Posted on 11/26/2012 9:42:52 PM PST by Kartographer
Coming home on Sunday I saw 15 accidents in a 20 mile stretch, one accident involving six cars in a tailgating fender bender. Most others were 1-2 cars, or single run off the road flat tire accidents.
This was under a 'holiday' weekend Wednesday and Sunday. What is going to happen when these folks are 'bugging out' like they hear on television? And if there is a real emergency? Where are they going to go if everyone along an Interstate Highway is bugging out at the same time? All points of the compass are going to be a parking lot within 10 miles of any major population center. Then What? Everybody gets out and walks? They wouldn't make it 100 yards before collapsing.
I don't think I can last long enough to get a piece of property and make preps, outside from the city. So I am trying to prep on site, until after the wave flows over us. I fear the European crisis and the Middle East war expanding. It is coming like a freight train and I can't get out of the way.
(Excerpt) Read more at survivalblog.com ...
Until you read my post had you ever considered doing it?
Also I don’t mean doing it at the time of the trouble but beforehand. Moving hundreds of gallons of potable water while SHTF isn’t as easy as bugging out. The place should be prepped before hand.
Besides people bugging out are like a stamped they follow the leader and don’t stop to ask where he’s going. Few will have the wit enough to evaluate their options.
Besides before I mentioned it did you ever consider such a plan?
My homestead is fairly defensible - heavy brier/bramble scrub woods around most of it with a clear shot up the drive which is 300’ long and funnels over a culvert bridge as the main opening in the mix. Wooded areas behind and to both sides, with access being via neighbors’ lands mean folks would have to go through them to approach me. I’m also an old deer hunter from NY who used to have to nestle down in such areas with my rifle waiting for a shot...
I would have no problem with 30 miles a day except for one small item.... my butt would fall off, and I'd never walk again.
Riding a horse is truly something you need to do on a regular basis to do it well over a long period of time.
Same with bicycles, btw. I recently got a bicycle for local trips and blithely headed out to the grocery store, a 4 mile round trip.
Since it had been 35 years since I'd been on a bike, it quite earnestly kicked my @$$.
I can do the ride today with no problem, but you don't just wake up one day and do it.
/johnny
either COA has its risks versus benefits
having now been given something else to consider I still don't think it's an option
having some experience with ne'er-do-wells I would put the odds at 95% that your location becomes compromised prior to ever needing it...the type of location you describe are routinely utilized by homeless, gangs, crack ho's and others
I think that in my area the likelihood of location compromise is more at 100%
just my $.02
The family estate owned a building like what you talk about, and we spent a lot of time, effort, and money protecting it after ferals noticed it was empty.
We finally sold the building this year, thank goodness.
/johnny
Good topic. How to GET OUT if you want to, AND what is your plan to get ‘home’ so you CAN BUG OUT as planned.
What follows is *my* thoughts. Your mileage may vary. AND you may not plan to bug out. So be it.
1. The best tactic overall as posters have suggested, including you, is to bug out *before* general realization sets in. Being able to sense sooner and react/adapt faster/better is *KEY*. That awareness is a BIG part of prepping— more than just stockpiling. AND as MANY have pointed out, *IF* the first time you try your load out is when you bug out, you are screwed. Plan, practice, drill at least once. Have your list, prioritized; know WHO is responsible for WHAT, and in which vehicle. Know WHERE your stuff is in every room. Make sure you don’t have to waste time debating and discovering. Some ‘family’ members may get there an hour after you leave, and they should have their manifest waiting for them. Leave a pre-determined tell tale behind if you want to, but the fact that you have left should be obvious.
2. Have a pre-planned code to send to your ‘family’ to let them know ‘you’ are headed out and they should too. Much like “eject eject eject!” make it systematic that they do not NEED to respond or confirm, but should if they can. BUT they should execute the evac order ASAP. Your plans may mean everybody meets at the house and goes, or people just go from where they are — up to you. My plan is not your plan.
3. Have PAPER maps in each vehicle that show alternate routes — so you can adapt, overcome, improvise — if your primary route is obstructed or dangerous or both. *IF* you are truly paranoid, DO NOT mark your final destination on ANYTHING hard copy or otherwise easily be discovered. Have code words for rally points along the way.
4. split up possessions among travelers/vehicles so that if you lose one vehicle for any reason, or one person won’t/can’t make it, you don’t have a single point of failure.
