I think that if you consider yourself a "survivalist" (which I proudly do) then you prepare for anything and everything that you can. It doesn't matter to me how it happens, I'll be ready. Purhaps I'm not ready as far as equipment but mentally, I am more then prepared as most of us probably are. Because of that I think that any two survivalists can get along and get along well for that matter. Regardless of how you think its going to happen, the conversations all center around the same principal. . . . . Survival.

I've been married almost 30 years...where did the time go? and my wife and I became serious about survival comparatively late in life. I always had apocalyptic visions, partly due to my native-American background, but was unable to convey these feelings to my wife for a long time. Although we enjoyed practicing primitive skills, and were Red Cross volunteers, the idea of society collapsing around us was something we never took too seriously. Our biggest concern was a devastating quake reducing the bay area to rubble.
Then five years ago I took a serious interest in H5N1. Being an herbalist I started to do research into what plant meds might pull us through if we couldn't get a vaccine. I also began to research the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919, as my mother survived it as a child, but it eventually her mother and two brothers. I soon realized that the Flu pandemic of 1918-1919 was the worst plague ever to hit the world. Researchers now believe it killed close to 80 million people or more in 18 months. It killed more people in the first 12 weeks then AIDS has in 25 years. It made the Black Death look like a Sunday regatta by comparison of sheer numbers.
I brought this information to my wife who pointed out that the Spanish Flu had a mortality of rate of ONE PERCENT. H5N1 has a mortality rate of 50 to 55 percent. Even if a human to human variant occurs, that is less lethal than the original, it will still more lethal than the Spanish Flu. The UN and WHO estimates a worst case scenario of 800 to 1 billion deaths.
So...my wife and I have matching paranoias. Her hatred of the government and my hatred of disease has meshed. Katrina proved that FEMA is a straw man...inefficient and corrupt. It will be useless if the flu hits in force. State government plans are decent on paper, but there is no money to begin preparing. Local governments who are willing to use volunteers and transfer funds to flu preparation might be our best hope.
But for us...we have our supplies, meds, protocols for disinfection and flu care, we've set up a community phone tree to check on elderly neighbors, and we have firearms in case home invasions which became popular during the Black Death has a resurgence of popularity. We are happy in our paranoias.
30 years of love...what more can you ask for.

CG