Community,Hows Yours?

[Meerkat]

A nieghbor and I were talking about this today. Most seen to be nice when passing or seeing each other but also stay to themselves. So if anything happened wonder how that would work out in civil unrest? I'm pretty sure all are armed and if judging by the gunshots know how to use them or we hope so anyway.

Plus we talked mainly about many here are older people. We do have some young blood but not as much as older people.If things got bad power outage, no room at hospitals,Ambulances tied up,etc,etc,etc,.
How many have emergency medical supplies.

 

[zoomzoom]

We don't have a community really. Just some spread out neighbors. Most do keep to themselves but if something bad happens (normally weather related), we all pull together.
Combined, we have a ton of skills and many tons of equipment. Almost all own their own companies and are skilled tradesmen. Two of the wives are nurses.

 

[Sourdough]

Not to Hi-Jack this thread, but a close relevant question: Do you keep track of, or even aware of people who really don't like you. It could be justified or not, could be like the Hatfield's and McCoy's. Generations of jealousy or loathing. Maybe they just don't like the color of your house or roof style. I am not concerned who will come together for the community, I do want to be keenly aware of who has grudges with each other, especially with me.

If things get yucky enough and "Selective Culling" season opens.......prudent to "not" be clueless.

 

[phideaux]

All the backwoods, redneck, river bottom hillbillies around here mind their own business....until one is in need.
Whatever that need may be.

I told , in another thread, how we all came together to help our restaurant people while not working for 3-4 weeks.

That's how my community is.

Wouldn't leave for any reason...got too much support.

Only if your one of us.

Jim

 

[Amish Heart]

People around us look out for each other. Always ready to lend a hand.

 

[Meerkat]

We don't have a community really. Just some spread out neighbors. Most do keep to themselves but if something bad happens (normally weather related), we all pull together.
Combined, we have a ton of skills and many tons of equipment. Almost all own their own companies and are skilled tradesmen. Two of the wives are nurses.

We have 2 nurses here too married to brothers who don't socialize with others but are nice and I'm sure would help if needed.

 

[Sourdough]

I get the feeling when people respond to these type threads.......they are framing it the context of hardship, light, medium, serious hardship. And typically less then 100% of community impacted.

My interest is the space beyond "serious hardship". That is the area that people want to pretend will never happen to their community. Most communities and warm and fuzzy loving supporting, etc..

How will they react when the warm, fuzzy, loving is no longer available period.

 

[BadgerLandHunter]

I plan to get out of dodge ASAP since I'm currently in an apartment in a smaller city. Well I know for a almost certainty there are 3 drug dealers or wife beaters within 2 blocks. I think drug deals happen just down the road from me at a building parking lot. My next door neighbor is quite chill about any conspiracy type talk so we keep the chat very basic. She has a psycho ex that stalks her but doesn't want to buy a gun.

The city looks nice if you just drive through. Small town USA I guess. You won't get robbed if you go for a walk. You will only need the ER if you don't pay your drug dealer. (One city over technically old co-worker had his nose reshaped....fell against a door knob told the ER doc o-0)

If you look in the right places though I think most cities have there drugs and stuff.

I'm going to be loading up the vehicle and drive to another location hopefully. I have a back pack I filled with more advanced 1st aid things. But if someone I shot I might be able to stop the bleeding but they will probably need to see a trained medical person. My mom was a nurse YEARS ago but not for surgeries....

 

[Meerkat]

I plan to get out of dodge ASAP since I'm currently in an apartment in a smaller city. Well I know for a almost certainty there are 3 drug dealers or wife beaters within 2 blocks. I think drug deals happen just down the road from me at a building parking lot. My next door neighbor is quite chill about any conspiracy type talk so we keep the chat very basic. She has a psycho ex that stalks her but doesn't want to buy a gun.

The city looks nice if you just drive through. Small town USA I guess. You won't get robbed if you go for a walk. You will only need the ER if you don't pay your drug dealer. (One city over technically old co-worker had his nose reshaped....fell against a door knob told the ER doc o-0)

If you look in the right places though I think most cities have there drugs and stuff.

I'm going to be loading up the vehicle and drive to another location hopefully. I have a back pack I filled with more advanced 1st aid things. But if someone I shot I might be able to stop the bleeding but they will probably need to see a trained medical person. My mom was a nurse YEARS ago but not for surgeries....

