Bug out/Prepper Questions

[Cal44]

I live in the Sacramento area, and the biggest problem I see is a major quake.

It turns out the Sacramento valley is very unlikely to have a major quake, so a SF Bay area quake is a more likely problem.

If there is a major (8.5+) earthquake in the Bay Area we could have large numbers of desperate refugees showing up here after a few days.

The plus side is I doubt the infrastructure in Sacramento would be badly damaged by even the largest Bay Area quake. So services, police, and government would still be functioning here even if they broke down there.

My son is an power transmission engineer at PG&E (NorCals utility) and I asked him whether power could be restored here in Central Cal even if the Coastal generators and transmission network was put out of service for several weeks or months by destroyed power plants, and many downed HV towers.

He said yes, we are independent enough they could get us back up fairly quickly -- probably a few days. Same for gas service.

So, I think refugees would be the big problem here, and perhaps motor fuel as most of the refineries are on the coast.

In any case, we have no cabin or other place to go, so we are bugging in.

My plan over the next year or two is to stock up on food and water and to get some kind of solar and gas generator backup for my Ham radio equipment so I could keep tabs on what is happening.

I'm also thinking of taking some sort of emergency medicine course so I could handle low level problems if no hospitals are available (or they are overwhelmed). In that case, I'd stock up on medical supplies as well.

As for self defense, I'd try to find a way to help the refugees rather than shoot them.

Dave

 

[FLSTFI]

It depends on what the emergency is. I live in Eastern Pa. If the emergency is a snow storm or hurricane that disables the local area I can stay put for a month or more with my generator hooked up to my home propane tank. I have enough water and food for a couple of months. That should be more than enough time for the infrastructure to be repaired. Plenty of long guns and ammo to keep the unwanteds out.

If it is a true SHTF situation my plan is to head to WV with my wife's best friend and her husband's family. They are in the oil and gas business and have a NG well in their backyard that they have hooked up directly to the house for both heating needs and electric generation. Water is from an onsite well and they are on 300 acres with plenty of meat and garden vegetables. We could stay there for years. The biggest question would be what DVDs to watch at night.

I can make it there on under a tank of gas. I have a slightly modified wrangler so I can navigate a lot of obstacles that may be in the road ways or go somewhat off-road if needed. The biggest issue would be someone trying to stop my family from getting to WV. Of course I have also prepared my mindset that if people are trying that hard to stop me it is time to shoot first and ask questions later. Just stay out of my way and there won't be any trouble. As long as we make it there I think I am in good shape for quite a while.

If that plan and those accommodations are not enough to survive on then things have really gone bad and we are being occupied by some very unfriendly unwanted guests en mass. Sooner or later we all have to meet our maker, but I would hope to take some of the bass-tards with me.


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[Lycan]

This is second hand but a friend of mine who grew up in civil war has a completely different experience. Communities do band together for preservation. Everyone knows something and the group becomes one unit. Maybe not a 100% functioning unit but it was better than going it alone. Someone cooks, someone cleans, someone trades for suplies, someone guards. The lines were divided between religions and nationalities but not community. Preservation and safety of their kids was easier when multiple people were doing one task than if it's only 2 people for everything. Hard to watch your kids if you have to remove the daily excrement, patch things up, prepare food, watch the perimeter, find things to trade for..... Guns and ammo were always in demand but what was more important was running water and toilet paper along with disposal. Waste builds up fast and if not taken care of kills fast too. There is only so many holes you can dig around your property. Sticking together also goes beyond basic human nature. ..it goes to basic nature. Look at all other animals. They stick together because it makes them less of a target to predators and ensures the survival of the group.

That's all good until your neighbor's Grandma stabs you for the last pack of cigarettes.

 

[Arik]

That's all good until your neighbor's Grandma stabs you for the last pack of cigarettes.

He lived through it for 8 and a half years with 150k dead and 4 million + displaced. Even had functioning schools during bombings. .. but yeah that grandma, she's a Killah

A good pic of the festivities

 

[BobC357]

We have an alternate off-grid self-sustaining location to head to and what we need there is already there. We just need to get there and all will be OK.

 

[s&wbest]

I am hoping people pull together. Some trash always look for a way to prey on anyone and anything when confusion makes crimes of opertunity. The question I keep asking myself is would I be better with 50lbs of food and water or 50lbs of ammunition. Is hunting even a reality in a fast moving evacuation. I am leaning towards a fire arm that protects more than can harvest a squirrel or a rabbit. Can a 22 stop an attack by a dog or worse a human even though it packs well. If I were in a remote area with low population density I say go for the hunting. If trying to fly under local observation why give away your presence with a gunshot trying to nail a squirrel for dinner. Too bad a cross bow is so obvious when carried.

 

[Cal44]

. If trying to fly under local observation why give away your presence with a gunshot trying to nail a squirrel for dinner. Too bad a cross bow is so obvious when carried.

A pellet gun might be a good option as it doesn't make as much noise as a 22lr, can kill rabbit, squirrel, up through turkey sized game, and you can carry a lot of ammo for not much weight.

That said, I think a live-off-the-land scenario is very unlikely. Preparing for it is sort of like wearing a beanie with a lightning rod on top and a ground strap on your shoe so you can suvive being struck by lightning

 

[JohnSW]

My prepper plan is to "turn on, tune in, drop out."

 

[schgsd]

I would urge anyone that feels that life as we know it might just have a finite time span to look long and hard at their current living situation. If you feel you need to bug out in order to survive I would start making plans to shake up your living situation and get out as soon as possible. Identify an area of low population density that you feel you can move to and get yourself there as fast as possible. My wife and I found such a place and have been here 8 years. I am by no means fully done but if the s hits the f tomorrow I will welcome it. Most neighbors, if you can call them that are good and this area will pull together for all to survive. We all already do it to some degree as it is. It will be second nature to most. And for those that aren't team players, well they won't be neighbors for long.

 

[s&wbest]

I found this story from a non verified source. It was a good read.
One Year In Hell? | Personal Liberty

 

[jimmyj]

Unless one lives in a RV, its better to "Dig In".

 

[Comrad]

I'm 10 miles from 1 World Trade in NYC and if someone like N. Korea drops the big one on the city, we won't be taken out in the initial blast but we will need to hot foot it out of here in a direction that will be determined by which way the wind is blowing. I will have to say I'm on my way to the range since we line in NJ, LOL and a couple hand guns and a couple boxes of ammo is coming with us. If that's not enough, nothing will be enough. With luck and cooperating wind we end up at my sons place 80 miles north, a 2 or 3 day trek as I see it.

 

[Maddog 521]

I'm staying in my cul-de-sac. If it is necessary I'll be reloading while the rest of the family is shooting.

 

[Will Carry]

You will need to form a well regulated militia. Restore order and go from there.

 

[DR505]

I live down wind from Chicago. If a terrorist dirty bomb larger American cities bugout may be a reality.

A "dirty bomb" is not a big deal...you are more at risk from the explosive charge than from any radioactive material used. By its very nature, a radiologic dispersal device dilutes the effects of radiation by spreading the radioactive material around. Concentrated radiation is what kills you. If a terrorist lights off an improvised nuclear device...that is when the trouble begins. But for a dirty bomb? You'll likely shelter in place.

 

[JohnSW]

Where are you going?

I'm going to Austin, Minnesota, where SPAM is manufactured.