Best TEOTWAWKI/SHTF novel I ever read was Niven & Pournelle's LUCIFER'S HAMMER.
The 12/21/12 stuff is more and more in the news. Supposedly the Australian PM has warned in public and quoted commentary, "the world is ending"; dear me...
HAMMER protagonist, Harve Randall, has been covering the comet-event in that story for many months before HAMMER-fever struck the population. A week before the forecasted HAMMER-fall, Randall has his epiphany: What If It Actually Happens! He realizes there is only so much elasticity in "the system", that the LA Basin only has so many resources and he needs to take some level of precaution, so for several pages of the book, the authors describe Randall's efforts to play "catch-up" and make-ready....
Nine days to go on this Mayan-fever. Much is going on at many levels. December 21 means nothing to me, but....
Consider the absence of Elasticity in The American Retail and Supply mechanism. If you have yet to acquire tools or other goods which are not in commodity availability, which is to say stocked deeply and sold widely at many outlets, then you may find those goods, once sold-out, will remain sold-out...
Not really going to cover the background as to how & why America dug a deeply troubling Just-In-Time Inventory scheme and dependency, but it is prevalent at every level of supply and distribution. Only so much is produced. When actual demand exceeds the projected need for production, goods are simply Not Available.
Firearms and ammunition are case in point. You've either acquired what you selected to own, or are having to scramble for available merchandise. The most desirable models in very limited supply for months or years to come. Always fun to blog about guns, but you'd best be in fine shape for your daily needs and resources as well.
Reason for this post is to advise that between the Mayan-thing, and the "Fiscal Cliff" being touted as a Jan 1, 13 situation; there are likely to be Much More Demand For Goods that are in limited supply.
Perhaps you saw that Blitz, Inc., the maker of steel jerry cans and plastic fuel containers, sold more widely than any other brand, has gone out of business. Apparently too many people disregarded the warnings imprinted on the gasoline carriers and poured fuel directly onto open flame sources and were burned. Their attorneys got judgments against Blitz and now Blitz is gone... Fuel containers have gone from $10 to about $18 from what I can tell. Not as many out there to choose from.
Won't take much for the limited inventory of common goods & supplies which you might be likely to desire to be bought-out. The stuff will be there on the shelves, like it has been for months or years, but gone next time you're looking to buy said merchandise. Like Johnny Carson joking about a toiletpaper shortage. His remarks actually caused one as viewers responded and bought-up more than their usual quantity.
The American Distribution System is tuned to a very fine efficiency. Should greater demand than forecast materialize, it will take weeks or months to respond and build units to satisfy demand; possibly years.
Expect that you have many more months to fulfill your acquisition plans? Just be aware that the situation is fluid and subject to change. If the "greater-public" begins to take action, your plans and goals will be irrelevant.
If you aren't paranoid-level aware enough to consider the precarious nature of merchandise and commodity deliveries in America and how they can/might impact your planning; might want to be aware that water levels in The Mississippi River are so low that it is likely that barge traffic will be halted from running the full-length of the river by this week. A number of electric utilities along the river rely on barges to deliver coal and oil & gas they use to generate electricity. Not likely that these guys have acres of extra coal reserves that they had a decade or two ago.
Just-In-Time theory will prove more disastrous than the benefits it availed, I think...
If you are giving gifts this season, might be a great time to give those gifts the whole family can use; like a quality generator, solar panels, quality inverter and 6v storage batteries. Maybe a good condition woodburning stove and stovepipe setup from craigslist? Personal water filters and camelback bladder systems... Wool socks and quality boots... Hope you get the idea. If you're paranoid enough to take action, think you'll see big dividends from your decisions in the near future...
Happy Holidays!
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