User Panel
Posted: 4/6/2006 8:21:23 AM EDT
Say a big earthquake. Older construction and brick buildings come down, some overpasses and bridges out, waterlines broken, sewer is out, electricity is out, phones are down...
Rivers are rerouted, flooding the lowlands. Services will be lost indefinately, fires will be left to burn out. People are ordered or encouraged to evacuate on foot from cutoff areas... I just noticed how desperately unprepared I am for a worst case scenario, say a winter earthquake. I have a supply of food, water, medicine, fuel and ammo, enough to last a week or two. (OK, I have enough to last a week or two in the Alamo) You don't really notice how rugged it is out here until you have to hoof it. What are the essential tools and supplies you would want on hand to survive a worst case scenario in Western Wa? |
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Well I'd have to say the basics like water, food, a heat source (shelter), ammo and communications link. Everything after that is really secondary.
Once those basic needs are taken care of it would probably turn into trying to figure out how to help my neighbors out cause I have a feeling that they don't have more than a weeks worth of food etc handy to keep them. That is one thing that is a lot different today than when I was growing up; we used to know all our neighbors and my parents played a little cards with some of them on a somewhat regular basis. Today all I know is that they live down the road and neither of us talk to each other too often. I do know my post master though and she is pretty cool so maybe I could ride for the Pony Express when the SHTF? |
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Wal-Mart would be the last place I'd be in a circumstance like this one. Everyone and their brother would be raiding the crap out of that place. Its not even a safe place to be on a typical Saturday afternoon! |
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I'd call a cab to get where I'm going and order a pizza once I got there.
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True, but you might catch a glimpse of the elusive Lootie! |
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I know that is photoshopped. If it was the real PCR he would have at least one of those bottles open. |
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I can't believe nobody has mentioned TP.
In my house I have half a box of Cheerios and some condiments. When the SHTF I can be found down the street begging Bosifus for food. Perhaps I'll trade him TP, paper towels, and the use of a generator for Ramen. |
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I'm inclined to think that I may have enough ammo to facilitate the procurement of all my other needs.....and all the sammiches I want!
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Not when the low lands are flooded you wont.... Anyway, It dont matter to me, I work for the man, I also volunteer for the man, Ya know.... When it really comes down to it... I AM THE MAN!... |
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Well, I think your best defense for something like you describe would be to keep your situational awareness (brought that term back from iraq) of your area up to date. Many times we see disasters happen and people put in peril because they did'nt listen or pay attention to what people were saying or doing in their area. With that you have to have the mentality to be able to make yourself act despite your common sense or lack there of. NOLA knew they had a huge hurricane comming, but nobody left when the local government said to leave. Same was true back when Mt St Helens blew. You have to have the mentality that you need to leave before the disaster happens and get to a safe area before you can think about all the other stuff. My own plans involve some close relatives who live in rural W. Montana. If I think there is somethng serious happening, I'm moving my family there way before the roads and such get clogged up. However, thats only my family, as I and my soldiers will have to be available to assist our neighbors who neglected to plan or act as the states majopr releif effort.
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The most important thing to do is have a place far away that the whole family knows how to get ahold of to check in after disaster strikes. Like with the hurricane, we heard how families were split apart and nobody knew how to get ahold of anyone else. If they had a reletive in Missouri they could all call and check in with, it wouldn't be so hard to find everybody.
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I agree that with most disasters, there will be some warning. Mt St Helens gave everybody plenty of warning and even then the ferocity of the eruption took many people by surprise. I was taking a geology class at WWU before the eruption and it was discussed in class, even the plugged-cone explosiveness was described. I was still shocked to actually hear it go off that day, all the way in Bellingham. A major earthquake could strike without much warning. There would be some activity beforehand, but there is always activity around here, sometimes a lot of it. I don't believe there would be any evacuation warnings before an earthquake. After an earthquake, if we can still move around on the roads, it wouldn't be bad enough to evacuate, except for localized areas around broken gas or water pipelines. If the bridges and overpasses are still up, most of the buildings will be too. One of the reasons they build with wood around here is because it may shake, bend, twist and even crack, but it stays up. As important as relief efforts will be, it could take days or weeks before relief showed up for much of the area. Relief supplies could have to be shipped in by sea and distributed at the docks. Roads would have to be re-opened before supplies would make it to outlaying areas.... |
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I just took advantage of the 40% off the Mountain House meals tacked in the SF. If the SHTF and I'm not in a position or it's not safe for me to get out....I'm buggin in and remaining very low key. I should have enough food to last me 3 months...longer if I stretch it....still longer...if I eat the dog and his supplies :)
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No shit. When I was a truck driver and the Millenium Disaster was coming, I told my dispatcher that I wanted to be at home. The plan was to take the tractor home, and i fthe power and communications went out, I was gonna steal a trailer full of TP and paper towels from the Georgia Pacific plant in Camas. For the first couple of weeks, it would just sit, like money in the bank. Eventually, you could use it like money. You folks know that the water in your water heaters can be used for emergency water? If the SHTF, I'm turning on the faucets to all our bath tubs to get as much water as possible out of the well. I figure we'll need water much more than we'll need food, you can live longer without food than water. I can shoot food around my house if I have to. The thing I am most concerned about if TSHTF is good medical care. I have in-laws that need prescriptions and visit the doctor regularly. These things would become very problematic. |
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Oddly enough, I have a few guns and CWP now because the family had a powow last year for such a scenario and it was decided that we would put aside supplies and such at a location that was safe and out of town. We all agree to head there in case of disaster and lack of communication. My wife set up individual little survival packs for each of us to have in the cars with first aid, water , food and the like. The women of the family had at the top of their list, Who's Armed? We're all armed now.
