Do YOU Make This Prepping Mis-take? It Could Cost You...

Have you ever heard about preppers surviving natural disasters? Probably not. But…why is that? Have you ever shrugged and wondered, well, if they aren’t making it out of a disaster, why should I bother? The answer may surprise you, and hear my two experiences that will explain it.

Go to https://urbanladyprepper.com/index.php/prepper-checklist/ for your FREE essential prepper checklist. Use the password StayReady.

You can check out the episode where I interview Dr. Anna Bounds, author of "Bracing for the Apocalypse: An Ethnographic Study of New York's ‘Prepper’ Subculture" and "Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City: Class, Resilience and Sheltering in Place" here.

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Episode Transcript

Lynn Jordan: Have you ever heard about (00:00):
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Lynn Jordan: preppers surviving natural (00:01):
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Lynn Jordan: disasters? (00:03):
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Lynn Jordan: Probably not. (00:04):
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Lynn Jordan: But why is that? (00:05):
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Lynn Jordan: Have you ever shrugged and wondered, well, if they aren't (00:07):
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Lynn Jordan: making it out of a disaster, why should I bother? (00:10):
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Lynn Jordan: The answer may surprise you, and hear my two experiences that (00:13):
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Lynn Jordan: will explain it. (00:17):
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Lynn Jordan: Hi, I'm the urban lady prepper. (00:19):
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Lynn Jordan: I help single moms and solo (00:22):
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Lynn Jordan: women with practical emergency (00:23):
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Lynn Jordan: preparedness. (00:24):
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Lynn Jordan: But of course, all are welcome to be better prepared for (00:25):
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Lynn Jordan: whatever happens next. (00:29):
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Lynn Jordan: I recently joined Reddit. (00:32):
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Lynn Jordan: Okay. (00:34):
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Lynn Jordan: Actually, I joined it a while ago, but didn't have time to (00:35):
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Lynn Jordan: really dig in because all of the other things I've got going on. (00:37):
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Lynn Jordan: But anyway, I finally started going through some of the (00:41):
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Lynn Jordan: subreddits and there was one for collapse, an account that is (00:44):
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Lynn Jordan: currently suspended wrote I am amazed that the number of (00:48):
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Lynn Jordan: natural disasters, plus the widespread popularity of (00:51):
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Lynn Jordan: prepping, does not result in stories about preppers surviving (00:54):
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Lynn Jordan: natural disasters like floods and fires with their doomsday (00:57):
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Lynn Jordan: bunkers, bug out bags, water filters, dehydrated food, solar (01:00):
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Lynn Jordan: panels, stacked car batteries, or hand crank generators. (01:05):
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Lynn Jordan: If prepping can't help with the disasters that are going on now, (01:09):
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Lynn Jordan: I suspect that they are completely worthless for the (01:12):
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Lynn Jordan: future madness that awaits us. (01:14):
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Lynn Jordan: Am I wrong? (01:16):
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Lynn Jordan: Now that perception is not incorrect. (01:19):
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Lynn Jordan: For all the talk and videos about emergency preparedness, I (01:21):
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Lynn Jordan: can't recall a particular instance where a prepper was (01:24):
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Lynn Jordan: featured in a media for emerging victorious after a disaster. (01:27):
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Lynn Jordan: We preppers definitely have our (01:31):
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Lynn Jordan: stories about making it through (01:32):
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Lynn Jordan: a crisis, but we don't get (01:34):
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Lynn Jordan: coverage. (01:35):
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Lynn Jordan: Why? (01:37):
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Lynn Jordan: Why not highlight someone who (01:38):
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Lynn Jordan: can show that preparedness is (01:39):
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Lynn Jordan: worth it? (01:41):
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Lynn Jordan: Well, the main reason is that emergency preparedness isn't (01:43):
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Lynn Jordan: built on the kind of excitement that makes good soundbites. (01:46):
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Lynn Jordan: People want to read about someone surfing on a closet door (01:49):
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Lynn Jordan: across debris, not about the prepper who paid attention to (01:52):
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Lynn Jordan: the weather reports, had alerts set up a go bag ready and (01:55):
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Lynn Jordan: evacuated well before the situation became dangerous. (01:58):
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Lynn Jordan: Or the prepper who made sure that their spot was secure (02:02):
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Lynn Jordan: enough to ride it out and emerge no worse for wear. (02:04):
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Lynn Jordan: If you recall, I interviewed Doctor Anna Bounds a few weeks (02:08):
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Lynn Jordan: ago, and she shared her experiences of being in New York (02:11):
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Lynn Jordan: City during the pandemic. (02:14):
