Are You Personally Prepared For a Natural Disaster?

Discussion in 'All Things Boats & Boating' started by Submarine Tom, May 2, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. hoytedow
    Joined: Sep 2009
    Posts: 5,857
    Likes: 400, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 2489
    Location: Control Group

    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    We should throw the corrupt officials who forced banks to lend to unqualified buyers into jail. They knew the buyers would not be able to honor the mortgages they signed but forced the banks to make the deals anyway.
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. SheetWise
    Joined: Jul 2004
    Posts: 279
    Likes: 54, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 658
    Location: Phoenix

    SheetWise All Beach -- No Water.

    Exactly. We just purchase the deflated assets now -- leverage our capital on cheap 30 year fixed rate loans -- pay it back with inflated dollars -- and sell at the top of the next bubble.

    The problem is, residential housing serves a dual purpose (see, Hernando deSoto, The Mystery of Capital), it represents savings, and is the primary source of small business (mom and pop) startup capital.
     
  3. masalai
    Joined: Oct 2007
    Posts: 6,818
    Likes: 121, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 1882
    Location: cruising, Australia

    masalai masalai

    Stop worrying about the detail and look at the big picture - for example this http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/14865 - - "Alasdair Macleod: Why The Europe Situation is Certain to Get Worse"

    and then this
    http://www.chrismartenson.com/blog/60413 - - "The Europe Crisis from a European Perspective" and a bit of fun "Keynesian vs Austrian debate hotting up" here http://www.goldmoney.com/gold-resea...ustrian-debate-hotting-up.html?gmrefcode=gata this 'debate' seems to rattle on forever like the local "global warming" discussion....

    I put this because I feel a 'little fire in the belly' of the discourse may help - have this post deleted as soon as you please... else I will when I get back from a bit of time on my boat... My reason for posting the links is that this identifies another type of disaster that will curtail much boating activity if / when it comes to pass, and pass it will - - - eventually...
     
    1 person likes this.
  4. erik818
    Joined: Feb 2007
    Posts: 237
    Likes: 21, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 310
    Location: Sweden

    erik818 Senior Member

    My own disaster preparation is limited to a motor generator. Of course I have camping gear, tools, bicycles, boats etc. but that isn't intended as a preparation for a distaster. Anything worse then a power failure and I'll improvise. Does living in a neighbourhood where the neighbours can be trusted count as disaster preparation?

    I agree with Andiamo. We need the organized society. Previous generations have worked hard to achieve the civilisation we have. It's worth fighting for and worth risking our lives for. The idea of running away when trouble starts seems strange to me. Why give up so easily?

    If a disaster occurs and society is disrupted I'd rather stay where I am and start reorganize society again. If I run away I loose control over my future.

    Why assume that a successfully reorganized society will allow me back in if I run away to save my own skin when trouble starts? We have immigration control now, and I don't expect it to disappear when times get rough.

    Erik
     
  5. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    Your perception is due to the fact that you live in Sweden. Notice it is mainly Americans who think this way (every man for himself). If we had the sense of community you have in Sweden, we would probably think the same way you do. However, here, we have broken family ties and communities of people who do not know each other and do not trust each other. (Of course, there are some exceptions in rural areas)

    We just don't have the kind of society (with strong community and family ties) that many of you in Europe enjoy.
     
  6. SheetWise
    Joined: Jul 2004
    Posts: 279
    Likes: 54, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 658
    Location: Phoenix

    SheetWise All Beach -- No Water.

    We were, in my lifetime, close to a culture of Americans -- but thanks to divide and conquer political strategies, promotion of multiculturalism and diversity has fragmented the American identity.

    Not Europe -- basically, Scandinavia. Most of Europe has the same problems the US has, an erosion of the level of trust and trustworthiness.

    Here's an interesting podcast with David Rose on the trends.

     
  7. masalai
    Joined: Oct 2007
    Posts: 6,818
    Likes: 121, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 1882
    Location: cruising, Australia

    masalai masalai

    The family unit of 1 set of parents and their dependent children was when the sense of community died... Where there are extended families of multiple generations helping and looking after each other there is hope...

