I hope you all realize, that, with the situation as it is, what you are contemplating(i.e. SHTF) entails the American people losing it. What I mean is, losing everything that everyones been praising during these recent events.
The ability of the people to come together, do what is needed, rally support, etc...
If the shit hits the fan, the people failed.
The terrorists ARE NOT going to invade. There will NEVER be an enemy easily visible in this country. For Christs sake the President has repeated this over and over.
Its a new kind of war, no battle lines, no specific targets.If the SHTF in this country, it will be Americans going nuts after a NBC attack.
So far, no-one has said this out loud.There will be no place to run. You cant run from a germ or a chemical.
Prepared people such as yourselves have nothing to fear. You have what we need and the means to protect it. Unarmed people have no chance against you, armed people will target the weak.
What are yo afraid of, where or why will you "Bug Out"
BP

I totally agree with you, but if the city you live in is getting attacked by terrorists, it may not seem so horrible to stay with realitives out in the country. To me, that's "bugging out".

If Dallas ever got hit, I tell you one thing. someone close by me is getting fV

Good point. I dont live in an urban area, so didnt see it that way.
I do live in the hurricane evac area and would hate to try to evac in a panic from any large area.
In Fla. it cant really be done, even though they plan for it.
BP

I dont care about SHTF scenarios. There are too many people in my life that I care about that would be unprepared and I could not take care of them and I could not turn them away so I will just go down with them.

Survival of the fittest my friend. My bro and I are prepared not for SHTF as we know it now but for earthquakes and other natural disasters(could fit in todays scenario). We have talked about it at great lenght cause very few of our relatives are as prepared as we. We have decided, harsh at it may be, that we could and will only support immediate family. Meaning our mom, his wife and kids, and me for the long run.

You know this sounds like the same guy who posted what was it $100 for a 100rd C-Mag for sale.

Anyway Mr.captainpooby how do you know that nothing like another country might invade us? For all you know the Mexicans maybe in on this lord knows that they would turn there heads for a few hundred grand or even join in.

The Mexicans? You've got to be kidding, right?
Oh wait, I think they're already on the way. Except, the Mexicans already realize what a great country this is. They come for the opportunity to better themselves. Not to bring us down to their level.
BP

captainpooby - haven't been to southern CA lately, have you?

Fortunately, I *think* I'm far enough away from harm here, but just in case, I'm starting the "survival plan" for the family...  The problem is I work in the nearest big city...

I gotta talk to the boss about working from home

captainpooby -"There will be no place to run. You can't run from a germ or a chemical"

Wrong.  If I hear of some poor bastards getting smallpox, or some other contagious disease in STL, I can and will run.

I will take the family, and what cash and supplies I can, and rent a place somewhere remote.

Being prepared would put you in front of the pannicked hordes, not caught in traffic.

I don't have a Bug out bag, but I will pack one tomorrow.  Just in case

Being prepared costs nothing.

I think you're very nearsighted.  We had a nice little tropical storm by the name of Alison hang out in Houston for a few days that caused insane amounts of damage and flooding.  There were more civilian volunteers helping people out than county/state agencies for the first few days.  FEMA even says that in the case of an emergency it's good to have at least 3 days of supplies on hand, as that's how long it could take for a federal relief effort to get to your area in a best case scenario.  

TSHTF is a generic term for any bad situation.  It doesn't imply that terrorists are going to attempt to invade US soil, though that would certainly qualify if they could manage it, but that's a very far-fetched and laughable scenario.  However, I think the last 20 years has shown us that being prepared in the event of a natural disaster or riot can be the difference between being alive and well or having your face bashed in with a brick while the cops do nothing and the camera crews film it.



There's no need to take the Lord's name in vain, and furthermore, no sane person here is suggesting that terrorists are going to invade.  It still doesn't mean I trust people to act civilized in the event of a disaster in my area.  Hell, I don't expect some people to act civilized any time or for the police to be there to protect me.  That's why I carry a gun.



Yes, you can, depending on the substance.  We have evacuations in the area for chemical leaks every once in a while.  My father-in-law is the head of one of the emergency response teams for the petro-chemical plants on the Houston Ship Channel, and he knows all about the types of chemicals at the local plants that could be scattered in the event of an attack on those facilities.  He's been an industrial fire fighter, as well as trained EMT, for the last 20 years.

I personally doubt the terrorists would have the sophistication necessary to launch an effective chemical attack against the local population with something like VX of Sarin.  But hit a refinery that's storing a large quantity of process chemicals and you could have a serious problem on your hands, and is much more likely to happen in my area.  I sure as hell don't want to be around if something like that happens, do you?  I'm not scared, but I've got two young children and a wife that I want to live at all costs if something bad happens.  I'm not running unless it's absolutely the best thing to do for my family.  Maybe part of this is wakeing up in the middle of the night to explosions at refineries on the Houston Ship Channel.  Waking up to something like that will put the fear of God into you.
 


The only thing that frightens me is an event that would require my family and myself to leave our home in order to stay safe.  I can't tell you exactly what that event would be, but if it happened I think I'd know if it's ok to stick around or not.

God Bless Texas

Lordtrader, I practically fell out of my chair laughing!

Personally, I think the society breakdown stuff is kind of silly, but I still think that everyone should have a standard survival/bug out kit ready anyway in case of a major natural disaster.  I may not be in a flood zone, but I've been through enough earthquakes where services deprivation occured that it's something I consider a serious threat.