I prep, a bit. My wife and kids think I'm a tad nuts, but that's ok. I feel it's part of my duty to try and keep them safe.
I'm not prepping for the end of the world, societal collapse, aliens, or zombies, but for smaller more realistic SHTF situations.
The most likely scenarios involve natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, floods, earthquakes, etc.) Any of those could disrupt water supplies, electricity, natural gas, sewage, phone, cellular, internet, railways, roads, and more. They could cause fires and smoke, gas/chemical/nuclear leaks, land slides, etc. These kinds of things happen every year in one place or another.
Many people don't realize that most big stores only have enough products to last a couple of days. They operate on JIT (Just In Time) processes that see regular deliveries of new product every day or two. If the supply chain is compromised they will empty quickly. Gas stations too. This could be due to the loss of roads, railways, bridges, runways, refineries, and so on.
I happen to live on a large island in an earthquake zone. "The big one" is long overdue and has been "any time now" for decades. We get smaller ones almost daily, some close, some out at sea. If/when it happens we could very well be hit with a tsunami too. Every year we have forest fires that are close enough to block access roads and fill the air with enough smoke to affect peoples' health. All the goods in our stores are shipped on truck but come across from the mainland on ferries.
A couple years years ago we got a tiny taste of what could happen when heavy rainfall washed out bridges and major roads on the mainland. Some towns were completely cut off with no way in or out until landslides were cleared and roads repaired. Here on the island a major highway was washed out. The supply chain was severely disrupted for several days.
Within one day almost all the gas stations were sold out or rationing. Many shelves in the groceries stores were bare, and things like TP were being rationed, if there was any left. There was an increase in people stealing gas out of other people's cars.
If we get hit with something more than heavy rainfall, like the long-expected earthquake, it could take way longer then a few days before the supply chain is back up. If the ferry terminals were damaged it could take even longer.
So I try to keep at least a month's worth of food and water for each family member, plus extra to help others if necessary. I have the standard pails of rice, beans, salt, sugar, coffee, etc. plus assorted MREs, dehydrated meals, canned goods, and so on. Try to add a little more every month, and use the oldest things that won't keep as long.
I also store water filters/purifiers, first aid supplies, a gas powered generator with extra fuel, PPE (face masks, gas masks, chemical-resistant gloves, etc.) loads of batteries of all types (single use and rechargeable), flashlights and headlamps, hygiene items, AM/FM/NOAA radios, and so on. Solar chargers too.
I have a dozen or so hand-held HAM radios, all programmed the same with local repeaters, emergency frequencies, etc. Spare batteries and headsets and antennae. Don't just get them, learn how to use them and teach your family.
Things to fill long boring lulls are important too. Board games, a couple decks of cards, dice, pens/pencils and some pads of paper, MP3 players pre-loaded with music, etc. I also have a Kindle that has several e-books on first-aid and survival topics.
I have a lot of hiking/camping/outdoor gear because I like and do that stuff anyway, but it could potentially come in handy. I can easily imagine a scenario where my house is damaged and can't be lived in safely and we'd have to camp out for a bit. Propane powered stoves and a large number of those green mini propane tanks, plus a bunch or larger propane tanks could be a life saver (and you can get lanterns, area heaters, etc. that will run on propane too). Multiple tents, tarps, ropes and other cordage, tools, etc.
I also have a collection of handguns, rifles, and shotguns of several brands, types, and calibers, along with thousands of rounds for each caliber. This is mainly because I enjoy target shooting and have my hunting license, not because I'm planning for any sort of battle. But they could prove useful in a defensive roll in a worst case scenario.
I've heard it said that civilization will only last for nine missed meals. In other words, when people have to go without food for that long they will start to get desperate and do desperate things. So it's wise to keep your preps private.
On a smaller scale, prepping can be as simple as my "blackout boxes". I have two ammo cans, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Each one contains a hand-cranked AM/FM/NOAA radio/light/changer, chemical hand warmers, flashlights and head lamps with extra batteries, chem-lights, long-burning "tea lights", lighters, mylar emergency blankets, and a couple of battery banks to charge phones with. These are just meant for power outages. We don't get a lot of them, but they do happen a few times per year.
Similarly I have a backpack for each vehicle we have that contains emergency food and water, ranger blankets, mylar blankets, a multi tool, a wind-up radio/light/charger, paracord, a tarp, rain ponchos, long-burning emergency candles, lighters, flashlights, batteries, water filters and purifiers, a first aid kit, paper map books of the area, and so on. Everything one would need to survive for about 72 hours if, for example, your car went into a ravine in the middle of winter (we've actually had cases of cars being found days after going missing like that).
So "prepping" isn't, as far as I'm concerned, about planning for doomsday (but if that were to happen my preps would certainly make life easier for a while). It's about preparing for real life scenarios that could actually happen (and have happened before). Whether one is a Christian or not, it just makes sense. It's like the Boy Scouts say (I was a scout leader for a few years too), "Be Prepared".
