So I may have overdone it with the canned goods, but ...

[Red Leg]

And BTW, obviously, world level macro events are not the only reason to prepare. On 12 June 2012, just after I laid on my couch to take a nap, I was startled awake by a massive storm (I later learned was called a deracho, had never heard of such a thing). It had CAT 1 hurricane winds, thunder, lightening and downpour. The power was out in 90% of WV, I was without power for 13 days, every day was 100+ degrees. All gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, ALL businesses were closed. Cell towers were on battery backup, with only texting available.
I was minimally prepared with 60watts portable solar and 12 gallons of extra fuel in my truck bed. Fortunately this was barely enough to keep RV battery charged, to run one vent fan, ignite the propane fridge and run water pump. Late afternoon, when heat was worst, my cat and I would go to the truck, run it with AC going for several hours, hooked up to RV battery to help charge it.
Most ppl in WV lost their minds on day 3. Fighting over their place in gas lines of the few stations that were open, fighting over the last bags of ice and food on the shelves. Crime increased, generators being a main target of theft. BTW I ordered a generator from Amazon which arrived day 13 lol. But that's what I get for not having one! It now goes EVERYWHERE with me. I also now have 700 watts of solar on my RV.

Bottom line is: If everyone prepared for emergencies even just a LITTLE as I had, there would be no panic buying, and fighting over the few resources available. Preparing more than a little, which I now have, will carry you even further through any crisis. Oh BTW I had plenty of canned food!

 

[SLB_SA]

Lets hope Kansas doesn't get in a war with the Dakotas over control of Nebraska. My moms family is from North Dakota and they can be pretty stubborn.

South Dakota will be the referee. Combines at 30 paces!!!

 

[user 16179]

I'm not sure just how long I could go on my "supplies". I do know I would be very tired of grits, oatmeal and dried beans before I went hungry. I keep Sawyer and MSR water filters, as long as it isn't salty I'm not worried about water.

 

[GoingMobile]

South Dakota will be the referee. Combines at 30 paces!!!

I think it would more likely be a cold war of sorts. The people up in N.D. are too reserved for outright hostility. It would likely play out in a more passive/aggressive manner. Shunning and words muttered under their breath. They do have Lutefisk, which would be the equivalent of going nuclear.

 

[SLB_SA]

I think it would more likely be a cold war of sorts. The people up in N.D. are too reserved for outright hostility. It would likely play out in a more passive/aggressive manner. Shunning and words muttered under their breath. They do have Lutefisk, which would be the equivalent of going nuclear.

My morfar was an immigrant from Sweden. Lutefisk is weak sauce. Bring on durian fruit or salmiak.

 

[SLB_SA]

Let me add blue weapons like Camembert, Gorgonzola, Limburger, Cendre d'olivet and, finally, Stinking Bishop.

 

[frodo2222]

A better metric is wheat exports. The top 5:

1. Russia: US$7.9 billion (17.7% of total wheat exports)
2. United States: $6.32 billion (14.1%)
3. Canada: $6.3 billion (14.1%)
4. France: $4.5 billion (10.1%)
5. Ukraine: $3.6 billion (8%)

China and India are top producers but they still import because they cannot grow enough to feed their huge populations.

Since we live in a global economy and Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports are affected (25% of total), expect to see the price of wheat products rise accordingly. There will also be shortages.

Ukraine is also a big exporter of corn (16%) so you will probably see price increases and shortages there also. And a corresponding rise in gasoline prices.

Argentina, which is the world’s second biggest corn exporter and the 8th and primary wheat supplier to South American countries, exported 39.8 million tonnes of corn and 11.2 million tonnes of wheat in 2020-21. and are also putting limits on exports

 

[JDub]

My morfar was an immigrant from Sweden. Lutefisk is weak sauce. Bring on durian fruit or salmiak.

LORD that Durian STINKS! Most SE Asian airlines specifically ban passengers bringing Durian aboard in the cabin... That giant fruit will kill you too if it falls on your head. Saw a piece about a Durian plantation that stretches nets all the way through it to prevent that happening to the people working there. In Hawaii, coconut palms are regularly divested to prevent the same thing from happening. That would ruin you day...

