Hi,
Just so you know, this forum for us is a way to share info relevant to the Ottawa area. We already have a small group of people, consisting mostly of friends and family, that are united for our preparations. We're not looking to meet anyone new at this point although we are communicating to share information and realise that a larger community will have to be established in the long term.
Right now we're operating under the motto of "keep it small, keep it safe".
That being said, back to sharing info...
This is what we're doing as a precaution to possible events. Not all of us are as convinced that things will go bad in the next month, or months. I figure it is normal that some feel more strongly about upcoming events than others. Our preparations are pretty conservative overall, with certain individuals (like myself) doing a little extra. Here is our plan as a group:
We have secured a remote cottage near a stream with good current, approximately 400 feet above sea level. We had to go north into Quebec to find something remote above 200 and, as I’ve mention above, we already know the area.
We’re fixing the cottage to sustain a prolonged stay, with extra storage space for food, but mostly have been stocking up the needed tools and supplies.
I find this to be the minimal amount of preparations and a good compromise for those who are still sceptical because, worse case, we have a nice cottage to use for the summers.
Personally, I have been looking to create caches for extra food, tools and supplies to bury near the camp site, and possibly at another alternate location. Some of the others think this is a waste of money, but it doesn’t come out of our money pool so they don’t care. I’ve been looking for large diameter (8”+) PVC piping that I can cap on one side and put a screw top on the other. I’m not sure where to find the larger piping or if it’s affordable but I read on a site for geocaches that these work great for buried treasure. The advantage is that I could cut them to various lengths depending on content, they would be sealed so waterproof and moisture proof, and would be faster, easier to bury than digging a huge 6 foot hole for one big container.
Any ideas?
The last thing you want is to be seen burying your cache, especially if it’s on private property or crown land. I have read that some people aren’t bothering buying / building a shelter because there will be plenty of empty cottages if things go real bad. Most people will get locked down in the cities if they don’t leave fast enough, so they simply are scouting out an area with multiple cottages within 1km or so and burying their caches nearby.
Another thing I am doing myself is buying gold and silver coins. If the economy implodes (and it most likely will if things go real bad) then paper money will be worthless. Do a search online for coin dealers and get yourself some 1oz gold and silver coins, as well as some junk silver coins (coins minted with silver in them that have been circulated, usually pre-1966), these will be cheaper than new collector’s coins and still contain lots of silver. It may sound weird paying $3 for a 25 cent coin but you’re paying for the silver content at market price, not the coin’s face value.
Smacker