What situation are you preparing for? What do you expect to happen next?

I voted for a natural disaster. It is that time of year when we start getting severe storms, tornadoes and such.

For us, we prepare 3 ways.

1) when we are away from home--to get home or to get to safety, or to just survive

2) when we are home--to make our house livable without utilities and to repair things, or to survive away from our home if we must, to survive damage to the house by fire/storm/etc.

3)when we are in different places--a 4 tiered plan to make sure the family gets back together again and we can survive together, either at home or however.

Just this year, we were without power for almost two weeks because of an ice storm. (We used a generator, solar, and even a little wind power. We were just fine. We even had TV and internet!

A flood made a gas main unsafe, so they cut off gas. (We used LP for cooking, heated with the coal stove, and converted the hot water over to LP . . . we were fine)

Last spring, we went to the storm cellar 3 times because of Tornadoes in the area. The kids think it's fun. They get to play board games, and hang out on the steps of the storm cellar. Our storm cellar is AWAY from our house and barn, underneath the basketball court.

In the autumn, there was a huge wind storm and a monster tree fell into the creek. It's big root ball was right in the creek because it just slid down the hill. All sorts of stuff backed up against it and the water started to rise. DH (Dear Husband) hauled as much of the debris away as he could with the tractor. Then he and our only neighbor worked for 3 hours to cut the branches off the tree. Finally , they cut a big section out of the middle of the tree (wearing waders). It was really really hard work. Once the water was flowing, it went down quickly. DH and the neighbor cut on that tree for a month. (We both now have a very big pile of hard maple firewood curing).

Basically, we prepare for what we know and hope that will be what we need for what we don't know.

Definately world wide economic collapse...IMHO

I'm a little concerned that our loss of prestige int he world, along with our economic woes, will be exploited by invading forces.

It may not even require an invading army, since China can mess with our communications and electronic money transfers so easily. Also, an attack on the power grid via internet could stop this country dead in its tracks without one bobm falling.

In my part of the world we have a host of natural disaster possibilities so I pick that but I also believe that both economic disasters and global pandemics can and will arise soon. So I am praying for the best and perparing for the worst.

The probability is high that it is going to be a natural disaster, just because they happen so regularly. But I voted for a pandemic, because I have a gut feeling that that is what will actually affect me personally, other than a hurricane for example. Of course I don't know and prepare for as many possible scenarios that I can.

I think there are already a few financial disasters in nations where rising waters have displaced farmers. These are ongoing, though, and don't draw the sort of attention that most disasters do.

Since Hurricane season is here, I have a feeling that the USA coast line will get battered, causing a change in how FEMA and the Feds address after disaster care.

Since this administration is willing to change long held practices, we might see residents blocked from rebuilding where hurricanes hit on a regular basis.

I chose natural disaster but economic collapse with civil unrest to follow is right up there with it.

I chose economic collapse. Our country's bankrupt, and I think that we're at the point where if one more thing goes wrong we will not recover.