Category: Retreat Groups

Four Letters Re: Community Crisis Planning for Societal Collapse

I read the article on Community Crisis Planning for Societal Collapse, by J.I.R. and was reminded by an incident that was related to me by several individuals involved, discussed in the local papers, and is well known . In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, the State of Illinois sent a convoy of trucks and equipment down to help the citizens in New Orleans. This convoy consisted of dump trucks and low-boys carrying backhoes, bulldozers, boats, generators, etc. The convoy also had a half dozen or so tanker trucks full of fuel. The boats were to be used for search and …


Community Crisis Planning for Societal Collapse, by J.I.R.

I believe that in a severe crisis, most of the problems are going to have to be solved at the local level. State and federal government are too big and dependent on technology to survive a severe crisis once the grid drops and all services start to erode. Local governments, too, are ill prepared to assume this crushing responsibility, but they are much more resilient because their scope of control is smaller. Most of them have never even considered what they would do. This article is a discussion piece to stimulate thought on the subject of small community recovery after …


Letter Re: Preparing With Your Spouse

Dear Editor: I know helping a spouse to become preparedness minded is a common topic in your blog, but I thought I would give my two-cents worth. My wife and I are devout Christians with four children. We both believe that the scriptures are clear in defining roles for husbands and wives. We believe that husbands’ primary responsibilities are to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Wives’ primary responsibilities are the nurture of their children. Husbands and wives should work as equal partners in these roles. Occasionally certain situations require some adaptation of these roles. We …


Two Letters Re: TEOTWAWKI: Getting Folks to Recognize the Possibility

Sir, As a recent “convert” to Rawlesian Survivalist Philosophy, I very much identify with the author of “TEOTWAWKI: Getting Folks to Recognize the Possibility.” I did, however, take issue with his conclusion regarding his treatment of family members in a Schumeresque world. Having recently presented my “list of lists” to my wife, she made the comment to me that my quantities were off. As a future pastor (I am currently serving in the Navy and preparing to enter seminary) she made the point that if the SHTF we would undoubtedly be taking in strays from my congregation who did not …


TEOTWAWKI: Getting Folks to Recognize the Possibility, by M.G.K.

This article is about something that many preppers think about, convincing friends and loved ones that TEOTWAWKI could happen at any moment.  For most of us this idea hadn’t occurred to us until we stumbled across it or a good friend hinted at it.  The important thing to remember is that we had to come to believe it ourselves for it to make an impact on our lives.  I think the greatest fight all of us have is getting people that we love to actually consider that TEOTWAWKI can happen and that it is a reality that looms in front …


How to Get Prepared as a Teenager, by Jonathan E.

When I discovered SurvivalBlog I was 17 years old. My friend had given me a copy of the novel “Patriots” that he had picked up on our twenty-three day trip around the United States. After I had read the novel, I realized that I was so far behind on my prepping for TEOTWAWKI. Before had I had only focused on wilderness survival and when I went hiking in the woods. I never perceived how fragile our economy was and how easily it would fall apart with the slightest push. I had to do something about my preparations. This article is …


A Survival Suburban Homestead: A Prepper’s Twist on the Homestead Movement – Pt. 1, by D.M.T.

Swimming in a Sea of Humanity A homestead will not survive isolated in a sea of desperate humanity.  Nor will man survive in a desert void of it.  For many of us surviving in place (the suburbs) is going to be a fact.  With it carries tremendous risk and dangers yet imbedded within it, also a cornucopia of resources and individuals with critical skill sets and life saving knowledge.  Unlike urban areas, there is a small enough degree of separation between people, enough so to actually define and scratch out a living independently.  Current Homesteaders have proven it is possible …


Forming a Local Preparedness Mutual Assistance Group, by Mark in Oklahoma

So you are interested in forming a group of like minded preppers. Good ! Now what? First and foremost you have to understand forming a group is damned hard work and not a little frustrating at times. Probably not what you wanted to hear but I have helped formed a large mutual assistance group (MAG) and two formal Teams. What is the difference between the two? A MAG is a less formal organization and your starting point. I should point out that not all groups reach the level of a team which is fine. A team tends to be a …