Cheers!

 

[JDub]

Let me add blue weapons like Camembert, Gorgonzola, Limburger, Cendre d'olivet and, finally, Stinking Bishop.

I miss the cheese tray deserts over in Europe... Seriously good old world cheeses... Limburger is our one homegrown truly stinky cheese type, it delish and hard to get... But some rye, sliced onions, hot mustard, and slabs of Limburger make an awesome sandwich. The Lutefisk I can do without- Lived in Medicine Lake MN for 3 years...

That stuff came out at the Christmas Church and VFW Suppers all the time... Like fish jello with melted butter. Little old ladies would try to get me to eat it all the time "OH it's a real TREAT doncha know! Yeah sure you betcha!" The local news people would do a piece every year about that time on the one factory left in MSP that made the stuff... Yuck...

 

[Calaverasgrande]

... given the news and all, this seems like a good time to do whatever you'd do if there was a hurricane five days out and one of the lines in the spaghetti model ran through your location. Keep your gas and water tanks full, lay in a few extra supplies, have some cash handy, have an alternate comms plan with your loved ones, etc.

Not out of panic or paranoia (although, JDub, feel free)(KIDDING) -- all those are things we should do periodically anyway, and this would be a good time to top them up. The particular "dangers" that I'm thinking of -- should, God forbid, the Ukraine crisis spread -- are interruptions to the supply chain and to routine communications.

Compared to much of the world, we have been extraordinarily lucky. Might as well give a hat-tip to that good luck by doing our part to stay prepared. And that's ALL I'm saying -- not worry, or fume, or get hypervigilant, just top up your usual self-care plan, and then go back to doing what you do.

Be safe and well, y'all!

I'm just wishing my van had 2 gas tanks right now. About to head back up to the northeast. Gas in NC and VA is already at $4. Can't imagine what it is in Brooklyn and Queens.
As far as food, I always have a lot of canned beans and stuff in my van. I tend to eat all the fresh veggies first and work my way down to the ramen and canned soups as the veggie choices get more challenging.
Happy I got a fresh 20lb of propane!

 

[Ravella and X]

Let me break it down for you:
Russia provides about 2/3 to 3/4 of the wheat to the world.

What’s your source for this claim?

Russia’s wheat production is not quite 2/3 of China’s wheat production. Combined, China, India, and Russia (in that order) produce about 41% of the world’s wheat.
Source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/wheat-production-by-country

As for US importing wheat: “U.S. imports of wheat grain, mostly from Canada, are small but have grown from less than 0.1 million metric tons in the 1970s to an average of 2.6 million metric tons over the last 10 years. Imports of wheat flour and products have averaged nearly 1 million metric tons annually over the last 10 years. Wheat-product imports consist mainly of pasta and noodles from Canada, the European Union, and Asia. Historical data for U.S. wheat imports and exports are available from USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) at Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS).”

Source: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/wheat/wheat-sector-at-a-glance/

Don’t mean to be argumentative— I think facts are important and fact checking is a weird hobby of mine.

 

[morongobill]

Did anyone catch Tucker's show a few nights ago where an Iowan who farms 16,000 acres talked about how the average family's food bill could be 1,000$ a month later this year? He talked specifically about the huge rise in fertilizer costs being a prime driver. Between food and gas price increases, families may be in for a real rough patch.

 

[RonDean]

Tucker? Wasn't that a failed automobile or something?

On the whole Russia imports vs Russian invasion. It puts me in mind of a tyrant before WWII blew up that wanted just a little piece of someone else's country here and there. After all, at some point in history, they had all been under the same ruler. So, going back to that MUST be OK.

If it takes a little bit higher prices to push back against that, that's fine with me.