    "Western Democratic Society" has had its day, and shown to be unsustainable in the long term.... It is 'western democracies', that have been behind the G.E.C. which is the point and cause of the next "natural" disaster (ballooning DEBT), because they have a strong orientation at accumulating money above all else... When that system fails that sort of money is useless... follow the links I put above, as they explain things well... and the impact is global - You will NOT SEE it, so much as feel it - - NOTHING TO BUY and Your money will become worthless...
     
  8. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    Exactly, Masalai. That is what is now gone. I don't know where people forgot this, but the preservation and extension of a family through generations is the most important part of a social fabric and it has been completely destroyed in the States.

    You are lucky if you have more than one parent to a household. About 1/2 of all Americans are single! There is much selfishness and greed - especially inside marriages, which tends to lead to divorce.

    The divorce rate in this country is just deplorable. People treat other people like common trash they can just throw away when they are done with them. That is true of both sexes.

    Add to that the fact that to survive now, the average family (if you are lucky enough to be married and have one) now requires the woman to work as well as the man to survive... if you can find employment. It's a fairly bleak situation here, socially.

    Also, somewhere along the line - either starting with the Greatest Generation or the Baby Boomers, the idea of enabling your family to succeed has vanished. Instead, the elders wasted the entire family's wealth on multiple houses, boats, new cars, etc... and did not support the country's future (enabling the younger generation to succeed). Because of this greed, the younger generation now could give a **** about the older generation that did not help them. I know a lot of people in this situation and I speak from personal experience as well. There are quite a few old folks around now that wasted the success of a family that they themselves inherited. Instead of using that family wealth to pay for college for their children or help them open businesses, or even pass down a family business, the family nest egg was wasted and the children were left to fend for themselves, despite their parents owning 2 or 3 houses and in all likelyhood, being millionaires in the case of my own. They parents talk tough about "making it on your own" and all that, while they p*ss through the money they themselves inherited from the Greatest Generation.

    All the while, you can spot several of them with bumper stickers saying, "I am spending my childrens' inheritance" as if that's funny. It's not. They are just greedily taking away the ability of their family to flourish in future generations... their own children and grandchildren will not enjoy the benefits they enjoyed, plus have to deal with a much more difficult economic landscape.

    Because of this deep split between the generations and the lack of our elders investing in us, education, roads, etc... etc... we now basically have no way to help them as they grow old and need to be taken care of. They kind of dug their own graves on that one, by not continuing the success of the family they way it was passed down to them from their parents. This is also the generation that stuffed their parents in nursing homes after they took all the money from them.

    So, our society is in a shambles. No family, no community, no trust and people don't care about each other.

    I was amazed to see some Swedes we had as charter guests once interact as a family. The Dad and 3 sons (ages 20, 23 and 29) chartered our boat. They sat up for hours late at night talking and having a few beers, really enjoying each other's company. Laughing all the time, not once arguing or yelling. Not watching TV. Not listening to a radio. Just enjoying each other's company. This is something you never see in the USA. The next day, they had a great time sailing in the pouring rain... and they had smiles on their faces the whole time.

    That is what we lack in the USA, where (if I recall) the majority of kids born today are born to single mothers.

    The social fabric was part of what made this place great, but it's long gone.

    Also, I agree with Sheetwise for the most part.

    It's truly a sad place to live for many. Though, of course, I do acknowledge that there are plenty of exceptions to this post. However, there are a startling number of "families" and "communities" that are as I have posted.
     
  9. masalai
    Joined: Oct 2007
    Posts: 6,818
    Likes: 121, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 1882
    Location: cruising, Australia

    masalai masalai

    Hi Catbuilder,
    Agreed - a very sad state of affairs... I am not entirely blameless - - - and fall in the demographic category of a "frugal", (remembering the privations of the Great Depression), by only a couple of years - - as to be one of the "baby boomers" was usually identified as born post 1946 to post 1950 depending on demographer reference country/continent...

    I need to secure employment, and Melanesia is the only region where I feel I have some hope of achieving meaningful work...

    In Australia the policy of the younger generations seems to be to emulate the worst traits as seen on TV from USA... When such seems to be beyond reach, (they also lack perseverance and persistence in all except playing video-games), they resort to venting anger on all and sundry... Life here is becoming quite violent and insecure for the older generations innocently caught up as victims of collateral damage...
     
