SELF-RELIANCE FRIDAY EDITION FOR OCTOBER 2nd, 2020

 

 

PLANNING:  PART I          SURVIVING THE EVENT

            Whether it is natural or man-made, you have to survive the initial event or it is game over. In many cases, however, survival comes down to sheer luck or God’s grace, whichever you believe in. A tornado may make a direct hit on you, an earthquake could drop the building on you, or an airliner could come down on you. In short, you might just be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

            There are ways to put the odds in your favor. An easy way is to know where to run to in the building you work in where it would be safer in during an earthquake or tornado, or at the least the closest thing to duck under (desk, etc.). Standing by a large window won’t cut it, but may cut you. Knowing escape routes in case of fire, or other emergencies will also help.

            On the harder side is moving to safer areas of the country. With jobs and the economy, this is a luxury few can afford, but it should be considered if possible. No area is immune, but some areas, such as the one I live in, have a less than 10% chance of tornado and earthquake, and zero chance of flooding. There are still other risks, but they are generally less than most areas. Unfortunately, this area has a very bad economy.

            While living and working in a major city area can offer more and better paying jobs, the costs are usually more, and they stand higher risks of being targets for terrorists, and for urban unrest, riot, looting and disruption, especially if anything disrupts the normal grid for any period of time.

            The choice is yours.

 

PLANNING – PART II   THE 3 OPTIONS     

            You have now survived whatever the event was. If you have not been scooped up by the authorities, such as police or National Guard, and still have freedom of action you have three basic options from here.

1.)   GET BACK   Also called Boogie Back, Bounce Back or Return to Home (RTH) this means to get back home from where you are at, be it work, school, shopping , or in the worst case, on vacation. This is where having a pre-packed bag of some sort will be a life saver.

 

2.)   GET OUT    Also called Get Out of Dodge (GOOD) or a “bug out”, this is where you can’t safely stay where you are. This may have been part of your plan, or have been forced upon you by the situation. You may have to try and get from work to your home to shelter there as planned, or once there, get your gear and head to your safe haven. You may have your GO kits together or may have to go with what you have.

 

 

3.)   STAY PUT   Also called “hunkering down” or “Sheltering in Place” (SIP), this might mean your home, a safe haven you have gotten to, or the job site, shopping center or school where you are at. In the last case, hopefully you have some kind of basic items with you.

 

We will examine the different aspects of each of these options, and as always, are open to new ideas and suggestions.

 

PLANNING - PART III   GET BACK     

            You are at work and survive when an event hits, but you need to get to your safe haven, whether it is your home, or another location.

            First, you should have planned a route to get you out of the business area of town and into the countryside as fast as possible, especially avoiding any known bad areas. This may NOT be the route you take to work as highways may be destroyed or blocked. Plan a number of alternate routes.

            Second, get out of the area as FAST as you can. Within an hour the “bad folk” are going to come slithering out to loot and rob.

            Third, have some basic gear you can grab and go with.  A backpack would be nice, but many jobs either forbid such items for security reasons or have little place to securely stow them. You can keep one in the car trunk, but you can’t count on getting to the car. The alternative is a “lunch bag” kit. Get a good sized, but harmless looking bag with extra pockets on it to carry a “last ditch” kit which would hold various sized, heavy duty Ziploc bags with water purification tablets (water) energy bars(food) a mini flashlight, a disposable lighter,  a small pocket knife, , a mini first aid kit, a  small cloth carrying bag, a poncho and a Mylar foil blanket(shelter). You can keep packs of tissues and mints in your desk drawer, and have a Para cord bracelet, a P-38 mini can opener and pepper spray ( where legal) on your key ring. Fill you Ziploc bags with water before leaving and put them in your cloth bag to carry. (An example of such a bag is one I got at Home Depot for $1.)

NOW HIT THE ROAD, JACK AND DON’T LOOK BACK

 

 

PLANNING – PART IV   GETTING OUT WALKING    

 

            No matter how good of a safe haven your home is, your prepping should include a plan to quickly “bug out” (Get out of Dodge/ GOOD). This is because a number of after effects of an EVENT could negatively affect you. AN EMP or other power outage could cause the transformer down the street to blow and set fire to a neighbor’s house.

            In the worst case you won’t have your vehicle due to any number of reasons.  This means a pack on your back and whatever else that you can grab and go with in the shortest time possible. Pre-packing will be of great help here. For some, a bicycle may be of use, but remember roads may be blocked or dangerous. The faster you can get away the better.

            If you are going from work and can’t get to your car, fall back on your “last ditch lunch bag kit”. If you can get to the car, but it can’t be used, have in it your “Bug out Bag/BOB” and a “fishing vest” with more “last ditch” survival gear. You can have a basic 72 hr. homemade or commercial BOB, or a bigger backpack with sleeping bag and tent. (What’s in a BOB will be covered later.)

            If you are leaving from home and have a significant other who is up with your plan, you add to your support depending on what they can carry. My wife, Mama Donna, can tote a standard 72 hr. survival backpack and a mini shoulder GO bag with water bottles.

            Know where you are going to and have alternate routes, overland if possible, and know beforehand sources of water, as you can’t carry a lot of it.  Have “strip” maps of your routes if nothing else. Have a safe meeting point along the way in case you have to start out from separate locations.

            Weapons are a tricky aspect that depends on your local area and situation and your own personal beliefs. You may go with pepper spray. An alternative is a folding stock rifle in a case inside or strapped to a backpack and a pistol, along with a good sheath knife. You may have to keep the weapons hidden until you are out of an urban area and into the countryside. Remember, you don’t have to be carrying “heavy artillery”. In the words of Pat Frank, a writer from the cold war days,” A .22 will kill you just as dead as a 20 megaton”