Posted: 7/21/2008 6:18:40 AM EDT
| What if you can't leave. What if your town has been locked down or there is some pandemic that has occurred ala bird flu. |
this scenario is exactly why you should map out various traveling routes, based upon specific possibilities. a good topo map laminated and placed in your BOB is essential. |
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heh..sadly it wouldnt take a pandemic to landlock me. Im on a peninsula, ive got 3 bridges and one main road leading out. Getting out by boat is an option. but im sure SOMEONE or SOME Group from the gubmint will have waterways blocked. A speeding boat is slow by water standards and will stick out like a sore thumb. IMO, take a lesson from WWII and the Warshaw district, learn how they lived and survived, we may have more technology, but Im thinking it wont help as much as ppl think. It still comes down to your wits. |
+1 We have been walking, hiking, and biking several alternate routes for months now. We have made good progress in figuring out what we need to use and what to have to get out of town. Water ways can be good but you run the risk of exposing yourself in the case of a fire fight, especially when kids are involved. Don't forget RR tracks for fast movement. Highrail wheels can be adapted to carts, wagons and other wheeled vehicles. The tracks themselves have high banks and make for great cover. Plus, the RR goes almost everywhere. |
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In most cases of an emerging Pandemic you should have time to make it to a Bug out Location. With the visibility that Bird Flu has we should see some indication in plenty of time. I am very in tune to emerging infectious diseases and will be posting here if we are on the verge of a blooming Pandemic. The current .gov Pandemic plan realizes that putting a city under Quarantine is not likely to be successful. Instead they are recommending Preparedness and education. In case of a Pandemic a well supplied, remote location will be a great idea. During the 1918 Pandemic isolated and low population areas made it through the best. Places such as universities that put into place their own quarantine and isolation plans came through without any instances of infection. If you do not have a BOL and have supplies where you are then stay there and shelter in place. In a Pandemic you want to avoid contact with other people, have strict hygiene and cleaning practices and a well thought out plan. There are very few situations that will restrict you from getting away from your current location if you have a plan. I live close to Nuclear Power plants and even they say you should have enough time to get away if you leave immediately. If you have a BOB ready to go and are in tune to the news you should be able to move. Do not wait to long to move. Having said all of that, there are some excellent suggestions in this thread. Get a Topo map of your area. Find logging roads or other access roads near you. Become comfortable using the secondary roads in your area as most people will hit the Interstate Highways. Realize your travel limitations with bridges over rivers as they will be the first to be blocked. Think about the most likely places for checkpoints. Network in your area to find people who would help you. AccurateOne |
Wow! That's a case of too many movies if I ever saw one.  The vast majority of sewer pipes in this nation are much too small for humans to fit into. Only in the city would you have anything even close to the size you are thinking of. Thier use for getting out of dodge are dubious at best. At worst, you have Nazis filling them with water after welding the man hole covers shut.....Did I mention the poison candles? A small pocket torch will not cut a lock. I have had several and they are not james bond type things. You need a huge amount of acetylene/propane and oxygen to heat the hasp hot enough, quick enough to cut it. If you can post a link to a pocket torch that is hot enough to cut .25"+ hardened steel, then I will appologize publically. Most pocket torches are made to run butane and do not get hot enough to cut anything but butter. We have to be careful about spreading bad info that could influence someone not smart enough to see past it. Of course, it could have been a joke. |
+1, and a battery operated Dremel with a cutoff wheel is easier anyway. |
And it will cut through any lock I have ever seen. An extra reinforced cutting wheel might be a good idea. I have been looking for a reason to buy one of the new lithium ion versions. 
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| all good answers. however if you are in the desert southwest you really have only two good choices. Get out in a vehicle as soon as there is any hint of a problem or bug in deep and quite (i guess this is the prepping part). Walking out for any distance is not a good idea. If you had to leave from a qaurantine area I would sugest a Quad. But you are surrounded by a few natural choke points, that is where they put the BP checkpoints. There is a way to go north across open country on a quad but I have not done it. |
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The US has been spending billions all year on marshal law training in the event of another 911 or pandemic like you’re talking about. And they spend crap on the southern border but that another issue. I would say this, if I lived in a big city or any apartment or condo type arrangement I’d get out, like we should. The information given about what’s going on will probably be false as expected. As soon as it happens the water supply will probably will still be good for at least a few days. I’d stock up on that and food. The bird flu expected to kill itself off after about 2 ,3 month cycles. But 6 months of staying inside to avoid exposure sounds almost worse than death, so it looks grim any way you look at it. Home defense will be key when good people go bad and start looking for food for their families. If bird flu is in bird shit there is no real way to escape by going to a remote area. Unlike mad cow or CWD in deer bird flu could be cooked out of meat as long as it’s well done. So if your chickens or livestock die you could still eat them. |
There is a National Pandemic Plan available at the US Pandemic Website. All of the states have a plan as well and should be available on your state website. I would think it should be essential reading for everyone here. It gives insight into how they are thinking and that should help you plan for the "What if" scenario the Oringinal Poster of this thread asked about. AccurateOne |
Lot's of good info on the .gov pandemic website. I would bug IN during a pandemic. I don't want to be stuck in the masses when people are coughing, sneezing, and spitting on everything. Look how dirty people are now - imagine everyone with a bad cold.  Av. |
Waterways is my primary BO direction. I can follow the rivers, and in AZ, you don't want to be too far from one. The brush also provides good cover. I'm lucky, I'm in 'town'... But not by much. 2 miles and I'm in national forest. And I know damn near every trail for 20 miles in the way I need to go. Hopefully that will get me out of any 'containment' area. |
I will just hang out for as long as needed. I can hang out a long time. We will be exempt though as we are both RNs at the biggest medical center in critical care. I guess we will die then. 
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