Colloquium (CQ) Groups–Part Three–The Big Picture, by H.B. in North Central Idaho

The first part of this series described the foundation for success in starting a community preparedness group.  Part Two describes the lessons we have learned.  If you haven’t read these please do so now before proceeding. I hope the two previous articles have encouraged you to start your own CQ.  Let’s now assume you are at the same point we are.  Where do we go from here?  If we follow the rules we focus on excellence, but let’s do so in an organized manner. 1) Individual Preparedness (IP) 2) Family or Group Preparedness (F-GP) 3) Community Preparedness (CommP) 4) Regional …


Colloquium (CQ) Groups–Part Two–What We Have Learned, by H.B. in North Central Idaho

The first part of this series described the foundation for success in starting a community preparedness group.  If you haven’t read it yet please do so now before proceeding. The first step in implementation is to find a few like-minded individuals with whom you can share ideas, receive counsel and help spread the word about the first CQ.  As I mentioned previously I used the wisdom and connections of a local businessman who saw a lot of like-minded folks come through his door.  I also sought counsel from a few others whose temperament and personalities were complementary to my own …


Colloquium (CQ) Groups–Part One, by H.B. in North Central Idaho

The Beginning CQ has a unique definition to many people.  One military and another for the Amateur Radio (“ham”) community.  I’d like to add another definition for CQ.  CQ to us refers to our local community preparedness group that we started five months ago.  CQ is actually short for Colloquium- which basically means an open discussion about various topics.  I chose colloquium to shorten the even longer original name-”community preparedness meeting at the Big Cedar Schoolhouse”  Whew!  What a mouthful!  You can see why it was abbreviated.  I soon got tired of having to explain what a colloquium meant so …


Two Letters Re: The Skeptical Spouse

Mr Rawles, I have shared the experiences of many with skeptical spouses. My solution has been a very gradual (and low-key) process of preparing and building up a basic supply of items/food in combination with education and hints of what was going on around us (local crime issues, Hurricane Katrina experiences, etc.). Again, she wasn’t too happy with my weapon and ammo purchases, but accepted it grudgingly. She began warming to the issue of “being prepared” with some of the bad weather in 2008, when she realized that as new home owners, we now had to solve our own problems. …


Two Letters Re: The Skeptical Spouse

Hello Mr. Rawles, My wife wasn’t exactly skeptical, but her focus was defined by other requirements. Her family history showed her that keeping family close and healthy was a first priority. So her natural drive was in that direction. My re-entry into the world of prepping came from critiquing the television show Jericho. At first, I was embarrassed to let her know about my interest in the subject matter, and how I thought there were better ways to handle things in the plot. When we talked about it one night, I saw an interest in her eye, and the prepping …


The Skeptical Spouse, by Mike H.

While many readers of SurvivalBlog might be hard-core, prepped to the nth degree, live off the land survival types like Mr. Rawles, I would suspect that most are much like myself: quiet suburban dwellers whose eyes have been opened by Mr. Rawles at SurvivalBlog and similar voices to the fragility of our modern intertwined civilization. However, my awakening and “journey” was begun without my most important companions: my lovely bride of seven years and our two very young daughters. While I consider my wife to be one of the most resilient and resourceful individuals I have ever met, she shares …


Practical Steps to Preparing a Family for TEOTWAWKI, by Mitch D.

Author’s Background I live in Northeastern Minnesota with my wife and four children ages: four to seven.  I teach and am a sports coach at the local high school in town (population 1,200).  We live two hours away from any type of big city, which in our case is Duluth, Minnesota (population 85,000).  My wife is a stay-at-home mom.  Three years ago, we built a new house four miles outside of town on 15 acres that my parents gave us.  Combined, we make just over $56,000 a year.  In just this past year, my wife and I have started making …