Prepare for the apocalypse

So, we all heard about 2012, the coming of doom, Y2k, armageddon, etc, etc. While many people have good reason to call any of this bullshit, it would just be plain ignorant to be unprepared. Just think of it in terms of growth. We are so overpopulated, that many are likely to die of starvation in the coming years. Or even better yet, we sterilize ourselves with antibiotics, so that it forces bacteria to adapt and become stronger. My guess (and it's just a guess) is that a disease will kill off most of the Earth's population, leaving the few left behind to survive alone in a new world. So, I have thought up a decent strategy for things you can do right now to help survive the apocalypse!

The only way to really prepare is to realize how different the world will be. All major stores, corporations, water lines, food supplies, electric grids, EVERYTHING will be gone. Within the first few months people will ravage stores and take all the food and supplies. The world as we know it will be completely transformed, maybe even "back to the basics". The world will seem to revert back in time, being comparable to the Old West days, where people fend for themselves and there is no law. Paper money will become worthless, and in order to survive you will have to rely on self-sufficiency. Things like guns, ammo, fuel, food, water, medicine, and tools will be highly valuable since they would be useful in this day and age.

For the sake of the story, I will say that a new strain of the flu virus has just broken out and is killing people left and right. Only 1 out of 100 survive. The lucky ones left alive are stuck in their homes, afraid to venture outside for fear of catching the sickness. How long can you last in your home without going outside? No water, no electricity? The average family only has 3 days of food supply in their home. And with no water, you are likely to die of dehydration before you die of hunger. So what to do? Stock up on water?

It definitely wouldn't hurt. In order to live through an epidemic you will need at least 90 days (3 months) supply of food and water. After that, it will most likely be safe to venture outdoors. So, you take your family, all the supplies you have, and load them up in your car. The next stop is down to the local gas station to see if there is any fuel you can salvage. Woops! The pump is long empty, the store in ruins. In fact, your town looks deserted, you haven't seen a person in months, since you have been in quarantine.

You and your wife decide to leave the area for good, to go halfway across the country to stay with relatives. There isn't any plausible way to get in contact, so you decide to just go for it. Drive and drive! Along the way you see abandoned cars, so you have the bright idea to see if you can siphon fuel. Forget the hose, just take a hammer and knock a hole in the bottom of the tank, and tada! Precious gas.

Perhaps you have been unlucky, in that you do not have a sufficient supply of food. This leaves you with the only option to go rummaging for food. The main outlets are long plundered, so you will have to look in places that are out of the way, normally looked over by other people. Being sneaky is a good thing too, because many people will become violent. We live in comfortable times, so we are happy. But we will be living in very uncomfortable times, so we will probably not be very nice. Expect to shoot 1 or 2 people. It's all part of the cycle.

So anyway, you get my point here in that self-sufficiency will become very important. Here are my plans for things you can do NOW to make your life better in the future.

1. Start a tilapia farm. If you've ever had tilapia before, you will know how tasty and nutritious a fish it is. Plus, the water from the runoff is full of nutrients, perfect for growing a garden. A problem is that tilapia is a tropical fish, so they require a steady 88 degrees. This will be a little more difficult if you live in cold areas, especially if you no longer have central heating! Careful planning and design is the only way around this.

A standard tilapia farm requires many tanks, including a "nursery", "breeding grounds", and larger tanks for mature fish. Tilapia love to munch on duckweed, so you will have to cultivate it. You will also have to weigh a fish every day to determine how much to feed them. It takes about a year for them to fully mature.


2. So, you like the idea of having fish and a garden, all year around? Well, another problem comes into play: water. You need plenty of water to supply your fish and garden, however, the city lines are shut off! The only thing you can do is relocate yourself, on top of a well. After that, you can get a solar powered pump, to run water. And lastly, you can rig up a gravity fed hydroponics system to the fish tanks, and your house. That way, you don't have to use extra electricity to run the water, it is automatically done for you by gravity.

3. Solar panels... My educated guess is that solar panels will become super valuable. Try and get ahold of as many of these as you can. There are loads of things you can do with a solar panel. The most obvious is, well, electricity. But you can also rig up a solar water heater, backup generators, even power a car. You can bet if you have some of these after the apocalypse happens, you are set for life.


