by AppComms, Survival Blog:

I am a prepper who has survived three natural disasters. That doesn’t mean I am special by any means. I feel my experience is nothing more than a testimony of God’s Amazing Grace. As a retired Pastor and soon-to-be retired employee of North Carolina’s Prison system, I write to you as a southern Appalachian hillbilly with some prepping experience that may benefit you. This article is a firsthand account of my personal survival experience with three natural disasters that have affected me during my lifetime.

To begin with, you should be familiar with the region where I live. I was born, raised, and still live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. What many today call prepping has been and remains a way of life in these hills. We raise gardens, and many also raise livestock. We also preserve our own vegetables. These home-canned goods along with hunting and fishing supplement our meat supply. None of this is a guarantee that what you have will prevent loss of life, property, or utilities during any natural disaster. Like everyone, we experience seasonal flooding and snowfall often up to a foot, and we are familiar with and prepared for the effects of these weather conditions. We were unprepared for direct impacts from hurricanes and blizzards. As stated in my opening, what follows are my experiences with three natural disasters: Hurricane Hugo (1989), the Blizzard of 1993 (a super-storm), and Hurricane Helene (2024). Let’s take them in order.