Are you ready?? (evac test)

DirtDiver

DirtDiver

Joined
Sep 7, 2003
Messages
415
After reading through some older threads on bug out bags, survival kits, and misc gear, I asked myself------ if SHTF would I be ready?

And since I am asking the question I'll give the first answer.

No.

So let me set up the situation for everyone. Some of you live in cities, others in the suburbs, and some in the sticks (the lucky ones). The point is, you and your family need to get out of dodge and fast. This could either be in response to a natural disaster or man-made. And lets say you would need to be off the grid for at least 2 weeks. Also, lets assume that there is nothing within driving distance that had a operating infrastructure.

So here's some questions that popped into my head.

-Do I need gas in my car?
-Do I have a predetermined meeting site to get my family (cell phones would more than likely not be working)(example:Houston evacuation a few years ago)?
-Is my gear ready to go? Do I even know where it is at?

-Do I have enough ammo? Not only for hunting, but if others are starving and you only have enough food for your family, people will go to extremes to take your stuff plain and simple.

-Batteries?

-Radio?

-Maps?

-food and water?

-Clothes?

More than likely you would want to be on the road fast to beat the other 99%

How do you score? I got about a 50%
 
Sadly, I have everything but the gas. Nowadays at $90 a fill up, it gets filled up then emptied. Can't seem to keep that baby on full anymore. Especially having to driving teenagers, I might as well have a strainer as a gas tank. In fact, it is a hell of a lot cheaper to keep it near empty - that way the kiddies don't get to thinking they can just drive up to their girlfriends who just happens to live an hour a ways.

Spare tank in the garge with stabilizers and a sign that says something like "horse manure" might be a good idea.
 
Very good thread; this takes a moment to think about which is contradictary to the senario; but I try to keep my "BOB" with me at all times and my camping gear is in my van but some things like ammo are locked away in my safe and if you are at work or away from home may take time to get to. I"m a butcher so if I'm at work which is a grocery store food at first would be no problem. For me it would depend on where I'm at but who knows where or when the CRAP will hit the fan. I'd say 50% maybe a hair more but then again I never have a full tank of gas. 1985 Chevy Van; 350 V8 with a 4 barrel carb:) Fuel Hog:) But then again you can live in it:)
 
Nope. I am not ready for something of that caliber. But with the thousands of variables and possible "SH%T Hits the fan'' scenarios - I don't think its realistic for anybody to be 100% prepared. However I do think the majority of people on this particular board are more prepared that your average person for something catastrophic.

But I just feel its so unrealistic to prepare yourself like that, because 'survival' is SO situational. I mean I could have an underground bunker stocked with 50 years worth of food but if an earthquake tears apart the ground your house was built on... your still just as SOL as Paris Hilton without her daddy's credit card.

Flexibility and adaptability are the 2 biggest you need IMO. Necessity is the mother of invention you know? You can't really be prepared for EVERYTHING.

Other than basic survival training, reading, and having a lot of supplies and common sense - what can you really do? You don't know whether the scenario is going to be an airborne plague that there is NO cure for. A massive unpredicted tsunami headed your way. Zombie virus outbreak(everyones favorite), or just a big asteroid bringing Judgment Day for us all, regardless of how many space blankets we have in our survival kits.

SHTF scenarios just bug me... they are fun to think about - but you can waste a lot of time and money trying to prepare for something that isn't likely to happen - and if it does and scientists/government cant help us - chances are its too late anyway.
 
midnite-penguin said:
Nope. I am not ready for something of that caliber. But with the thousands of variables and possible "SH%T Hits the fan'' scenarios - I don't think its realistic for anybody to be 100% prepared. However I do think the majority of people on this particular board are more prepared that your average person for something catastrophic.

But I just feel its so unrealistic to prepare yourself like that, because 'survival' is SO situational. I mean I could have an underground bunker stocked with 50 years worth of food but if an earthquake tears apart the ground your house was built on... your still just as SOL as Paris Hilton without her daddy's credit card.

Flexibility and adaptability are the 2 biggest you need IMO. Necessity is the mother of invention you know? You can't really be prepared for EVERYTHING.

Other than basic survival training, reading, and having a lot of supplies and common sense - what can you really do? You don't know whether the scenario is going to be an airborne plague that there is NO cure for. A massive unpredicted tsunami headed your way. Zombie virus outbreak(everyones favorite), or just a big asteroid bringing Judgment Day for us all, regardless of how many space blankets we have in our survival kits.

SHTF scenarios just bug me... they are fun to think about - but you can waste a lot of time and money trying to prepare for something that isn't likely to happen - and if it does and scientists/government cant help us - chances are its too late anyway.
Click to expand...

Good points :thumbup:

Much of what you said is true. Your skills and innovation will most likely be your best bet. I also believe there are certain items (the basics) that having on hand will increase your chances of survival.
 
Yeah, no doubt about that DD. Especially when it comes to more likely survival scenarios - ones that would definitely quality as 'SH*T HITS THE FAN' except maybe only to you and whoever you are on the trail with, or driving in bad weather, or on a rickety boat at fishing, etc.

And I mean at the end of the day, if its a 'SHTF' scenario to you, its just as bad as if the whole world were coming to an end; because for you - it could be the end!

Just food for thought though, Lord knows I'm not above spending extra cash on shit I'll probably never need like a gas mask or Bio-suit =).
 