The rural areas are full of drugs too. Only difference is they only hurt and kill each other because here they know not to bother the locals who don't do that crap. These woods are full of second ammendment people who mind their own bizwax and demand the same from others.

 

[Meerkat]

I get the feeling when people respond to these type threads.......they are framing it the context of hardship, light, medium, serious hardship. And typically less then 100% of community impacted.

My interest is the space beyond "serious hardship". That is the area that people want to pretend will never happen to their community. Most communities and warm and fuzzy loving supporting, etc..

How will they react when the warm, fuzzy, loving is no longer available period.

The lady I talked to this morning brought that up.We talked alot about the 'what ifs'.

 

[Aerindel]

There is no real community here. Just four or five big families in an uneasy alliance trying to live in the valley. I'm pretty sure we would have a brief but bloody civil war if 'anything happened'. Not based on politics, but on who did what to who two generations ago.

I try to stay up on my mountain and have as little to do with the people down in the valley as I can. All they seem to do is fight and steal from each other.

I've lived here for 40 years and I still bet there are no more than a dozen people in the 'community' who know my name.

 

[Meerkat]

There is no real community here. Just four or five big families in an uneasy alliance trying to live in the valley. I'm pretty sure we would have a brief but bloody civil war if 'anything happened'. Not based on politics, but on who did what to who two generations ago.

I try to stay up on my mountain and have as little to do with the people down in the valley as I can. All they seem to do is fight and steal from each other.

I've lived here for 40 years and I still bet there are no more than a dozen people in the 'community' who know my name.

Wasn't always like thator at least not like it is now. Not perfect unless compared to most nations.europe was ok but without us they would have been taken over

 

[PopPopT]

It's "country" here. Mostly farms around. Probably 30 or 35 people over a square mile, maybe 5 or 6 families total. We're the "outsiders" but they've taken to us and we've taken to them. We pretty much keep to ourselves but are friendly and drop in to visit once in a while, often with an "excuse" such as an extra long neck pumpkin or a couple of extra juicy tomatoes to give away.

Guns are just the way of life out here, never know when you'll run into a wild hog or weird acting possum that needs dispatched.

Our neighbors have said numerous times that if there's anything we need, just ask. And I know they mean it. But if there is anything they need, I think they'd ask, too. We're just all that way. Mostly, it's 3 families here, multiple generations. And they didn't quite know what to think of us at first, nor us them. But they treat us like family that they like, and I'd like to think we treat them that way, too. Some might call 'em "redneck", heck, some might call me that. But I don't care. Them's my extended family now.

 

[Meerkat]

It's "country" here. Mostly farms around. Probably 30 or 35 people over a square mile, maybe 5 or 6 families total. We're the "outsiders" but they've taken to us and we've taken to them. We pretty much keep to ourselves but are friendly and drop in to visit once in a while, often with an "excuse" such as an extra long neck pumpkin or a couple of extra juicy tomatoes to give away.

Guns are just the way of life out here, never know when you'll run into a wild hog or weird acting possum that needs dispatched.

Our neighbors have said numerous times that if there's anything we need, just ask. And I know they mean it. But if there is anything they need, I think they'd ask, too. We're just all that way. Mostly, it's 3 families here, multiple generations. And they didn't quite know what to think of us at first, nor us them. But they treat us like family that they like, and I'd like to think we treat them that way, too. Some might call 'em "redneck", heck, some might call me that. But I don't care. Them's my extended family now.

Sounds like you described our n-hood. We did have a VNam vet here who had flashbacks of the war when so many were shooting,but he dealt with it. Otherwise we just hope they know about safety and stray bullets..

 

[Supervisor42]

I get the feeling when people respond to these type threads.......they are framing it the context of hardship, light, medium, serious hardship. And typically less then 100% of community impacted.

We get to 'test-drive' our community every hurricane.
The next day, you see pickup trucks driving slow up and down the road and think they are sightseeing until the window rolls down and they say:
"Y'all need any help?"
The rest of the nation was amazed that even something called "The Cajun Navy" exists.
It is unbelievable the number of caring people that magically come out of the woodwork down here.
Everybody is a prepper and they all network.
I couldn't wish for a better place to be.

 

[PopPopT]

We get to 'test-drive' our community every hurricane.

Went through Hurricane Katrina. Lived in the driveway of our house in Slidell for a year in an RV while we fixed the house. Kinda decided that we wanted to be someplace else. Had we been more on the outskirts, maybe north of Picayune or up towards Poplarville, we might have decided to stay put, dunno. But we like TN.

