty robust safety net in our country.  When something happens  the government and insurance agencies swoop in to help.  They have for over a century.  Emergency services of all types are provided to us, and insurance companies have reps who show up in rented cars and nylon jackets, often within hours of disaster.  Life gets back to normal pretty quickly and we’re getting groceries and taking showers again.  The fire scars might take years to turn back to green, the moldy houses take time to be replaced, but insurance funds will be delivered to our accounts.  Within a year or two, the event is commemorated in Wikipedia entry.  And we do all that with what we have on hand and what is handed out.  So why worry about a next level of preparedness?

Here's where the realistic scenarios can quickly be imagined out of reality.  But as a premise, what if the government does not swoop in shortly after the stuff hits the fan?  Hurricane Katrina comes to mind.  And many other incidents.  While we may think our suburban home is a safe haven, have never experienced more than a few hour long power outage, we should - we OUGHT - to be prepared.  And that's what this blog is about.