Tell me why!

I am fluctuating between 2 personal views. I am wondering what makes you all "tick" and why you have chosen to believe that this pandemic is going to happen. My views are polarized:

1-don't do anything. live day to day . it is not going to happen...just hype and false fear.

2-believe it is going to happen and do something about it. prepare, etc.

my question is, honestly, what argument can you give me to believe?? I want to be convinced and I want people who have been where I am and have become firm in their convictions to answer me. Thank you....

Tlcpeach, welcome to the board.  The answer for me is based on not knowing what will happen but:

...because even the Boy Scouts tell you to "be prepared"!

Rolling the Dice.

Hmmmm. I think we all came to that fork in the road at some point in our lives. For me, it is simple.....Odds vs. Risk.

If the odds are high something is going to happen and the risk is low, I probably would do nothing.

If the Odds are low and the risk high, I probably would do nothing.

Unfortunately, leaders and more importantly scientists across the world are saying 50-50 on the Bird Flu turning Pandemic. So odds are greater and risk is high. That to me = prepare. Be smart about it though.....Stock what you eat and eat what you stock. If it never happens, hey, you can slowly take from supply over time. If it does happen, then you have dramatically increased your survival rate. Pretty simple really.

Hope this helps,
Scott

I read where someone basically wrote these 4 choices:

Well peach, It is already happening. Through my wifes family we have close contacts in china. I can't comfirm any of this but our people tell us its already going human to human in china and lots of people are sick., There was a supposedly a  report by  a Japanese Scientist who works for W.H.O. that confirms this but who knows for sure.

We're totally convinced. But will not do our final shopping until its confirmed.

Read proverbs 27-12

Worst case is you have some extra food around. Ok maybe a few extra guns and shells.

Legacy, What specifically do you want me to expand on?  I've always been a Boy Scout McGuyver type guy.  I hae planted Blackberries on all my fenceline but was planning on doing that anyway. So many druggies stealing stuff around here and this makes it harder to get in here.  So have a security fence without looking like one. The birds and I both have blackberries to eat.

I have purchased more firepower and some extra shells. I've bought 12 gauge trip wires, built a few other nasty suprises, and designed others.  The wife and I have made shopping lists for both groceries and other supplies.  I did put a whole house generator in and a larger propane tank to run it. But we lose juice a couple times a yr anyway so not wasted. 

We've walked the local stores and identified what we want to buy and quanities. We figure that with it all thought out we can shop fast and efficent while most are still wondering whether to shop or not. We hae stocked up on some things like coffee, salt, A1 sauce, and other little things a person might forget to buy.

so what did I miss that you might have a question about?

The main thing you need to do is set a timetable and follow it. When to do your last shop? When to lock the front gate?

oldasrocks:  I suspect that your information in China may well be correct.  I have dug into all of the post here which have sent me to a lot of other places.  The dots connect if you are looking to connect them.  The fact that we MAY have a H2H case in Indonesia.  Means that it may be moving.  What most westerners do not understand is that if the Chinese government whats to shut off an area they can and would.  10 or 15 thousand lost, no sweat when you have over 1.5 billion.

My wife is from Taiwan and they have no bird flu there. Her brother in law has two factories that make cheap clothing in china.  There is no idea of how many sick but he is starting to have trouble finding help. In  the closed media society we will hear what they want to tell us which is 10 dead--yeah right-- AND OR these people may be sick from somthing else. With the pollution problems they have in china its not surpising people are sick.  These poor uneducated people have no idea of what they are sick from.
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I have no idea of how long to prep for. We are going to try for a year.  Pretty hard to think of everything.  WE may have to eat the fish in our pond but I really don't like fish.  I may eat one of the neighbors cows. 

I'm a poor source for advice.  Every location and household is differant.  Keep reading all the posts and then make your own judgements.