 

[Morgan101]

Even though I have two close neighbors (close in proximity only) who I wouldn't pee on if they were on fire, the community did come together when we had flood issues. Everybody pitched in to help.

Unless you are very close in a friendship way, not just geography, I don't think anybody really knows how others will react in a crisis. Who will run and hide, and who will stand and fight?

 

[Alaskajohn]

This is one of those topics where answers a question will be wildly variable.

The community that I was born into, a small unincorporated village that is the last community on a county road that dead ends in the holler deep in Appalachia would certainly stick together. The community of about 80 are pretty much all kinfolk and those that aren't would probably be run off if they couldn't point out kinfolk in the local church's cemetery.

Where I am living today, its also an unincorporated community that includes about 200 year round soles along a 25 mile stretch of a the only road in the middle of nowhere in an area about the size of West Virginia. While my "neighbors" are fairly like minded, its hard to develop a real community when your community is so spread out, and when there aren't schools, grocery stores, gas stations where people congregate and interact. I know the 3 other property owners who own the parcels within about 5 miles from my place and I am pretty sure we would band together if needed, but I am no way banking on it. In true Alaska style, most would go to great effort to help out someone in distress, while also placing great value on everyone minding their own business.

 

[Aerindel]

Not to Hi-Jack this thread, but a close relevant question: Do you keep track of, or even aware of people who really don't like you. It could be justified or not, could be like the Hatfield's and McCoy's. Generations of jealousy or loathing. .

I do. I actually worry about it a lot. Particularly after this year, corona stress brought a lot of this to the surface.

Long before the zombies show up, its going to be your neighbors and co-workers coming at you.

 

[viking]

Within a three mile stretch there are six homes that are basically more family than blood family, a phone call or radio call would bring help within a few short minutes, it's amazing how things have fallen together and we have a common mind set, this is truly a blessing from God.

 

[Hardcalibres]

Neighborhood support in mild to moderate crises is common in rural areas.

But that support does not involve heightened risk for those that provide help to their neighbors.
Resources that are used to help others can be easily replaced and time spent at someone else's place helping them out does not involve putting your own farm/dependents at higher risk.

But in a severe crisis, that may involve threats like raiders/violence and scarcity/irreplaceablity of resources, I expect that people in most rural areas would likely become much less helpful.

In those severe crises, help is only going to come from very good friends/family or those you can really trust - and for almost all, that will not be all their neighbors - for many, it will be none of them.

Smarter raider forces can destroy loose neighborhood cooperation by splitting their own force in two, using one force to create a diversion in one location, and then using the second force to hit some of the farms left undefended by the responders to the diversion. After that, response to any later "call to arms" is going to be largely ignored.

The challenge in any rural area faced with raiders is force concentration. It can be argued that recruiting from small towns is easier than recruiting from remote farms.

 

[Spikedriver]

In my little town, I know a few people. Not many though. I spend way too much time on the road to be able to really develop any relationships with people. I've got a lot of aquaintances who might, or might not, be willing to band together with me. I do have the advantage of knowing two deputies and a reserve deputy. They all go to my church and the deputies are both ex military. The reserve deputy is active duty National Guard. They are all guys I think I could personally count on, but if the S hits the F they're all going to be busy...

Back at the farm, it's surrounded by both close family and more distant relatives. And it's old school country living there. If you're stuck in the snow, any farmer would hook on and pull you out. The ladies deliver meals to those who are Covid quarantined, without being asked to. When a farmer passes away, 30 others will show up in the fall and harvest his whole crop in one day so his widow won't have to pay to have it done. If the S hits the F there, anybody who turns on his neighbor won't last too long...

 

[UrbanHunter]

As my handle implies I am located in an urban area adjacent to some large cities. The neighborhood is a mix of blue collar and non-English speaking folks. For the most part it feels like living in a Desert but the cactus move around and drive..

We work to stay on good terms with our closest neighbors, but I would not go as far as to call them friends. Our “community” would be church friends, but I don’t think they have the skills necessary to take care of themselves if things got rough.

My politics are a mixed bag, I don’t like people telling me what to do and I don’t think I have the right to tell them what to do either.

I have tried to help people when they show an interest, but I have found that most people are a lot talk and very little do…. I no longer share my prepping side with anyone who knows who I am, except maybe @Amish Heart and @Neb.

