Is Something about to happen?

Joined
Jan 13, 2006
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18
I'll try to keep this as short as I can. Near where I live is a offsoot
Catholic community that has always been heavy into "preperations". I am not knocking thier lifestyle, many live in my small town and have always been good neigbors, anyhow. Today I stopped to get fuel at the Truck Stop on the interstate and there were four p/u filling multiple red gas jugs, I recognized them from the Church group. Then at the grocery store there were more than usual with heaping carts full of food.
I am not neighbor enough to just flat out ask what is going on, so I am posting here to see if I just caught things odd or if anyone else has seen similar stocking up going on. I am not much on TV and this and a couple other websites are all I visit......so far.
I am not overly concerned yet, and should just ask one of them. Just struck me as odd that that many at one time would be stocking up on gas and groceries. Please humor me, as I have lived in this small town all my life and have always been more concerned about trapping hunting and fishing than what is going on in the world.

AL
 
There was a report of Norwalk virus hitting a cruise ship in Alaska, and then an outbreak in Frankenmouth, MI. Haven't gotten first hand info, but medical personel were qouted in info as being told this would be kept quite or could ruin tourist industry. Reports pop up and then disappear, but the nuts will always be reacting to every "report" from any 'source'. Start seeing this on reg. news, then its anyone's guess.
 
You should have just asked. I would have.

Could be that they were getting ready to go on a cross-country trip and were stocking up on provisions. I know my father-in-law used to caravan across the country with 5 - 10 other RVs, so if they all pulled in together and started stocking up on supplies, it might have looked odd.

Anyway, the only way you can find out what's common wisdom, and therefore might cause an increase in preparedness, in communities such as you describe is to ask.
 
Al, we live in a dynamic world, and something, somewhere is always happening. Many religious, or other philosophical groups have as a part of their beliefs/doctrine that one has a duty and responsibility to be prepared for whatever disaster might come, via nature, or man-made. Some sects/groups live under dire predictions of gloom and doom proffered by their leaders. Some are what is known as "date-setters", and they say that on such-and-such day, this or that disaster will befall the nation/world. This is by no means a new phenomenon, has been going on for a milinium.

Perhaps, just perhaps you are seeing a church preparing for a mission to a poor section of the country, or Mexico. Often church groups will travel in convoy to a depressed area to dig wells, build housing, give medical care. It isn't uncommon for them to take their own groceries, as they do not want to siphon what might already be meager resources from the community they are going to help. Or maybe they are planning a huge potluck dinner, and stocking up on gas expecting the current prices to soar soon (Venezuela situation).

Then again, they may just be onto something...black helecopters, the "left behind" book series, too many comet-hits-California movies, dunno. I always liked Mel Gibson's movie "Conspiricy Theory" myself.

Seriously though, approach a congregation pastor/priest whatever they call them there, and respectfully....ask.

Codger
 
Yes, I should have just asked, and I'm going to. I have just never seen this first hand here and I guess I almost went into a mild panic mode. Thank you all for the reassurance that the sky is not falling.
One of the group members is in prison right now for his involvement with the Timothy McVeigh deal, but I normally just let them live thier lives and I live mine.
 
They where probably going on one of thier retreats... I have a couple of the religious types in my neighbourhood who do this a couple times a year, one borrowed a cooler off me this summer........... When you start seeing mushroom clouds start worrying....
 
It's never a bad idea to be prepared regardless. If you live with the preparation already, when the mad scramble happens you can relax and watch the insanity.
 
That is a sound philosophy indeed. Preparedness has helped me to survive two direct hits from major hurricanes when I lived in Florida. It kept us reasonably comfy when ice storms took down our power lines here in Tennessee for a week at a time. Inbetween, it has helped tide us over during economic hard times like while I was off work before, during, and after a major operation.

Still, if the group was tied in with the McVeigh situation, and something is indeed stirring with them, you may not want to poke your nose in. Your local Sherriff will know if something is going on with them, and so will the pastors of other congregations, and you local newspaper editor and reporter. Might better check with them first. Crossfire is a terrible thing to waste, or be wasted by.

Codger
 
It is never the question that is indiscreet . Only the answer may be . As there is nothing evidently earth shattering going on I would give them lots of space . LOTS OF SPACE .
 
If it is a retreat, then the local minster would know and prolly would tell you if ya ask nice..

If I wanted to know something?? I would goto the local diner and sit around and listen to what people are talking about...You would be surprised what ya can learn..

Nosy?? me?? NAHH!!!! :)
 
Zombies. I heard it was either zombies or robots. Maybe Robot Zombies. Or was it Zombie Robots?
Either way, we're screwed.
 
I would think two things:

1. It's just actions of those who want to be prepared, just preparing.

2. They heard or believe some news, info, or talk and are reacting to it.

Nothing new here in the ER's in SoCal. Just the usual, congestive heart failure, heart attacks, over doses, and shootings and stabbings and motor vehicle accidents/TC's.

Also side preparations that we are always doing in the event of any major disiaster to include earthquake, civil unrest, and terrorist attack.

Our preparations include first person responder safeguards (protect the police and us) against X contamination, decontamination, and triage on a mass scale, then care.

Believe me, everyone needs to prepare on their own, because as always, we are only a few people and WILL NOT be able to handle the hundreds that come in in the chance of a large catastrophe. In that event, there will essentially be three groups of people. Dying, near dying, and closely monitor. You don't want to be in the first pile. You can guess why.

U.S. ER's have learned from the Ricin poisonings in Tokyo. From that we've learned that many, many people will go to ER's. Of those people, only a few really need treatement, the remainder will need close observation and the vast majority of people will have nothing wrong with them and just want to check themselves out or are paraniod that they may have something.

As with all pandemics/epidemic threats in the past; AIDS, West Nile, Flesh eating bacteria, Avian Flu, etc. etc, people mostly come in fearing those afflictions, and will not have it. Their symptoms prompt them to come in because they feel it's similar to the ones spoken of in the news. We check them out and discharge them home with instructions to follow up with their pimary medical doctor.
 
No harm in picking up a few extras next time you're at the supermarket; some beans and greens will never go astray.

I don't see anything coming soon, but the world can change overnight; I've got my vege patch, my animals, a ham vhf/uhf tx/rx and a shortwave radio. Some diesel and a generator. Most of that is just in case we have a black out or bush fire. The rest is in your hands - you citizens of the U.S. Peace be with you brothers (or kick their arse until they are dead!) :)
 
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