  10. CatBuilder

    CatBuilder Previous Member

    So there are global similarities. Very interesting. The younger generation is not without blame here either and there are also plenty who lack motivation. They are so bad, I had to hire a 50 year old man to help with the boat because the young guys thought the work was too taxing.

    I wonder how the Europeans are faring in these respects...

    I have heard Italy is having problems with the generational divide as well and older folks there are being left to fend for themselves, though I am not sure how widespread the problems are. Also, it would be interesting to hear from out old friend Vulkyn on his culture to see if he shares these problems.
     
  11. Boston

    Boston Previous Member

    Interesting comment Sheet, there's a house not far from ours thats going for <50K. I'd have to borrow a few bucks to buy it, and I hate debt but I could pay it back pretty quick. I've got a lot of work lined up for the season. Still, not sure though, every months they claim prices have stopped dropping and every month they just keep going down. I was thinking of offering maybe 35 and see if they bite. Place is a scrape off, not worth much more than the lot and utilities. Course then its that pesky bit about lifestyle, pretty sure I'd rather be back on the water. Buying a house does nothing to further that end and eats money for the boat.

    As an investment, I just don't know if I trust it, as a roof over my head, got one. But since we're on to doomsday scenario's I might as well throw in another one for everyone's enjoyment.

    There have been some interesting things coming out lately about resource depletion and what thats likely to do to the economy in the near future. Doesn't bode well for waiting on another boom time.

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sidesho...rchers-predict-global-economic-190352944.html

    Basically in the 70's some guys at MIT started looking at resource depletion and how it effects economy and other things. Didn't end up looking so rosy of a future so they kept track of how there original predictions were turning out. Forty years on, and they still are holding to there prediction of ~2030. Means my home investment would have 18 max to turn a profit and make it worth my while to give up my evil plan of returning to the ocean. Course DR J Jackson predicts the oceans will go aerobically stratified before 2030 so I guess I'm screwed no matter which way I turn.

    oh well
    I say eat drink and be merry for tomorrow
    well you know the rest

    cheers ;-)
    B
     
  12. WestVanHan
    Joined: Aug 2009
    Posts: 1,373
    Likes: 56, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 746
    Location: Vancouver

    WestVanHan Not a Senior Member

    If anyone wants info on the best way (mostly for my area anyways) to survive -foods,supplies,etc just ask.

    I grew up poor and hungry,so storing away and surviving on little is engraved in my head.
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. masalai
    Joined: Oct 2007
    Posts: 6,818
    Likes: 121, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 1882
    Location: cruising, Australia

    masalai masalai

    Hi Westie,
    Seems to me you may well be demographically defined as a "frugal"? - one born before 1946?

    Hi Boston
    Chime in - common sense seems to be surfacing - - via the old hands?... we seem to have a common theme going...


    The key seems to me to be able to grow your own meat, milk, eggs, fruit and veg...

    Beyond that potable water (drinking and for livestock & gardens), sustainable energy (cooking, light, and refrigeration) and the rest is location related - shelter, safety / security and comfort of mind (not being fearful that some raiders will come and kill and steal)...

    My reading seems pretty bleak and pessimistic for the past coupla days and does not seem likely to improve . . . judging by events in Europe, (elections & discontent), and social upheaval and uncertainty here in OZ . . . with ********* due here 'federally' soon....
     
  14. bntii
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 731
    Likes: 97, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 1324
    Location: MD

    bntii Senior Member

    I doubt it Bos- have you looked into his work?

    For the rest of you bandits- it's easy to say everything is crap & I am bugging out.

    Society is made by individuals- your actions now and during any crisis.
    Man up- if you want a better society, help to build it.
     

  15. longcours62
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posts: 92
    Likes: 5, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 47
    Location: France

    longcours62 Junior Member

    I am very surprise

    you know some famous words from French humorist who said :" ********* pestilentielles ' for ' elections presidentielles ' :por our ex minister Rachida who said : "fellation" for " inflation".:eek:
     
    1 person likes this.
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.