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Lynn Jordan: While there's always a mental (02:16):
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Lynn Jordan: and emotional component when it (02:17):
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Lynn Jordan: comes to getting through a (02:19):
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Lynn Jordan: disaster, she was able to get (02:19):
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Lynn Jordan: through it successfully and help (02:21):
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Lynn Jordan: others. (02:22):
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Lynn Jordan: Her efforts during the pandemic (02:23):
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Lynn Jordan: and the lessons she learned from (02:25):
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Lynn Jordan: preppers were put into practice, (02:26):
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Lynn Jordan: and she wrote two books about (02:28):
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Lynn Jordan: it. (02:29):
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Lynn Jordan: But because of her readiness, there wasn't the extreme (02:30):
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Lynn Jordan: personal human trauma that fuels clicks and views. (02:32):
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Lynn Jordan: I have an upcoming blog article (02:37):
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Lynn Jordan: focusing on a few women who (02:39):
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Lynn Jordan: survived wildfires and flooding, (02:40):
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Lynn Jordan: but it's more about showing my (02:42):
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Lynn Jordan: single moms and solo ladies that (02:44):
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Lynn Jordan: ordinary women can do (02:46):
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Lynn Jordan: extraordinary things. (02:47):
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Lynn Jordan: Rather than emphasizing how (02:48):
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Lynn Jordan: prepared they were, and at no (02:50):
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Lynn Jordan: point did any of the articles I (02:52):
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Lynn Jordan: read about these ladies mention (02:54):
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Lynn Jordan: what they did to prepare for (02:55):
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Lynn Jordan: these events. (02:56):
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Lynn Jordan: But again, that's not what makes the stories interesting enough (02:58):
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Lynn Jordan: to stop the scroll. (03:01):
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Lynn Jordan: The struggles during and after (03:03):
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Lynn Jordan: are what make their stories (03:04):
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Lynn Jordan: compelling as well as what they (03:05):
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Lynn Jordan: learned. (03:07):
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Lynn Jordan: The support systems they (03:07):
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Lynn Jordan: created, and the emotional pull (03:08):
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Lynn Jordan: to read about how they got (03:10):
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Lynn Jordan: through it. (03:11):
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Lynn Jordan: Clearly, this is true as I wrote (03:13):
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Lynn Jordan: about them surviving, not (03:15):
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Lynn Jordan: whether they were ready for what (03:17):
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Lynn Jordan: happened, but I'm sure for (03:18):
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Lynn Jordan: twenty women who got their (03:20):
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Lynn Jordan: families to safety during an (03:21):
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Lynn Jordan: extreme event, there's at least (03:23):
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Lynn Jordan: one prepper who has a story to (03:25):
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Lynn Jordan: tell that didn't involve enough (03:26):
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Lynn Jordan: suffering to warrant an (03:28):
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Lynn Jordan: interview. (03:29):
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Lynn Jordan: Does all of this mean that every prepper is cool as a cucumber (03:31):
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Lynn Jordan: and never caught off guard during an emergency? (03:34):
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Lynn Jordan: Of course not. (03:36):
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Lynn Jordan: I definitely had my share of nail biting moments. (03:37):
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Lynn Jordan: In twenty eleven, I had already (03:41):
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Lynn Jordan: moved to Georgia when I had to (03:42):
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Lynn Jordan: return to New York to tie up (03:44):
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Lynn Jordan: some loose ends after my first (03:45):
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Lynn Jordan: husband's passing. (03:46):
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Lynn Jordan: But I had to do that drive when Hurricane Irene was coming up (03:48):
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Lynn Jordan: the East Coast. (03:51):
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Lynn Jordan: I was no more than a few hours ahead of the storm, and it was (03:52):
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Lynn Jordan: me and my dog booking it up I-95, hoping to be able to (03:54):
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Lynn Jordan: batten down the hatches in time. (03:58):
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Lynn Jordan: My nerves were shot. (04:00):
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Lynn Jordan: I was operating on very little (04:01):
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Lynn Jordan: sleep, and because I was moving, (04:02):
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Lynn Jordan: I was dealing with that and the (04:04):
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Lynn Jordan: stress of the usual things that (04:06):
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Lynn Jordan: happen when someone close to you (04:07):
