A few of the preparedness types that I follow have been aggravated by a study done through Cornell University and FEMA.
A study on preppers.
First of all, here is the study in full.
And here is a break down of interesting data from a prepper site. They point out some differences between the standard FEMA dataset of people and the preppers surveyed, including a much higher level of people with disabilities. This makes sense to me because, being disabled, I KNOW that life can be hard and the government isn’t prone to helping with any speed.
So I work on helping myself, helping my neighbors, and working together. I had to learn to ask for help from the people around me when I had nothing, but I also learned to offer help when I have the resources.
I prefer to offer help through someone else though… so I donate to a food pantry or such so that someone else is the front face. Is it cowardly? Maybe. But I mostly just want to be left alone, and I don’t need GOLD STARS OMG and social media credit for donating. I donate because I’ve been hungry, and I can see that others are hungry now when I’m in a better place.
I digress.
The image that has been going around from this study:
(I’m going to be 100% honest here and say that I had problems sourcing the image from the original article’s PDF so it was clear enough to read, so I ended up stealing a clearer copy from theprepared.com.)
You can find the image on page 152 of the study (165 in the pdf).
And finally, my opinion.
Folks are concerned because of the belief that FEMA can seize supplies during an emergency, and they feel they are being put on a list for this to happen. Oh, and the hypothetical list rates the ‘danger’ of preppers so the government knows who to watch.
Is there a list?
Probably. I’m not going to lie. There’s probably some truth to this concern.
Are they going to seize my supplies?
Probably not.
First of all, I’m a food prepper, or what they’re calling a Homesteader. This is a pretty low threat level generally, if you’re going by that measurement.
Not likely to attack other people.
Most likely to hunker down and and very likely to work with their neighbors in an emergency to keep everyone safe and fed.
Secondly, I’m not very religious OR political.
I’m not an extremist.
God isn’t telling me to do anything.
Low danger rating.
I prep because I was HUNGRY growing up and have been hungry as an adult. I don’t want to be hungry again. THAT is my motivation.
Three, I’m a small fish in a big pond.
There are plenty of other bigger, more lucrative fish to start on if or when FEMA starts seizing supplies.
My primary resource is food.
I don’t have a bajillion guns.
I don’t have a full electric, off-grid set up.
I have food and ways to cook food and enough electricity to keep my food cool in the freezers.
I don’t have anything particularly shiny to draw attention, and for the most part I keep my head down. I don’t feel particularly like your standard prepper… I’m not planning to bug out anywhere, given the choice. I’m not planning for nukes and World War III.
I’m planning for power outages (which happen where I live), food shortages (which we’re expecting this year), and shortages of supplies of all sorts. I’m planning for outages in the winter, when heat is an issue. I’m planning for outages in summer, when keeping my food storage cold is an issue.
I garden, and I’m working on getting chickens next year.
There is no bomb shelter in my basement.
So while this report IS concerning, the sheer number of preppers and how small of a fish I am makes me inclined to think it isn’t a threat to me, personally.
That’s how I rate it anyway.
What do you think?
Header image generated by Midjourney AI.
