# TEOTWAWKI timing



## kabic (May 12, 2009)

Not that you could control it, but would you rather the crisis started in winter so cold storage isn't a problem but maybe heat is, or spring when could plan on growing food, but may have to toss a freezer full of food (or eat it quickly)?

My thinking is late summer may be the worse time...too late to plant extra...existing food could spoil....

Obviously I'm thinking of food mostly here but the different seasons could also cause issues for other areas


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## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

Winter! Late winter.

Still cold enough to keep frozen stuff cold enough for safety until it can be eaten or canned.

For heat you can always put on another sweater. And this from me who hates winter and from Thanksgiving to Easter is never warm enough.

Luckily, the whole point of preparedness is to be ready for the world to end at a time that is decidedly NOT when we would have chosen.

I agree late summer would be the worst.


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## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

be ready to can up your food that may spoil..also have a camp stove or something you can use to do this...


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Whenever it happens, it happens. Yeah, I'd prefer late winter for the reasons mentioned.

Matt


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I'd think early to mid winter would be good. You have the harvest in and have time to can everything in the freezer but more importantly you'd know to stretch what you had to make it through to late spring/early summer when your next crops are coming in. I think it would also cut down on raids since people get weak as they starve and would die in the cold quicker. No, I don't WANT people to die but if it's going to happen falling asleep in the snow and cold seems better than starving in the heat of summer.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I don't know why but I always think of disasters as happening in daylight. That would be bad enough but at night time would be far worse.

I imagine that whether it would be better for the the scenario to happen in winter would depend on what kind of winters you have and what kind of disaster you would be facing. 

I live where putting on an extra sweater would do nothing. It would not be so bad if the disaster allowed us to stay at home when it is 35 to 40 below zero but if the disaster involved having to walk to safety or camp out that would be very different.

I used to think that we were safer in winter because in the past an invading army tended to wait for warmer weather to invade but now-a-days winter is not a consideration or a hindrance.

As for choosing winter over summer because of freezer food considerations. That is why our major supplies and preparations have nothing to do with dependence on electricity. We have a generator but it is intended for short term use as that is going to run out of fuel. 

Waiting until you have had time to put up new/fresh supplies of food would be great but I think you need to have a years supply on hand all the time anyways so this would not be my first consideration. Harvesting animal feed would be though.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

> But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:


Although the coming crisis may not be the great tribulation, It probably is still good advice.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

BlackFeather said:


> Although the coming crisis may not be the great tribulation, It probably is still good advice.


I thought of this too when I read the thread title. Might not be sure of all the reasons, but I just have the sense that I would not want it to be the Winter. Perhaps because, as in the scenario suggested by the verse, you would be fleeing...maybe on foot, and that gets very rough in freezing temperatures.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

I don't see bugging out in our situation...most things we anticipate allow for sheltering in place.

Matt


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Roadking said:


> I don't see bugging out in our situation...most things we anticipate allow for sheltering in place.
> 
> Matt


Nope.....me neither. Made this place into the Alamo.....it's do, or die, right here.

As to timing, I guess early winter, with the thought many would be gone by spring.....of course, the ones left are gonna be tough and mean !


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

My, I will need to think on this more. Each season has its advantages, and each has its disadvantages...

I do think for us, fortunately it really doesn't matter, it would be more of a preference. Thinking. It is a complex issue. The more I think, the more I am unsure which season would be best...


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Just at the first deep freeze of winter. Why you ask? because the die off would be quick.

I know -- that's terrible, but I don't like raiders and those not prepared would not fare too well which would hopefully include many of those who would raid.


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

We are already at our bug out location. I still don't think any one time would be better than another as all times are fraught with difficult issues. In the winter we will be cold and in the summer we will be hot and it just goes on and on. In my uneducated opinion it really does not matter when it happens...either you have the wherewith-all to survive or you don't.


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## Sanza (Sep 8, 2008)

Id like to think early winter would be the best because we would have our gardens and grain harvested and stored already, and the food put up by freezing or canning generally gets us through until next harvest.
As others have said the cold would kill off a lot of the people that aren't prepared but feel entitled to taking what they want.
The snow wouldn't be deep yet so finding extra firewood would be easier then later on in winter under 2 -3 feet of snow.