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Lynn Jordan: passes away. (04:08):
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Lynn Jordan: I didn't keep tabs on where everything was, so I was hoping (04:10):
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Lynn Jordan: that I brought what I needed, and what I thought was left up (04:13):
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Lynn Jordan: in New York would still be there by the time I arrived, the rain (04:16):
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Lynn Jordan: was really coming down and I had just enough time to pick up (04:21):
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Lynn Jordan: plywood, strap it to my car and get it to the house. (04:23):
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Lynn Jordan: A neighbor helped me board up my (04:27):
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Lynn Jordan: windows and I also helped them (04:28):
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Lynn Jordan: with theirs. (04:29):
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Lynn Jordan: An announcement said that the power would go out in my area at (04:30):
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Lynn Jordan: approximately two a m and sure enough, at one fifty nine fifty (04:33):
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Lynn Jordan: nine the power went out. (04:37):
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Lynn Jordan: My coolers had ice, so I had a place for my milk, my eggs in a (04:40):
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Lynn Jordan: six pack because I had a gas stove and a gas water heater. (04:43):
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Lynn Jordan: I could cook what food I had and take a hot shower. (04:47):
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Lynn Jordan: The damage to my home was (04:50):
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Lynn Jordan: thankfully minimal as Irene had (04:52):
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Lynn Jordan: been downgraded to a tropical (04:54):
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Lynn Jordan: storm, but The experience was (04:55):
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Lynn Jordan: rough on some of the neighbors, (04:57):
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Lynn Jordan: because we hadn't had a (04:59):
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Lynn Jordan: hurricane like that since, I (05:00):
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Lynn Jordan: believe, Gloria in nineteen (05:02):
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Lynn Jordan: eighty five. (05:03):
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Lynn Jordan: But if Irene and me helping them (05:04):
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Lynn Jordan: with things they neglected to do (05:06):
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Lynn Jordan: or have didn't inspire them to (05:08):
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Lynn Jordan: be more prepared for the next (05:10):
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Lynn Jordan: time, they hadn't seen nothing (05:11):
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Lynn Jordan: yet. (05:13):
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Lynn Jordan: Because the following year was hurricane Sandy. (05:13):
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Lynn Jordan: I'd come up to New York again and while there, decided to take (05:17):
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Lynn Jordan: a bus down to Atlantic City. (05:20):
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Lynn Jordan: I'd arrived there a couple of days before the storm hit, and (05:22):
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Lynn Jordan: while most people didn't seem overly concerned about the (05:25):
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Lynn Jordan: storm, I still kept tabs on it since it was likely to hit the (05:28):
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Lynn Jordan: East Coast, and the reports kept getting more dire. (05:31):
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Lynn Jordan: There was chatter that the governor would shut down (05:34):
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Lynn Jordan: Atlantic City, so I immediately headed to the depot so I could (05:36):
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Lynn Jordan: get out of there. (05:39):
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Lynn Jordan: When he did shut it down, the (05:40):
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Lynn Jordan: depot flooded with people, and I (05:41):
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Lynn Jordan: watched Atlantic City turn into (05:43):
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Lynn Jordan: a scene from The Walking Dead (05:45):
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Lynn Jordan: because I got there earlier than (05:46):
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Lynn Jordan: the crush. (05:48):
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Lynn Jordan: I was already in line and got the last ticket on the last bus (05:48):
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Lynn Jordan: out of town. (05:52):
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Lynn Jordan: I know this because the clerk told the person behind me that (05:53):
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Lynn Jordan: there were no buses left. (05:55):
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Lynn Jordan: Much like with Irene, I was able to ride out the storm at my (05:57):
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Lynn Jordan: house, which still hadn't sold. (06:00):
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Lynn Jordan: While I knew some who chose to stay and had to swim out of (06:03):
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Lynn Jordan: upstairs windows or be rescued. (06:06):
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Lynn Jordan: The aftermath of the storm is what made me realize more than (06:08):
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Lynn Jordan: ever that emergency preparedness wasn't a thing. (06:11):
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Lynn Jordan: I realized that many people (06:15):
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Lynn Jordan: didn't know that if there's no (06:16):
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Lynn Jordan: power, the gas stations can't (06:18):
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Lynn Jordan: pump gas. (06:19):
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Lynn Jordan: But those stations that did have power, some people waited in (06:21):
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Lynn Jordan: line for hours. (06:23):
