This week has been an interesting experience. Last Tuesday, it appeared that Tropical Storm Joaquin was going to meander about and then head this way late Sunday or early Monday. So, I decided it would be prudent to go ahead and fill up my truck. While I was there, there was a line up of cars refueling and about half of them had gas cans they were filling. Wednesday comes along and the little piddly tropical storm had become a hurricane. My son goes to fill up his car and he has to wait longer than I did. The guy at BJs says he's been outside all day filling propane tanks. Thursday comes along and the barely-a-hurricane had become a Cat 2 and still some likelihood of coming this way. So, I decide to fill up the empty 5gal gas cans that I'd been putting off doing. We get there and not only is there a line up, but they'd run out of regular and were selling premium at the regular price. Needless to say, I got a bargain with the 20 gallons in cans and went ahead and topped off my truck. Get to the grocery store to buy the usual Disaster French Toast supplies, which appear to be required by law here since the store was almost out of bread, milk, and eggs. Of course, by Friday, it had become apparent that Joaquin, even as a Cat 4, wasn't going to hit here. (Although, we've had rain for a solid week, high winds, and tidal flooding. That's different from a hurricane, how?)

I guess my point is that people are starting to react much quicker to oncoming disasters than they have in the past. If you think that still having a couple of days before the event happens will mean you beat the crowds, you need to think again. More people are "getting" it and that means that by the time the balloon actually goes up, it will be far too late for you to do anything about it. The last time an event was coming thru, people were almost waiting until the day of landfall to stock up.

Have what you need before you need it or you may not be able to get it.

Seems to me up there got wiped out not too long ago.. By a hurricane.. That people didn't prep for..

Some lessons are best learned the hard way..

Good score on premium for regular prices though...

  of the word prepper

I am in Panama at present for an extended stay.  Pretty much everyone here who speaks English, Panamanian and Expat alike, think the U.S. is coming off the rails.  I got to say its been kind of strange hearing it talked about so openly and matter-of-fact'ly.  

Looks who's running the damn train!!!

Sorry know it off topic! But could not help myself!!!


PITA45

Would you mind elaborating a little more?
I'm curious how people in other countries are thinking about the US right now.

This.  Interesting to hear folks elsewhere speaking of the same thing many on the 'inside' feel.

Not sure what else I can add. I never bring it up. Others always bring it up. Even one of our Panamanian guides, in front of other tourists, said (paraphrasing) "Everyone knows the US is going to have a collapse, its just a matter of when." I have met several expats that ask me If I am looking to move down here to avoid trouble in the US. We did meet one older U.S. couple who where staying here to see how they like it. They decided it was not for them because "there is not enough shopping here and we cant get FOX news down here". No joke. At least they were honest with themselves. I have heard stories of expats moving here and they cant hack it then move back.

There is one expat in particular that was interesting. He refused to tell me what he does, and what he did in the past. I even pushed him a little and he used politician speak to keep the conversation going but essentially ignore me. He did say he is never going back to the US for more than a visit. CIA? Foreign dignitary service? Former Marine embassy detail? I don't know. he gave me nothing on that front.

ETA:

All the expats are growing food and setting up local businesses. I have talked to a few expat business owners. Many of the small farms in the area appear to be expat owned. People here are pretty serious about self sufficiency.

double tap

I can tell you about some of the things the Canadians think, having just come back from there about 2 weeks ago. The well-to-do there are convinced their own economy is going to slump due to the low oil prices making oil sand recovery non-profitable (especially near Calgary). Further, at least half of the people I spoke at any length with were asking me when (not if) the US economy is going to come off the rails. One fellow had indicated he'd extracted most of his money out of the Canadian stock market save for a few stocks that paid a decent dividend. He also said he's been buying silver and gold the last 3-4 years. He claims that since the Canadian dollar has fallen dramatically against the US dollar, he can easily get more Canadian dollars back for his silver than he paid for them because of the exchange rate change. This same guy also understood the whole QE thing making the US dollar that much more worthless, something the Canadians apparently didn't do during the financial crisis.

So, people in other countries that have different sources for news and information than we do have independently come to the same conclusion that the US economy is headed for a train wreck. Fact is, a lot of people here have been saying it, too, but nobody listens or does anything to stop it.

The more self reliant people are, the better off their community as it is less demand on surviving emergency services.

Wow!

Sounds like folks there have a clue...

Interestingly enough, that same guy was saying the reason they don't have the same kind of issues we do in the States is because they have an ACTUAL multi-party system. No one group has a majority so at least two of the 3 major parties have to agree on something before it can even start. If there was an actual third (or even distinctly two) party in the US, like a Tea/Conservative/Get-the-hell-out-of-my-life party, I think we would see actual change for the better.