Posted on 06/12/2009 3:21:05 PM PDT by appleseed
I think as a boy my favorite stories were always about epic journeys or quests. I always saw myself as the lone hero; bravely making his way through a barren landscape overcoming impossible obstacles and having fantastic adventures along the way. As preppers I think many of us still believe that WTSHTF our trip to “Get out of Dodge” will be an adventure such as those we read in books. I’m afraid however; the reality will be much grimmer than we can imagine. I fear that it will be more like The Road by Cormac McCarthy or the recent novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen , than anything else.
I live in the Chicago metropolitan area, yes far behind enemy lines so to speak, and have been a prepper for most of the last 10 years. Like many of us I must live in a big city because of my job. I need money to survive. Living here is no big deal if you learn to ignore the local politics. My kids are grown and I have no long-term attachments here. If the world falls to pieces I always felt I could leave in an instant. I have the requisite pick-up truck, keep it full of fuel, pre-positioned much of my supplies with my son at a relatively safe location in a small town (population 5,000) about 600 miles from here. I’ve got my G.O.O.D. bag packed and I’m ready to go when ever things go south. Or am I ready?
Let’s review my bug-out plan. Wait a second, I have no plan! This blinding flash of the obvious hit me as I was stuck in rush-hour traffic last Friday evening on my way to my son’s. It took me nearly three hours to get from my apartment on the far north side of the city to I-80 on the far south side. This was the route I assumed I would take to skedaddle. Think about that; I was on Interstate highways the whole time, leaving at 8:00 PM, and it still took me nearly three hours to go less than 80 miles. What’s really scary is that I was thinking all along how light the traffic was. I had no alternative routes in mind. Yikes!
Well, I’ve got to tell you this dear readers, that realization scared the bejeebus out of me. I was so unready to bug out. I had the stuff, the means, the mindset, etc., however, in a meltdown near-panic situation, I would’ve have been just one more member in a stream of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the big city. This experience got me off my duff and forced to review what I will do when the next shoe drops in our ongoing economic nightmare.
I drew up a list of what was necessary to implement an action plan to “Escape from Chicago 2009”
1. Have a bug-out kit ready at all times a. No problem I have a bug-out bag packed and ready to go. No last minute packing required. However; I hadn’t checked it in quite some time and when I did I found plenty of things to replace and replenish. Batteries lost their charge. Foods had expired. So did many of the common medications I packed. BTW, I also now have a 72 hour bag with me whenever I leave the house. You can never be sure when the worst thing you can imagine will happen.
2. Bring as much as you can with you. a. Unlike many of you, I am not a man of any particular religious belief system. However, like most of you, I feel what makes us truly human beings is our compassion. I have to say that I don’t think while bugging out, I could look a frightened hungry child in the eyes and say no - nothing for you. Bring more than you need. If you don’t need to share then all the better; there’s more for you when you reach your destination.
3. No stopping to buy last minute items. a. If it’s so bad you need to be bugging-out do you really think others don’t know that and are at that very minute stripping the local Wal-Mart clean? During the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the grocery stores were near impossible to get to and if you could, it didn't matter; they were closed, or had been looted, and were empty. Also, shop owners, for example, may attempt to defend their stores with firearms (a la the Los Angeles Riots) and you don’t want to be caught in the crossfire. I know, I know, Chicago has very strict gun laws so there won’t be any shooting except by a few gun-toting NRA/survivalist types .
Finally, one interesting image comes to mind when I think of someone “liberating” goods from a Wal-Mart. During the Katrina emergency I recall seeing a video of a very obese woman wading through chest deep flood water, polluted with who knows what, holding a Dyson vacuum cleaner she had “liberated” over her head. No electricity, no home, no floor for that matter, but she had an expensive vacuum cleaner she had probably always wanted. Also, an interesting side note is the lack of bookstores looted.
Read the rest of this letter at http://survivalblog.com/
Not everybody that lives in a large city is bad. Heck, I live in one of the worst ones in the nation and I didn’t turn out so bad.
What state were you in for the ‘03 blackout?
Last I remember it was eastern seaboard without power, not just 5 states.
Jeez, I saw not 30 days ago or so that you were thinking of an idea for your next book.
Looks pretty good, I enjoy stuff that Oprah doesn’t read.
*** During the Los Angeles riots in 1992 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the grocery stores were near impossible to get to and if you could, it didn’t matter; they were closed, or had been looted, and were empty.***
Riots and Katrina? HA! You should have seen Los Angeles during the Cuban Missle crisis in 1962! Total Panic!
Of course. I tend to over-generalize sometimes most of the time. Sorry...
It’s fine
Ohio and inside a nuclear facility under demo. LOL...
I figure if it hits the fan and I’m at work, I’m looking at a 90 mile hike home. I use to work in the city and know the places to avoid even when things aren’t so bad. My BOB I keep in my truck is good for about 3 days. 90 miles in 3 days is about right for a tactical get out and go observing all the right precautions.
Good website for prepping http://thesurvivalmom.com/
I’d suggest running
I wouldn’t wait for Oprah to review my books! FEAT came out in print in May, my next will take a year or two.
A friend who works in DC bought a bicycle after 9/11 that he leaves at work, so he never has to walk the 16 miles home again.
Then you take your paper map to get laminated (Kinko’s, local office shop, etc.), and you’ve got yourself a durable, waterproof map with a greatly extended life span. And you can write alternate routes on it with a grease pencil, if needed.
The New Madrid Fault — interesting genesis for your story. I have often wondered about that, as that seismic zone is probably overdue for its next major events — and I have friends who live down there...
I picked the New Madrid fault because of its central location, but it was really just a catalyst for the events in the book. It was a handy and plausible “black swan” event that gives the tottering USA that push over the brink.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.