Now if I could just figure out how to pull that darn charge handle thing back. |
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Right now... our plan would be to stay put. Have plenty of food and water. Our property is easily secured. One of the many benefits to living outside of town...
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Wait for the NG to rescue us. They alone have been properly trained and are qualified to know what is best for us.
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Glad to see your posts again. I love a good joke. In my worst case scenario, there will be 2,000,000 people in the Puget Sound area who will need SOMETHING, probably a lot of things. I'm sure the NG will be deeply appreciated by whomever they can get to, but there is going to be a whole lot of people on their own for days and weeks. |
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I was once told that toilet paper won't get you a gun, but a gun will get you toilet paper.
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If I needed Toilet paper bad enough, I would give you a gun for some... All of you gun freaks scare me. The gun is not the "Be all/End all" tool in a disaster. Think about it.... |
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You're right, a ten-ton truck and a fork lift will be much better and a Cat D9 for those nasty bank vaults. Looters are such amateurs. |
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Eyes on the prize!.. |
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Don't wait for us dude...we'll be too busy watching all the pandimonium from that side of the mountians on TV. ETA-
I dunno? Moving to Eastern WA ahead of time? |
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It's eerie how you read my mind sometimes. I expect in a true SHTF situation, my dippy little corner of the world is going to be a deeply irritating place to be. I'm betting an island chockablock with wealthy project managers and liberal attorneys will devolve into anarchy every bit as fast as N.O. did. When it comes to stocking up the thing we've been struggling with, other than paying for everything, is finding a place to put it all. We've barely got enough closet space for regular stuff, let alone emergency supplies. Got some food, water and ammo put up, but mostly I've just been keeping my fingers crossed till we can skin out for better digs. |
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This reminds me of a story I read in 'HIGH TIMES' magazine about, oh, 30 years ago~!
3 men were outside the locked gates of the City and wanted to get in. #1, the Drunkard, thought they should just crash their way in. #2, the Marijuana Smoker, thought they should just wait until morning, when someone would open the gates. #3, the Hashish Smoker, decided they should 'pass through the keyhole'... Definetly think outside the box. I'm guessing those with former or current Military training will be better versed in SHTF scenarios. When I talked to a former Isreali Citizen and Soldier, he gave me some great info on how things could be done, even by the private Citizen of the USA. It's good to think of this, but, like many other things, nobody has or is willing to spend the time --- 'too busy'. |
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If someone was selling raffle tickets to kick that bitch in the box... I would bankrupt myself in a heartbeat. |
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I'd stock up on bullets. Bullets are a great thing to have. If you have bullets you can get pretty much anything else in the world. If you dont have bullets you are basically sitting in a warehouse for people with bullets. Bullets make people calmer than valium, they keep order in chaos, they assure you have the attention of all the people who would otherwise run wild.
Water, food, batteries, blankets ,big blue tarps and toilet paper are all good things and all easy to get if you have enough bullets. |
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Love the bullets thing and have that covered on my end. I think the family and me will hunker down and wait it out. We have a good stockpile that we keep adding to and those bullets will aquire other supplies We also have local rendevous points and emergency plans thought out and discussed.
I do have a lot of nice retired folks in my neighborhood and feel like it would be the right thing to do by seeing to it that they are watched out for in a defensive way as well as being able to do a quick snatch and grab for needed meds if need be. Maybe it's me, but I'd rather stand my ground and take care of my community than to bug out and leave them to the animals. It all depends on the situation really though and I suppose you will only really know when it happens. |
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Don't worry A Co will take up the slack. ETA: What's the matter Matt, afraid you're going to melt in the rain? |
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Load ready box's on the M2A2, fuel up, load Infantry and move out to closest disturbance area to begin pacification.
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When did this switch from Militia vs. NG to West side NG vs. East side NG?
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Gibby, you really are a bag of hammers.... Hint: It is called devide and conquer..... LET THEM GO!. This Public Service Announcement has been brought you by the word.... MILITIA! |
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[ Now THAT was funny. My wife had to come downstairs to see what the commotion was. |
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Hmm maybe I will just park it on the Vantage bridge and keep all the scum from crossing into the land of milk and honey(Columbia Basin). |
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Well if nobody else around is even worth noticing, then we practice a bit on each other. And I'm a complete and total smart assed jackass. But at least we all know that when it really means something, we can trust the other guys with the US on our chests. |
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Yeah....... ......trust at us to aim right for the heart! |
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That US does stick out a little dont it... |
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or you could just wait a bit, and do what EVERY other unit does when in Yakistan. Set the whole damn place on fire. |
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Guilty..... Someone was dumb enough to let Doc set up a village of old Tonka trucks, upside down foam ice chests, and old busted up Radio Control airplane's...and the let him play with M-880 training rounds. I know it was a team play, but I was the one hanging the rounds. just shy of 40 acres I also did a little damage with a .50 out at tank table 8, Camp Robberts in the early 90's... |
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fixt |
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