4.1 If in a multi-vehicle ‘convoy’ approaching suspicious civilians, assume your first vehicle will get the most attention. Recommended formation is scout vehicle first, guns/shooters second, people and possessions third.
5. Have CHARGED and TESTED mobile radios in all vehicles with known frequencies and privacy pre-determined. Your cell phones WILL become unreliable. A set of four GOOD Midland “LMR” radios with earpieces (Bass Pro Shop e.g.) will run you $170+/-.
6. Have your barter items ready. Have your CHARITY items ready. But have it ALL under tarps.
7. If you are *still* mobile and en route at the 72 hour mark in a SHTF scenario, you should PRESUME some people are desperate and will act barbarically. at 72 hours, travel should be presumed to be treacherous. That is three days into BAD times.
8. For us, and not for everybody I know, two out of three of our available vehicles are 4X4. We have the option of going off paved roads to get out of blockages if we must, and towing any other vehicle that’s 2WD. AND since our last mile requires 4X4, one vehicle gets parked as close as possible, unloaded, drained and stripped in a full SHTF scenario
9. (IF) When the balloon goes up, you may not BE where you want to be. Have a GET HOME kit and a GET HOME plan at all times. Also have your family prepared to LEAVE without you. Sorry. My family NEEDS to get out of the Atlanta area FAR before 72 hours ... whether I am in town or not. I know where to go if I can.
10. *IF* you MUST stop along the way, what’s your plan to be safe RIGHT THERE?
11. On these threads, people seldom mention footwear. Do you have 100 mile footwear (shoes AND socks)? Imagine the worth of a decent pair of shoes in a barter situation — when someone else has bare, freezing, cut feet - they need socks and shoes
12. THINK THIS THROUGH, end to end.
so much more is waiting to be discussed. Hope and pray it never HAPPENS.
Some relatives did this many years ago. The front showroom was filled with junk and looked vacant. The problem with that is it appeared vacant which made it a prime target for vandals. The garage was in the center section but was only one vehicle wide so it was a hassle to get to another vehicle. The back was the residence which had it's own problems. They never knew what was happening on the roadside of the building and never knew when someone was approaching until they were at the door. Again, being away from the street, it was out of sight from passerbys if there was an emergency. The whole set up creeped me out and even as a kid with no thought of SHTF, I could see the problems. Nothing wrong with the concept, but they didn't think things through.
Sorry for your loss, thanks for sharing. I had a somewhat similar situation, except it was a chimney fire and my dad had just gotten home from having a stroke and still couldn’t walk yet. My mom and I had to ‘bug-out’ pretty quick, but thankfully she had all her meds in one place.
We didn’t have to deal with other motorists as in your example, but we only had about 5 minutes to get out of the house safely. The car tank was 3/4 full (like it always is), it had an emergency first aid kit, blanket, wind-up flashlight, and packaged juices and water. My mom was diabetic so she always had to have little snacks and juices in case her sugar suddenly dropped. In retrospect there is a lot more we could have been prepared for, as in your preps, with a 3-day supply easily reachable when even 5 minutes of prep is a luxury.
We lose power here so often that we have flashlights next to our sofas, beds, and in hallways—the pluggable, rechargeable lights that are light-sensing and turn on automatically.
Both are with Jesus now, so I have less to worry about in a natural disaster (usually snow, ice storms or hurricanes here) or a serious SHTF. I’m in my bug-out location, but if a wildfire or something took this out (I’m surrounded by woods, most of which is state forest), I need to formulate a back-up plan. I’m thinking a dual-sport motorcycle might be a good option for me. I already know 5 different ways to get out of this area w/o going on a major highway and ride them 8-9 months of the year on my regular motorcycle.
Kart-
Good tread and some really good advice/points to ponder. I had thoughts of buying several acres with a large shop building and then parking a motorhome or fifth-wheel in the shop as “home”. May need to rethink that after reading this as it appears that the real problem with a bugout location is the very strong possibilty that it will NOT be unmolested awaiting your arrival. This ain’t the ‘50’s!!
That's the same with most things. There's a learning curve. Those people who have a freezer stocked with heirloom seeds will starve to death unless they have a garden already going. Same for those who have a gun or other weapon stored in a closet who haven't used it in years or never used it. Just walking further than the end of the block will do many people in. Sure, they claim they're going to go all Mad Max but many couldn't change a flat tire much less be able to get out of Dodge in their low to the ground not so Smart cars. They'll be sitting on the side of gridlocked highways blubbering because their gps and i-phones won't tell them what to do.