I have a travel trailer. Two propane tanks and 5 batteries. If an ice storm knocks out the power for a week, I have a place to go.
 
dipbait said:
I have a travel trailer. Two propane tanks and 5 batteries. If an ice storm knocks out the power for a week, I have a place to go.
Click to expand...

Bug-Out-Trailer..........I like the sound of that! I got to get me one of those.
 
You'll never be as prepared as you should be...but it certainly pays to plan. Most of the necessities you've mentioned are fairly inexpensive in the scheme of things and have a decent shelf life. A couple hundred bucks will go a long way in getting prepared.
 
Living in an area with city after city strung out down a freeway and major cities nearby with nearly a million inhabitants, will make it rough getting evac'd to anywhere. The EMS certainly have plans to do so, but it's a funnel that a small percentage of people will escape. Most being those that live furthest from the event.

Our backs are on the Pacific ocean and hwy 1 lies before us. Rush hour traffic is horrible, so an evac will make it a parking lot with lots of violence as people start to panic. The only means capable of moving people out of our city is by boat and aircraft and they are very limited. Not safe, because there will be 20,000+ people trying to get on the available vessels/planes and it'll turn into a nightmare before it's over. Having advanced warning of the impending doom (You're a terrorist) :D, or advanced knowledge of evac proceedures and knowledge of where the event took place, is about the only way to get out of the area safely. Hopefully in our situation, my wifes BIL, who is part of EMS system across the bay from us, would be able to let us know where the event took place and the best travel route out of the area, all before the masses are notified and start their evac. If you live in a city and are not friends with any EMS people, become a volunteer and get involved. Befriend those that can help you and your family to get a jump on the situation.

The best way is to have all of your provisions and gear stored in your BOV, but if that isn't an option, have your gear and provisions near your exit leading to your vehicle, load and go. Vehicle should be full of gas, with extra on board and rotate it into the tank with every fillup. That way your fuel is always fresh. Carry extra oil and filter, belts, hoses, plugs, wiper blades, windshield cleaner and fully chaged battery with cables. Have enough water on board to cover your family for at least 2 weeks of drinking and cooking. Enough food to cover that or longer. First aid with prescription and OTC medications that can last until you know that you can replentish them. Which could be a few months. Figure on weapons and ammo needing to be well hidden, just in case there are checkpoints that will be looking over your cargo. Maps of both the roadways and topo of areas you'll be traveling through and to. Seems like a lot of things to do and a lot of stuff to have with you, but keep in mind that in a major event, such as a nuclear blast, you will need to be self sufficient for an unknown period of time.
 
100% here. I have four motorcycles with full gas tanks in the garage at all times. Gas tank in the car stays full too. My BOB's are in the closet right next to the door along with my bugout rifle, an extra .45 and plenty of ammo for both. All of the bike keys stay in the bikes so I don't have to find them. I can just go to the garage and get on one and go. The meeting place for the wife and I is already picked out. Unless she has to move somewhere else, she just has to stay put and wait for me. If she does have to move, we have places designated to meet. She calls it paranoid. I call it ready to rock and roll.
 
We got 3 or 4 vehicles , but only 2 drivers ,

we all have emergency bags , with clothes , food , some gear , essentials ... they are all ready to go .

we have destinations to go to , from reasonable local thru to on the other coast and a few places in between

but there are some inescapable variables to deal with . will we survive whatever it is causing the need to evac or are we some of the ones who get taken out / injured / incapacitated ?

how much warning do we get ? with dam bust , it might not be much , if its a bushfire started on the coast and heading inland we may have hours or days warning , that has impact on what we take , just the bags or we start loading other gear into the bus ...

usually we got minimum 1/2 tank of fuel in the vehicles giving us 200 kms before we got to find more / stop

we plan on back routes but only have plans a , b , and c, , plan d is foot travel , better a thrid class walk that having a first class ride stuck in a traffic jam while whatever it is coming overwhelms us ...., my opinion anyway

we are not continually stressing about it , but we have on some holidays just grabbed what we could in 1/2 hour and left with that for the next 2 - 4 weeks , first time was steep learning curve , second time was heaps better done , last time was almost like we were used to it , the kids grabbing their important gear , go bag pillow and blanketfirst time it was go bag ( reluctantly ) and toys they felt was precious ... but got trashed 1/2 way into the trip ...

I hope we dont got to do it for real tho .
 
I'm looking good for everything with the exception of the pre-determined meeting place. I'm fine as long as the scenario doesn't mean we have to go more than 15 or so miles from home. If something required my family to evac while I was at work and the phone lines/cellular were down and the situation demanded that they get say, 50 miles from home, I don't have a meeting place set-up. Looks like I have one more thing to look into (I already have quite a few places we could meet, family just doesn't know to go there YET).
 
The basic premise is that one would be evacuating. The reality might make it far better to shelter in place with the tools and comforts of a prepared home. Any situation that would be cause for evacuation might be dealt with much more easily at home if you have done some prep.
 
DirtDiver said:
Bug-Out-Trailer..........I like the sound of that! I got to get me one of those.
Click to expand...

I have an old airstream that was given to me. Gutted the whole thing and got rid of anything that couldnt be sustained. Ripped out the old giant furnace and put in a barrel stove I made. Framed in a coleman stove that runs off propane of course the barrel stove can be cooked on too it theres no propane. Fun project.
 
I would score 100%! (To be honest, I am working on an article on the subject. Normally I must admit I would only be 50% ready.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top