4. Start a community. If you have your greenhouse filled with fish tanks and vegetables, as well as having an abundant supply of solar power, and a nice gravity fed well, it is likely you will be a lot better off than most people. The smartest thing to do now is have security. It will be wise to have a network of friends, that you can trust, living side-by-side, and watching out for each other. It will be a community, with someone who is the doctor, someone who has cows, another who makes bread, and maybe even a guy who makes beer. The best thing is that you will have greater safety, as well as much needed company, to protect and live for the rest of your days.

5. Start researching about "green" living (or self-sufficiency). There are loads of books and material on the subject, you might as well grab a few for reference! Start stockpiling supplies, or better yet, looking for that house with a well. Buy a few solar panels, as many as you can.

If the tilapia idea is interesting for you, check out this website. It is where I first found the idea, and I am definitely going to try and make it a reality. I don't know about you, but having an indefinite source of food / water (that you can also sell to make income) sounds like a great idea to me.

And, last but not least, add in your own ideas! The future is OURS, apocalypse or not.

can i get a tl;dr?

Yeah, it's pretty long. Oh well, can never be too prepared.

meh we die we die i just want to fuck and be drunk when that happens

a 99% mortality rate is pretty unrealistic and extreme.........
Although this is a pretty awesome thread. I'll probably add some stuff later.

http://www.2012hoax.org/

Yeah, that's just about worst case scenario.

Yeah, I agree a lot of the hype around the apocalypse is flat out BS. However, there are many things that would likely happen. Things like overpopulation, disease (IE - the plague), the consuming of natural resources (oil spill anyone), the collapse of government (Rome!?), and war. My purpose was not to scare anyone, just to get them thinking and maybe even to live a better life.

Some things I would like to clarify about my post:
-Starting a self-sufficient life is not cheap. Drilling a well can cost $12,000 or so, if you live in a desert area (like Arizona).
-Solar panels are also not cheap, everyone knows this. An 80-watt solar panel costs about $200. Multiple, high efficient solar panels can cost anywhere from $5000-9000.
-The tilapia farm is an investment also, but a reasonably safe one. Getting the 'breeder' fish is about $400. The tanks, and hydroponic system is also not cheap. But after a year, you can sell the fish for $10 a pound (and each fish would weigh about a pound). You would probably make your money back after only a year.
In total you are looking at about a $20,000 investment. It's an investment in your future, however. And I can bet it will pay off in the long run.

i read that and thought, hmm another stupid person who believes too much shit

Medical supplies are a must.
Once the majority of people die and you've set up some sort of shelter, you'll need meds. You'll need antibiotics for any infected cuts. Sterile needles would also be a good thing to have, you might get diabetes (or meet someone who has it) so insulin would also be great. Medical supplies will be worth their weight in gold (probably even more) so it'd be a good idea to get to the nearest medical clinic or hospital to get as many supplies as you can. Assuming you've survived this long there's a good chance you're immune but you may want to wait to go to the hospitals as that will probably be where the highest risk of infection is. If there's a medical research center or drug company warehouses near you'll want to check them out as there's probably less of a risk of getting disease or meeting other people.

you can always prepare with a bullet to the head

Just a bit of fun. No need to get nasty about it.

All I need is infinite ammo like in the Zombie Mod and im set.

I like your take on life!

well its true we cant stop death only delay it :whistling:

These are QFT.

Insulin and such have a shelf life and need to be in a fridge and last around a month i believe. So alot of that stuff can not be used in the way that you think. The best you could do is care for wounds and use a stethoscope to listen for any issues and use your medical knowledge if you have it to help any way possible. Basically you would have to leave alot of stuff to chance sadly and knowledge of how to make meds.

I thought that would be a problem :/

Also you would be correct on the hospital being the highest place for infection. This is why hospital stays have been shortened as much as possible to reduce the chance of a hospital acquired infection and allow the patient to rest at home when physical therapy or anything needed is done. Hell i don't even doubt that i have MRSA in my nose from being around the patients with it, even with a mask, gown, gloves the risk can come from something else (even with good hand washing). Simply put if you don't wanna be at the highest risk area stay away from the place. Only bad thing is if you work there you still have a obligation to do what ever you can. So no dipping out if everything went sour.

Shit, if there was a serious viral outbreak and it started to turn people into zombies, I'd call in sick to work! The Hospital is the #1 place to catch it!

When the end of the world comes then there will be mass rape and murder. I believe that I will be shot and killed by the guy down the street hahaha. The only people to survive will probably be guys in the army looking to rape girls that are still alive like in 28 days later.