I started prepping for disasters when I lost my business and my income a couple years ago due to the recession. I had a pretty good income and was doing great. But it all came crashing down and I was not prepared. So I decided to start putting extra food away for my family in the event I ever lost my job again. I really don't believe in Mad Max, Book of Eli doomsday scenarios. I like to believe our country is too resilient to endure something like that. Yesterday/last night we were hit with a blizzard here in the Mid West. If we lost power for a few days, then we would have food and other resources on hand to survive. Hurricane Sandy and Katrina are other examples why preparing is a good idea. Don't focus on large scale events that could cripple the country. Focus on localized events that could affect you and start there. You never know with this economy how secure your job is. Put your extra money into food and supplies, instead of buying more tv's and things a person doesn't really need. We also stock what we eat. We rotate through our food supply and eat the older stuff that's getting close to expiration. Start with a goal of 1 weeks supply of food. Then build up to two weeks and so on.
Yes, major events could occur that could cripple our economy plunging this country into chaos, as it has happened to other countries. Another pandemic could sweep across the land and wipe out millions of people. An event like that I'd rather stay in my home limit the risk of exposure. There are so many scenarios and possibilities. But shows like Revolution are so far fetched. Start small and focus on realistic scenarios. If I lose my job, we have a few months worth of food on hand till I get back on my feet. It's one less thing we have to spend money on. Another concern for me is terrorism. If they found a way to hit us hard again in the US, it could cripple the economy and bring us to chaos as everyone would be in fear of another strike. The time to have food and provisions is before an event, not when it happens. Look at all the people out panic buying firearms for fear of a ban. Well, the SHTF and many people were not prepared. Now they are all on the forums whining that they can't get what they want and shouldn't have waited. Why wait to put food and provisions away for a rainy day? Remember, in a disaster, food and water will be gone from the stores shelves in three days. And that's if you can even get there. So my advice is start with small scale, realistic scenarios, and go from there. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.