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Lynn Jordan: Yes, there were fights at some of the stations. (06:25):
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Lynn Jordan: There were no deliveries for days. (06:27):
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Lynn Jordan: Folks lost a lot of food if they didn't have means to cook it or (06:29):
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Lynn Jordan: keep it cold. (06:32):
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Lynn Jordan: One day I went to the local 7-Eleven hoping for some coffee, (06:33):
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Lynn Jordan: and a well-dressed man was standing in the middle of the (06:37):
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Lynn Jordan: store looking dumbfounded. (06:39):
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Lynn Jordan: The store was practically empty of stuff. (06:40):
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Lynn Jordan: There were some random items (06:43):
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Lynn Jordan: left on the shelves and a couple (06:44):
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Lynn Jordan: of drinks in the refrigerated (06:46):
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Lynn Jordan: cases, but basically there was (06:47):
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Lynn Jordan: nothing. (06:49):
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Lynn Jordan: The stunned look on his face let me know. (06:50):
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Lynn Jordan: Four things. (06:52):
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Lynn Jordan: He didn't heed the warnings about how bad it could get. (06:53):
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Lynn Jordan: That he wasn't prepared. (06:56):
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Lynn Jordan: That he didn't have much food at home and within two days tops. (06:58):
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Lynn Jordan: If he didn't find a way to get (07:02):
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Lynn Jordan: what he needed, he wouldn't care (07:03):
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Lynn Jordan: who he had to roll to get their (07:05):
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Lynn Jordan: stuff if it meant feeding his (07:07):
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Lynn Jordan: kids. (07:08):
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Lynn Jordan: Did folks learned a lesson after that? (07:10):
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Lynn Jordan: Nope. (07:13):
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Lynn Jordan: As bad as it was, everyone believed that it would pass and (07:13):
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Lynn Jordan: things would return to normal. (07:16):
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Lynn Jordan: Eventually it did. (07:18):
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Lynn Jordan: While some areas remained (07:20):
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Lynn Jordan: devastated for much longer than (07:21):
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Lynn Jordan: it should have, power was (07:22):
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Lynn Jordan: eventually restored. (07:23):
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Lynn Jordan: Trucks arrived to replenish supplies and life return to (07:25):
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Lynn Jordan: normal people's memory of how bad it was and how much worse it (07:28):
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Lynn Jordan: could have been was forgotten. (07:31):
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Lynn Jordan: As soon as they could turn their TVs back on and go to the store (07:33):
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Lynn Jordan: that was freshly restocked with all their favorite snacks. (07:36):
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Lynn Jordan: I would have conversations with (07:41):
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Lynn Jordan: people and casually ask if it (07:42):
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Lynn Jordan: happened again, if they thought (07:43):
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Lynn Jordan: they'd be better prepared for (07:45):
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Lynn Jordan: it. (07:46):
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Lynn Jordan: Most of them just shrugged and either said it wouldn't happen (07:47):
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Lynn Jordan: again, or that they hadn't really given it much thought. (07:49):
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Lynn Jordan: That blew my mind. (07:53):
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Lynn Jordan: There are family, friends, and (07:55):
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Lynn Jordan: people in the community that I (07:56):
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Lynn Jordan: would be happy to help and would (07:57):
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Lynn Jordan: be concerned about, but it (07:59):
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Lynn Jordan: really made me think about all (08:01):
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Lynn Jordan: the acquaintances and strangers (08:02):
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Lynn Jordan: who would become so desperate (08:04):
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Lynn Jordan: that they would pose a greater (08:06):
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Lynn Jordan: threat to me than the disaster (08:07):
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Lynn Jordan: itself. (08:08):
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Lynn Jordan: This is why a somewhat recurring (08:10):
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Lynn Jordan: theme in my blogs and podcasts (08:12):
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Lynn Jordan: is that while you do want to (08:14):
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Lynn Jordan: take your community into account (08:15):
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Lynn Jordan: and have some sort of (08:17):
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Lynn Jordan: cooperation, you need to be (08:17):
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Lynn Jordan: discreet with your prepping (08:19):
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Lynn Jordan: because you don't always want to (08:21):
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Lynn Jordan: announce what and how much you (08:22):
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Lynn Jordan: have. (08:24):