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## gibbsgirl (May 1, 2013)

Not to knock your planning, cause it's important to do. But, I'm expecting it will be more along the lines of the world we recognize is gone. More slow incremental changes over decades and decades. Sort of the slow boiling the frog, so he don't jump out of the pot perspective.

I try and keep a few weeks of normal supplies on hand for natural disasters or even just in case the whole family got the flu and we couldn't keep up for several days. And, I plan that that could happen anytime of year.

As far as planning for which season. I don't really. What I do do, is try and continually refine how we prepare for upcoming winters and summers. The more I can improve our planning and preparing seasonally to be wrapped up well in advance, and with as little store bought stuff as needed, the better I feel like we can carry on regardless. So wood gets restocked asap. And, we test our limits for things like going without soap or air conditioning. Or harvesting our own food efficiently and learning to work out how to manage a three season garden instead of a one season garden.

Good thread topic. I love reading how other people do stuff to glean helpful hints!


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

I think it's going to be late fall or early winter. Recent history shows these things seem to flare up in September for some reason. I also suspect we're in for a nasty surprise this September as well, though I don't think it's an EOTWASKI kinda thing. 

Just the next phase in the new normal....


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

InvalidID said:


> I think it's going to be late fall or early winter. Recent history shows these things seem to flare up in September for some reason. I also suspect we're in for a nasty surprise this September as well, though I don't think it's an EOTWASKI kinda thing.
> 
> Just the next phase in the new normal....


That could very well become the new normal really fast though :thumb:

History tells us we have had the longest run of any empire with fiat currency .Also one thing we have learned from history is we don't learn from history . :thumb: Remember the story of Humpty Dumpty ,all the Kings men couldn't put him together again . :sing:


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Roadking said:


> I don't see bugging out in our situation...most things we anticipate allow for sheltering in place.
> 
> Matt


Some will have to bug out. The area affected by New Madrid and the Pacific Northwest along with the East Coast depending on where the nuke goes are examples. Areas affected by the Mississippi River changing course are another.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Sawmill Jim said:


> That could very well become the new normal really fast though :thumb:
> 
> History tells us we have had the longest run of any empire with fiat currency .Also one thing we have learned from history is we don't learn from history . :thumb: Remember the story of Humpty Dumpty ,all the Kings men couldn't put him together again . :sing:


 I think the British run was longer than ours, and they didn't have the same set up as we do. Truth be told though, I've been shocked at the ability of the 'system' to kick the can down the road when by all rational logic it should have all collapsed a decade ago.

Until a new energy source is found or invented we're going to be top dog. And I think it's coming sooner than we think. I read the Rockefeller family is divesting all it's oil holdings. What does big money like that know that we don't?


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Returns on oil are going to be difficult for many. The Rockefellers may have either had an inside on the Iran deal or simply understand the Saudis and the Iranians are going to be in a race to the bottom oil price wise. The deal will result in a lot of Iranian oil hitting the market which will undercut oil prices greatly.

Most of the major oil companies have moved into natural gas.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

Darren said:


> Returns on oil are going to be difficult for many. The Rockefellers may have either had an inside on the Iran deal or simply understand the Saudis and the Iranians are going to be in a race to the bottom oil price wise. The deal will result in a lot of Iranian oil hitting the market which will undercut oil prices greatly.
> 
> Most of the major oil companies have moved into natural gas.


 AS long as people want oil there will be a lot of money to be made in oil. Also, the new deal with Iran is likely to cause short term drop in price followed in a few years by a spike, when the mid east finally falls the rest of the way into chaos...


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## Daydreamer7102 (Mar 23, 2012)

Oh, not winter. Anything but winter. I mean, yes, summer is hot but the heat won't kill you (well, most healthy people anyway). Winter without a heat source=dead. Spring, summer, and fall there's lots of foraging that can be done but not in winter. There's food from the garden. There's hunting without freezing to death. And fishing. Ease of travelling short distances on foot. Please don't let it be winter.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

Spring will give you several months to get prepared. I would suspect that the further north you go (or south if your below the equator) the more beneficial a spring time SHTF time would be desirable. For those with warmer climates, maybe not so much. Even if your prepared, many won't be and for their sakes, Spring would be the best time.


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