 

[Hardcalibres]

As my handle implies I am located in an urban area adjacent to some large cities. The neighborhood is a mix of blue collar and non-English speaking folks. For the most part it feels like living in a Desert but the cactus move around and drive..

We work to stay on good terms with our closest neighbors, but I would not go as far as to call them friends. Our “community” would be church friends, but I don’t think they have the skills necessary to take care of themselves if things got rough.

My politics are a mixed bag, I don’t like people telling me what to do and I don’t think I have the right to tell them what to do either.

I have tried to help people when they show an interest, but I have found that most people are a lot talk and very little do…. I no longer share my prepping side with anyone who knows who I am, except maybe @Amish Heart and @Neb.

It sounds like you can bug in for mild to moderate crises, but need to be prepared to bug out if a severe crisis comes along.

Try to find one or more places you could go, develop a good mobility capability and prepare/resource for an INCH journey (if that becomes necessary).

Being able to hunker down from the start of almost all severe crises is one of the big advantages of living on a remote homestead - but for those that live somewhere more urban, you can prepare/resource and plan your way out of an unsurvivable location - but for you, that transition will involve greater risk. That is the price paid for the amenities/comforts of urban residence.

 

[Haertig]

I have three neighbors that I would help first (I'd help all my neighbors, but these three would be first). And I would probably get help from those three as well, if I needed it. The others, we are friendly enough, but I would expect nothing from them nor they from me. Some of them I recognize only in the context of being in their yard. We could bump into each other in the grocery store and not recognize each other. There would be an, "I know you from somewhere!" moment, and we'd have to think ... "Oh yeah, you live at the other end of the cul-de-sac. I met you at that block party four years ago!" (We used to have block parties every year, but haven't recently.)

 

[UrbanHunter]

It sounds like you can bug in for mild to moderate crises, but need to be prepared to bug out if a severe crisis comes along.

Try to find one or more places you could go, develop a good mobility capability and prepare/resource for an INCH journey (if that becomes necessary).

Being able to hunker down from the start of almost all severe crises is one of the big advantages of living on a remote homestead - but for those that live somewhere more urban, you can prepare/resource and plan your way out of an unsurvivable location - but for you, that transition will involve greater risk. That is the price paid for the amenities/comforts of urban residence.

We live where work dictates, but being prepared is a lifestyle.

I have worked at developing systems that can provide me with most of the necessities, even in a totally dark scenario. My garden is hidden, my stores are private, and I can black out all my windows very quickly. In other words I can go underground in place… I think if things got really bad I would just dig in deeper until I was ready to move on my own terms.

Every event is an opportunity to learn, basement floods – learn to control the drainage around the house or raise the house - keep thing off the floor. Loose power for a couple of weeks in January – learn to have more than 1 way to heat your house, water and food. City water goes out-figure out how to store water and to use it using your existing plumbing and figure out how to collect, store, and use natural water for your garden. You see the fresh food getting thin at the stores – learn how to grow as much as you can as quickly as possible.

I don’t mind where I am, if there were no people around I could walk to places where I could hunt deer, geese, ducks, turkeys, squirrels, and rabbits. If people are around I could still do it but I would need to leave before dawn and return in the dark (I have a bike that could make movement faster and quiet).

I have 2 big holes that I would like to fix: 1) I don’t have enough solar power to keep things going for very long. 2) I don’t have a sustainable form of protein available, I would love to have chickens or rabbits – but there are times I disappear for a week or two and I don’t have a way to take care of them during those times. I did learn how to automate much of my garden, so it doesn’t miss me much if I am gone for a week or 2.

We have been living the lifestyle for over 30 years and we learn something new every year. The biggest lesson I have learned is that life is an experiment, take time to enjoy it and don't forget to learn from every opportunity/challenge you are given.

Urban

 

[Neb]

Things have changed for us in the last year.

We live in an old mining town in a "patch" built by the mine consisting of about 25 houses. There is another patch 1/4 mile away on the other side of the valley.

Until this year we were just over the edge of the edges of the suburbs. If you drove past our hill you wouldn't know there are any houses up here. Most of the houses are owned by 8 different families that have lived here for about 3 generations or more. So there is a core group of families that have grown up together. My brother (the social animal) is confident that we can function as a small community if TSHTF.

There are a few renters that would move out if things got tough. I don't talk prepping with many save the ones that or of a similar mind. I suspect there are more preppers than just my brother and myself. Hopefully I never have to find out.