 

[Morgana]

And just in case anyone is freaking out about this stuff ...
I dunno, maybe this is hopelessly sentimental, but ...
My iTunes library got messed up and when I was sorting it out I came across this (Charley Pride's rendition of Whispering Hope) and it reminded me of happier times other svcky times when we stepped up and got through just fine.
Even if you're not freaking out, it's a lovely song.
Also love this rock/blues cover of the old Carter Family song Keep on the Sunny Side.

 

[scaredycat72]

Bottom line is: If everyone prepared for emergencies even just a LITTLE as I had, there would be no panic buying, and fighting over the few resources available. Preparing more than a little, which I now have, will carry you even further through any crisis. Oh BTW I had plenty of canned food!

That's one of the things I LOVE about being a vandweller. The stuff I bought to live in my car is exactly the stuff I need to get through an emergency. Jackery and Bluetti batteries, 2 - 100 watt portable solar panels, camp stove, camp heater, 2 - 7 inch fans with batteries, 2 Grayl water bottles with extra filters (I can go to any river and be fine), butane, propane, etc. Just living this life puts us way ahead of the average person.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

That's one of the things I LOVE about being a vandweller. The stuff I bought to live in my car is exactly the stuff I need to get through an emergency.

For some emergencies. There are advantages/disadvantages to both fixed and mobile living.

Mobile living is an advantage when escape from a disaster area is available.
Fixed housing is an advantage when you need to shelter in place for any reason or for a longer length of time.

Just living this life puts us way ahead of the average person.

City folks have been sheltered from nature for so long they don't think about what happens when nature (or other humans) turns nasty. And we teach people to rely on government to bail them out.

 

[user 22017]

City folks have been sheltered from nature for so long they don't think about what happens when nature (or other humans) turns nasty. And we teach people to rely on government to bail them out.

Not so Spiff. I've been through several floods. One with water in my basement reaching my breaker box. Sump pumps couldn't keep up & the fire department had to pull the electric box off the outside. Another time the town was evacuated and the kids and I had to scramble for shelter.

We had an ice storm that left the town without power for a week. We get high winds and tornadoes nearby. And there were times I had no air conditioning in unbearably hot & humid summers.

Same stuff, but different ways to deal with it.

 

[scaredycat72]

For some emergencies. There are advantages/disadvantages to both fixed and mobile living.

Mobile living is an advantage when escape from a disaster area is available.
Fixed housing is an advantage when you need to shelter in place for any reason or for a longer length of time.

City folks have been sheltered from nature for so long they don't think about what happens when nature (or other humans) turns nasty. And we teach people to rely on government to bail them out.

My comment pertains to being able to use the stuff I purchased for my SUV in my house if an emergency situation happened - "The stuff I bought to live in my car is exactly the stuff I need to get through an emergency. Jackery and Bluetti batteries, 2 - 100 watt portable solar panels, camp stove, camp heater, 2 - 7 inch fans with batteries, 2 Grayl water bottles with extra filters (I can go to any river and be fine), butane, propane, etc."

People have always relied on each other in emergencies. The government is not a separate entity from the people. It was literally created to serve the people and operates on money we, the people, give it to serve us. People expecting the government they fund to "bail them out" when necessary is rational and I have no problem with it.

Some people in the city and country are prepared for emergencies and some are not. It's more about the person and how they see the world, regardless of where they reside

 

[Debrajoy54]

I am trying to be able to live off-grid for at least 4 weeks without resupplying, I think I am there now.

Not quite that doable in a minivan but we can all do our best

 

[Debrajoy54]

Never hurts to have a prudent reserve supply of food, water, and various daily use consumables. A months worth would probably tide you over pretty much anything short of TEOTWAWKI. As I recall, most people in the U.S. don't even have a 3 DAY supply on hand...

I always wonder about people living in hurricane prone areas shown on the news frantically rushing to pick-up food, water, and supplies JUST "before the hurricane"... I think.... Ummmmmm... doesn't this happen almost every other year at least and you don't plan for it???

Darwinian Selection?

I wonder the same thing. I know for sure if I lived in a cold place, I would definitely be prepared! Born in Caribou, Maine! I now live in Southern California!