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Lynn Jordan: The same people who are so blasé (08:25):
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Lynn Jordan: after devastation, the moment (08:27):
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Lynn Jordan: things seemed normal again would (08:28):
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Lynn Jordan: turned into entirely different (08:30):
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Lynn Jordan: people. (08:31):
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Lynn Jordan: If the power were to go out for weeks and they had no food, (08:32):
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Lynn Jordan: water or light source. (08:34):
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Lynn Jordan: But knew people who might. (08:36):
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Lynn Jordan: It was at this point I realized my ability to get through those (08:39):
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Lynn Jordan: two events was partially due to my preparedness, but also (08:42):
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Lynn Jordan: fortunate that my area, while damaged, was not devastated. (08:46):
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Lynn Jordan: I began preparing with a little more focus and purpose because I (08:50):
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Lynn Jordan: was now a solo woman, and I had to be sure that I could take (08:53):
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Lynn Jordan: care of myself and handle whatever craziness might be (08:56):
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Lynn Jordan: looming on the horizon. (08:58):
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Lynn Jordan: So how did I answer the poster (09:01):
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Lynn Jordan: asking if prepping was (09:04):
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Lynn Jordan: worthless? (09:05):
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Lynn Jordan: Here was my response. (09:06):
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Lynn Jordan: The thing with preppers is that we don't advertise, we prepare (09:08):
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Lynn Jordan: and then execute. (09:11):
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Lynn Jordan: We know in advance when it's time to vacate an area and is (09:13):
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Lynn Jordan: usually before everyone else. (09:16):
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Lynn Jordan: So we're not caught out there. (09:17):
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Lynn Jordan: There's no miracle survivors because we don't hang out long (09:19):
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Lynn Jordan: enough to get stuck and have to count on luck to survive if we (09:22):
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Lynn Jordan: do ride things out. (09:26):
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Lynn Jordan: Our stories aren't interesting (09:27):
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Lynn Jordan: because we have water, food, and (09:28):
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Lynn Jordan: gear to get through whatever it (09:30):
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Lynn Jordan: is. (09:31):
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Lynn Jordan: And that doesn't make for a dramatic story. (09:32):
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Lynn Jordan: We've also prepped mentally, so when it's go time, it's about (09:34):
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Lynn Jordan: executing a plan, not hysterics. (09:38):
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Lynn Jordan: We're ready to hunker down for days, weeks, or longer to get (09:40):
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Lynn Jordan: through a crisis. (09:43):
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Lynn Jordan: So you probably won't hear about preppers surviving because one (09:44):
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Lynn Jordan: preparedness isn't sexy, and two, we did what we had to, and (09:48):
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Lynn Jordan: now we just have to go through it as planned. (09:52):
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Lynn Jordan: And three, we tend not to let those who didn't prepare know (09:54):
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Lynn Jordan: that we did. (09:57):
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Lynn Jordan: Because chances are those people did not learn from their lack of (09:58):
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Lynn Jordan: prepping and would then seek us out for our supplies when the (10:02):
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Lynn Jordan: next disaster hits. (10:05):
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Lynn Jordan: As the saying goes, if you stay (10:07):
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Lynn Jordan: ready, you don't have to get (10:09):
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Lynn Jordan: ready. (10:10):
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Lynn Jordan: Prepping is important and (10:11):
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Lynn Jordan: necessary, and no matter the (10:12):
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Lynn Jordan: disaster, you need the same (10:14):
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Lynn Jordan: basic things. (10:15):
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Lynn Jordan: So if you start from there, (10:16):
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Lynn Jordan: you're ahead and better off than (10:18):
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Lynn Jordan: most. (10:19):
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Lynn Jordan: That was my answer. (10:21):
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Lynn Jordan: So yes, preparedness is worth it. (10:23):
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Lynn Jordan: If you haven't begun, I suggest (10:26):
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Lynn Jordan: that you do, because the party's (10:29):
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Lynn Jordan: just getting started around (10:31):
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Lynn Jordan: these parts. (10:32):
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Lynn Jordan: Thanks for listening and stay safe out there. (10:34):
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Lynn Jordan: Until next time. (10:36):
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Lynn Jordan: This is the urban lady prepper signing off. (10:37):
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