How worried should I be? And how much should I doom prep?

just a reminder that none of us can sufficiently “doom prep” and avoid the consequences of large catastrophes like those being discussed

beyond typical disaster preparedness: www.ready.gov

probably the best thing would be to develop community ties - get to know your local weirdo farmers doing a CSA, make friends with EMTs, get to know your neighbors, get connected with a local community garden, etc.

We will survive or die together, individual prepping is not going to save you.

EDIT:

to more directly answer the question of what should be in your emergency kit, and how much food to store:

www.ready.gov/kit The basics: - Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation) - Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food) - Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert - Flashlight - First aid kit - Extra batteries - Whistle (to signal for help) - Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air) - Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape (to shelter in place) - Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation) - Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities) - Manual can opener (for food) - Local maps - Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery The extras: - Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces - Prescription medications. About half of all Americans take a prescription medicine every day. An emergency can make it difficult for them to refill their prescription or to find an open pharmacy. Organize and protect your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins to prepare for an emergency. - Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives - Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution - Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream - Pet food and extra water for your pet - Cash or traveler’s checks - Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container - Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person - Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes - Fire extinguisher - Matches in a waterproof container - Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items - Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils - Paper and pencil - Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children Probably most people already have a pantry with several days of non-perishable foods - think canned foods, etc. Make sure that you are rotating your food - don’t have a separate cache as your “emergency food”. Instead, have a backstock of foods you already eat, and continue to rotate and eat from your pantry so you don’t create waste by purchasing “emergency food” you never eat and then let go bad in your pantry. You might ensure that you could feed 2,000 calories per person in your household. White rice is around 1600 calories per pound, so a 10 lb bag is 16,000 calories, so that’s 8 days of 2,000 kcal per day (obviously you wouldn’t eat just white rice, ideally beans and rice would be paired together). It depends on what you already eat, but I eat plenty of beans and have a decent stock of dry and canned beans, as well as rice. I probably have more than 8 days of food in my pantry, which is sufficient for emergency preparation. Also note that refined foods store better than “whole” foods - so white rice will last longer than brown rice, bleached white flour will last longer than whole wheat flour, etc. (It’s because refined foods tend to just have the carbs extracted from the food; whole foods have more natural components like oils that will go rancid, etc.). So when you buy whole foods, buy smaller amounts and rotate through them faster. Don’t buy a 10 lb bag of brown rice for just you and a partner, maybe buy a small 1/2 lb bag or less.

Individual prepping is only meant to bridge the gap between distaster and community or national assistance/cooperation.

So have some emergency food, water, but prepping properly is actually things like learning to garden well, save seeds, learn to preserve, learn how to forage, build community connections.

prepping properly is actually things like learning to garden well

A garden is never going to be a primary source of calories. I know someone who has a massive backyard garden with at least 10 pool-table sized raised beds and a bunch of other smaller areas with berries, etc. He loves gardening but he can’t keep up on his own and hires help for it. And, even then, it’s mostly just extra things for salads. Sometimes he dedicates a full weekend to preserving things, but even then, what he has is just a supplement to his grocery shopping.

Definitely not going to be a primary source of calories… but that’s not the point. When you have no other options, are you going to wish you knew how to garden or not? What do you propose as a better way to prepare for food systems breaking down?