Katrina and Sandy showed us that getting out of Dodge is all about timing and a good set of paper maps. Look to the warning signs and act while there's still time. Be prepared to move at a moment's notice. Have various routes marked out and drive them ahead of time. Never let the gas tank get below half and/or have extra fuel stored. Know where you're headed and have back up destinations.
Back during the Cuban Missile Crisis, my parents never let the tank get below half. Many people had backyard shelters though those might not have been anymore safe than our teachers having us do drills by crawling under our desks. We had two destinations, one an hour away and the second an hour beyond that. Both were/are relatively self sufficient and away from the city. BTW, we're living in the first one now and still have part of the other one but the parcel the house is on was sold and has illegals living in it, sigh. We've wanted to put one of those little pre-made cabins on it but just don't have the budget.
Katrina and Sandy also showed us that the zombies will stay in the city and won't venture far outside the metropolitan areas. Anyone outside an hour's drive (normal hour's drive) is probably safe for a two month upheavel. FYI, you Texas folk, stop by your local tourist center or chamber of commerce and pick up FREE maps of surrounding counties. They're brown with blue writing on the front. IIRC, they're published by a company in Llano but the owners are only there part time and won't return calls so you're on your own getting maps outside your area. They show the little nothing back roads, show locales such as churches and cemeteries, and mileage down to 10ths so are handy to have in your vehicle.
Anyone living in the suburbs would need to compromise and not go to far but not too close to home either.. Assume family blocks or ‘neighborhoods’ will be overrun, looted and torched. Can’t stay there. Avoid being on roads headed way out of town. Too risky. So, find a half-way point preferably in the hills (if you have hills) tucked away in a bushy area of culvert. Pitch a cammo tent with guns at the ready. Unfortunately for most of us, things probably won’t go as planned. Do your best and pray hard. Lots of crazy people in America. There IS safety in numbers. My neighbors seem clueless to ‘SHTF prepping’, so.. I’m SOL. LOL
Kart, it sounds a lot like that cable/reality show, "The Colony". They put ten random people in an abandoned warehouse to simulate a pandemic event.
Kind of a precursor to "The Walking Dead", without zombies and hot chicks. ;]
My husband was the kind who would let the fuel tank go to nothing and then fill up. He was always telling me when it said empty there was still gas there. When the tank would get to 1/2, I badgered him until he filled up. Since he was recovering from that surgery, I was the one filling the car, therefore the tank was full.
He always had cash in his pocket and I was the one who used my debit card, not thinking about cash. I am not that person anymore after that emergency “leave the house fast”. I keep at least $100 cash in my purse and there is a great deal more hidden in my house. My car tank never gets lower than 1/2.
I keep a battery lantern on the floor next to my chair now. I am a fast learner when things screw up. I fix whatever went wrong.
I am organized but I totally failed when I had to get sick husband out of the house fast. I have everything I need to stay in this house with power out, but I couldn't leave here fast. Why didn't I realize there could be a reason to leave fast? I have days to know a hurricane is coming and I don't have to leave for that, and my thinking stopped right there.
It is the unknown emergency that will get you. I fixed that problem and can leave fast now.
Here is a tidbit: I have a 5 lb. Yorkie. If I leave, she leaves. I just ordered a “purse” to put her in so I can get her in a hotel with no one knowing. It has vents on each side for her to get air, but it looks like a woman's red purse from the front and back and zips closed just like a purse. The purse should be delivered in a few days.
Consider your pets - what happens to them in an emergency?
No, I won't assume that. It will cost a lot of blood to take this neighborhood.
If it does get taken, I'll be dead here on the ground I was born on.
I know every tree, every rock, every dog, every yard. I've been running this neighborhood since I was a kid. I can/have navigate it at night without a flashlight. I own a great advantage on this ground.
I welcome the night. It is my environment.
/johnny
Dude, that’s tremendous. Especially in rural KY; used to be in Louisville/Lexington.
The catz are on their own. They come fully equipped with teeth, claws and fur.
/johnny
My Yorkie couldn't make it on her own if I had to leave, but I wouldn't leave her anyway. I'll be like in Victorian times when fancy ladies always carried their dogs with them.
Here for you is a MASSIVELY good AAR about Katrina, with an update about Sandy.
Way down the page, it discusses the refugees and the problems they brought with them.
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