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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Reply: Cash is King or is it Worthless Fiat Money after an Economic Collapse?

Angel Alvarez said...
Dear Ferfal:
Last October I was furlough, I'm a Gov contractor. I use the lesson learned in your book about cash and food. I use the experience as a dress rehearsal for a major catastrophe. Stored food and water was consumed faster than I expected. I think people thought the Gov was defaulting because there were long lines on the banks and ATMS!
 By the second week I had to buy drinking water, I thought I have enough for a month. Lesson Learned, stock up on water, gas for the stove, Oreos, run out of them fast!, later friend.
...
 Cash is huge!, can't stress it enough, unless if is a major calamity, cash is the only thing you need. My latest experience was the Gov furlough, and of friends and acquaintances, the first thing was they started to run out of cash!. Having 3 months worth of money for expenses is part of the EDC!. That was a 3 week furlough, and stressed a lot of people!, can you imagine a calamity of major magnitude?. Cash, food, water, EDC, are a must, should be for you.
Out.



Food, water, shelter and safety, those are always the basics to cover, but cash is a much needed modern survival tool, which by the way can help acquire any of those just mentioned!
True, water is usually the most underestimated supply in my experience.
Take care,
FerFAL

2 comments:

Jose Garcia said...

Water is one of those sacred cows in the prepper community that nobody dares question it necessity or amount needed. More is always better…end of debate. However, there is a legitimate reason why people around the world, living in much harsher conditions than the US, do not store gallons upon gallons of it. Water is simply not that important to survival. Yes, you heard me right. But I probably need to clarify my point.

Yes, all humans will die without water in a few days, but no, people seldom die of thirst in the world. Even in disaster stricken areas like Haiti or the Philippines people die of gastrointestinal diseases for lack of clean water but not of thirst. Moreover, the natural disasters that can cut the city supply of water are also likely to wipe out or contaminate your stored water at home, i.e. earthquake, tsunami, flood, hurricane. So storing water past the basics of 72 hours seldom pays-off.

So my point is that having some water is good, but not at the expense of other preps like canned food. Having a filtration system is better since water gets contaminated easily and sometimes it does not even look dirty. Water is important but it’s also abundant. Having the ability to move to a place where water has not been compromised is a life saver.

Anonymous said...

In lower Manhattan the power was out for a week from hurricane Sandy and taller apartment buildings with no back up generators couldn't pump water. Buying it and carrying it daily up 20 floors wasn't
something anyone wants to do again. A Doulton pour through filter and 50 gallons or more for a couple of adults is a good idea. In India imposed martial law during Hindu Muslim riots let you out for only an hour a day to fetch necessities. I could see martial law in NYC if Sandy was more like Katrina in strength. Too essential. Best to have the most you can store just in case.