What if it was a true emergency something long term?
You would get to see what true 'zombies' are like.
I haven't posted it in a while, but here is one of my favorite SHTF Quotes:
"Let me tell you something about humans, nephew: They're a wonderful, friendly people - as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working."
"But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty and as violent as the most blood-thirsty klingon." Quark from: Deep Space Nine-The Siege of AR-558
Preppers’ PING!!
1. Make a plan to deal with an emergency, but understand full well that there's a very good chance that your plan is going to be inoperative for reasons completely outside your control. Hurricane Sandy was a good case in point. A lot of people in the NYC area thought they were well-prepared for Hurricane Sandy in 2012 because of measures they took after Hurricane Irene in 2011. One common measure people took was to go out and buy a generator in the event power went out. But that strategy went out the window once the generators ran out of fuel -- because the power was out for more than a week, not just a day or two.
2. Every emergency plan should include a "Plan B" that involves an evacuation for several days or a couple of weeks. And by "evacuation" I don't mean moving to a designated shelter or something like that. I mean packing everything into your vehicles and driving several hundred miles where you can spend a week or two in a campground in an area not affected by the disaster at hand. This was actually my "Plan A" for two recent situations in the NYC area, but I never had to carry them out because I never lost power or faced anything more inconvenient than deep snowdrifts.
3. If you really want to be prepared, consider laying the groundwork for the "Plan B" I described in Item #2 by storing a full outfit of camping gear, food and supplies in a self-storage location at least 100 miles from home. This will enable you to use those supplies even if your own home is destroyed, and you can then go your merry way to wait out whatever calamity you're facing.
Having gone through this a few times on a small scale, I've become more convinced that hunkering down at home is not the best way to deal with a disaster -- and has a lot of its own risks. This is because the immobility of the people and supplies can become an impediment to you and might seriously limit some flexibility that could be essential to your safety.
In 2010, Pittsburgh had a massive snowstorm. It was impressive, however this is a place where it snows for goodness’ sake!!! You would’ve thought the world ended. Streets weren’t plowed....some remaining unplowed for 5 days after the storm. There were power outages everywhere. One coworker of mine did not have her power restored for almost 3 weeks. I had an AWD vehicle at the time but it was a BMW 3 series. Hardly any ground clearance. However, I made it to work every stinkin day. Yet, the grocery store shelves were literally empty for weeks. No eggs. No milk. Nothing. The employees of the large store in the city said “the trucks can’t get in”. I thought they were joking. Then I realized I never, ever want to be dependent on that crap again. I started prepping after that. It was so ridiculous. There was snow, but not that much!!! Sheesh.
The greatest threat in a SHTF situation will come from single, young males traveling in packs. Men with wives and children to provide for will be at a great disadvantage. Something to think about.
One more planning factor is that these days state governments in the northeast impose travel bans at the drop of a hat. So I think one needs both a stay-in-place plan and an alternative plan that involves relocating.
It’s true about the 3-5 day window. People will be hungry/thirsty, but not yet too weak to be non-threats.
Goig upslope on the old volcano we live on is about it, hence owning a 4X4.
Buying a boat has occurred to us, but when the gas runs out.......
It is unbelievable to me that people don’t have supplies for a week in their homes. Even before I was prepping, I didn’t want to have to run to the store all the time.
LOTS of good commentary today! This one struck a chord!