So our plan was/is to lay low secure access to the hill and let the unprepared pass us by in search of whatever they think will sustain them. I will omit the security plans... After the unprepared have starved eaten each other etc. we could then start to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. There arr farms within walking distance that could use good strong backs to operate if there is no access to fuel or energy. We have good access to water. There used to be a water powered mill at the bottom of the hill. There is a coal seam 100 feet from my house. So we think we had it covered (note past tense).

The coal company tried to get the permits to strip mine the hill across from us. The comunity shut that down. The coal company sold off the hill. I am currently sitting on the front porch looking at a hillside of lights in high dollar housing that was not there a year ago. Between houes, town house and apartments there 800 more units than this time last year. We went from 50 houses to 850!

We have been invaded by the suburbs!

Argh!!!!!

I have investigated selling off The Ridge and out near my son lives but it is hard to move from a house were 6 generations have lived.

Sorry about the long post. Can you sense my dilemma?

Thanks for reading.

Ben

 

[Hardcalibres]

Things have changed for us in the last year.

We live in an old mining town in a "patch" built by the mine consisting of about 25 houses. There is another patch 1/4 mile away on the other side of the valley.

Until this year we were just over the edge of the edges of the suburbs. If you drove past our hill you wouldn't know there are any houses up here. Most of the houses are owned by 8 different families that have lived here for about 3 generations or more. So there is a core group of families that have grown up together. My brother (the social animal) is confident that we can function as a small community if TSHTF.

There are a few renters that would move out if things got tough. I don't talk prepping with many save the ones that or of a similar mind. I suspect there are more preppers than just my brother and myself. Hopefully I never have to find out.

So our plan was/is to lay low secure access to the hill and let the unprepared pass us by in search of whatever they think will sustain them. I will omit the security plans... After the unprepared have starved eaten each other etc. we could then start to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. There arr farms within walking distance that could use good strong backs to operate if there is no access to fuel or energy. We have good access to water. There used to be a water powered mill at the bottom of the hill. There is a coal seam 100 feet from my house. So we think we had it covered (note past tense).

The coal company tried to get the permits to strip mine the hill across from us. The comunity shut that down. The coal company sold off the hill. I am currently sitting on the front porch looking at a hillside of lights in high dollar housing that was not there a year ago. Between houes, town house and apartments there 800 more units than this time last year. We went from 50 houses to 850!

We have been invaded by the suburbs!

Argh!!!!!

I have investigated selling off The Ridge and out near my son lives but it is hard to move from a house were 6 generations have lived.

Sorry about the long post. Can you sense my dilemma?

Thanks for reading.

Ben

Yep Ben - I can sense your dilemma.

Where you live is still probably OK for mild crises (it is not as though you are downtown or anything).

Perhaps you could get a little piece of land further out and build a hunting cabin on it.......

Bugging out during the beginning of a severe crisis can be somewhat risky, but it is less so if you start on the edge of a populated area and choose a destination that doesn't require passing through any other built up area to get there.

With a little bit of creative caching, you can securely store supplies at a BOL that is uninhabited most of the time.

If you have outdoor hobbies then the BOL will fit in with those. If you choose the BOL wisely, then it can be a good investment.

Since you have six generations ago to thank for where you live now, you may be creating a place that your future generations can go for fun and in times of troubles.

 

[Neb]

Yep Ben - I can sense your dilemma.

Where you live is still probably OK for mild crises (it is not as though you are downtown or anything).

Perhaps you could get a little piece of land further out and build a hunting cabin on it.......

Bugging out during the beginning of a severe crisis can be somewhat risky, but it is less so if you start on the edge of a populated area and choose a destination that doesn't require passing through any other built up area to get there.

With a little bit of creative caching, you can securely store supplies at a BOL that is uninhabited most of the time.

If you have outdoor hobbies then the BOL will fit in with those. If you choose the BOL wisely, then it can be a good investment.

Since you have six generations ago to thank for where you live now, you may be creating a place that your future generations can go for fun and in times of troubles.

Agreed

I have have 4 BOL. The first will handle a tornado taking off my roof. Plenty of preps there. The second and subsequent are not well stocked... yet.

#2 is being developed and is adjacent to a horse farm and has an old railroad grade connector. #3 is in cattle country. steaks... But will require I move preps.

The fourth is a long haul to Amish country.

Ben

 

[Amish Heart]

Amish country is always good.