@Crow Bar
I am really worried about the local resources because there are too many people here, and the first deer that is shot at, the herds are likely to disappear.
However, there are approximately 600 river lots that have large open fields in the range of 2-6 acres (mine being about 3 acres), and I am hoping to one say soon begin learning what it takes to start and maintain a community garden, then I can teach other groups how to do the same if it comes to that. The problem is the best case is several months before any significant production, and and I read on Daisy’s site that in real life it is going to be much longer!
As far as the leader/follower idea, I have a strong personality, my brother does too, and even though he is also infected with the “normalcy bias”, we get along great and are both physically capable, I think I am getting through to him, as he recently and unexpectedly (to me) went and bought an AR-15. I think I have the leadership issue mostly resolved, but it is very difficult to be sure until an event actually happens.
I know the personalities of my family very well, and the ones that you describe “sucking their thumb”, I have no illusions that they may wait too late to react once the SHTF, and may not even be able to make it out of the city in time. But if they do arrive and continue sucking their thumb, they will have a family support group — and I also have heard that hunger is a powerful motivator 😉
Thank you for the advise!