Preppers’ PING!!
Where is the story??
Defensible Neighborhood are best. Solitary outposts are bad and can be attacked and easily overcome.
Also, I don’t want to bug out. I want to bug in.
We bought away from the city (30+ miles from any major city), yet close enough to drive for good paying jobs.
10 miles from smaller towns that can service our needs; grocery, medical, shopping, etc.
Well/Septic or small system water/sewer. We have water/sewer but a system that can be maintained by the community, with the ability to all well/septic if need be.
Roadways: Lots of roads to get in/out but none are on main byways or direct routes in.
Runway: Check. 6,000 footer.
Excellent bug out potential: Up close to the mountains where we could escape to if need be.
Wildlife: Check. Bears, deer, elk, bunnies, fish, etc.
Water: Wells, ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, etc.
Wooded for firewood.
High ground for spotting, defense, chokepoints, etc.
We’re not perfect and no one really is, but we have an excellent place to call home.
OK, I read all that. I think safe houses are individual in the amount of safety they provide and that isn’t always determined by being in the country. I think separate houses no farther than one gas tank away from a town is the least desirable place to be.
I feel I am safer in my townhouse in town that is hidden from public view than if I was in the country in a house accessible on four sides. No one can breach the front of my house with one door and one window showing because I hardened both. The back small garden is inaccessible from the sides and almost inaccessible from the back. I do have a motion sensor in the back to alert me of movement, just in case. Why would a bad guy want in a small townhouse that most likely has nothing of value when large houses accessible from four sides are so available in the same area? I feel safer here than in a separate house anywhere.
If power is out for a while, long enough for other people who have a flashlight or candles going, to run out, so a lone light would bring attention. I have heavy duty black out paper accordion curtains with tension rods that can be put up in the front window and back sliding glass doors downstairs and windows upstairs within 10-15 minutes. They are ready to be put up right now if need be. The boxes they are in are very small so storage is not a problem. I found these rather cheap black out curtains with tension rods included, on Amazon and they come in different dimensions to fit any window or glass door. They are easily raised in the day time due to the accordion feature with clips to keep them up, then take off the clips and down go the curtains for nighttime.
If one lives in a house accessible on four sides, every window has to be hardened so it can’t be opened and an alert would sound if the window is touched or broken. I do have a vibration sensor alarm on the downstairs front window and the back sliding glass doors that alarms if the window or sliding door is touched enough to cause a vibration.
↑ GREAT BOOK! - I recommend reading it - get it while you can for free from my link above.
After you've read the part about how all those nice, civilized urban Austrians rampaged through the countryside en-masse pillaging farms and wreaking havoc, read this:
http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/11/letter_re_a_veteran_policemans.html
This is coming to America - perhaps sooner than we think.
This pResident just spent more money than all Presidents who preceded him combined in an effort to prod the economy, and we are still down some 3-4 million jobs from when he won his first election. The IRS takes in $2.5Trillion and this year we spend $3.5 - this is going to look like Cyprus sooner than we think!
Interesting article but the writer overlooks the technology factor that means that no place is unfindable. You can have a very low profile in all the matters he considers but technology already knows where you are and you are unlikely to remain isolated. Planning must proceed from that perspective.
It would not be visible from a distance or from the road. It should be in a forested area, both for concealment and fuel.
It should have a natural source of water. A river might be better than a lake, but there are advantages to both. Still, I think I would prefer a river. It would be best if the structure was not visible from the river, though. People travel on the river.
Shhhhhhhhh!
I’m fortunate enough to live in a good bugout location.
Without outdoor survival skills, and with limited supplies, IMHO the best thing to do is wait out the storm. Keep at least a modest supply of food, water, and arms. Lay low, stay quiet.
In most disaster situations, things reach a semblance of normalcy after a few days. To me, it's not worth the risk of leaving known shelter/supplies for the unknown of what lies on the road out of town. If you take anything with you, more likely than not you will encounter folks who will not hesitate to kill you to take what you have.
Just MHO.