I've talked with people on this forum, over the last three years, about choices regarding where to live for our best chances to survive the coming SHTF events, where best to avoid the masses. I have heard a lot of responses regarding the choice we made, particularly, concerns about the state below me. This prompted me to have conversations with my husband suggesting a serious review our choice and alternatives. Our other choices when we prepared to "Jump Ship" from Silicon Valley, were Idaho and Montana. We opted for no snow and forest canopy. I posted about how we chose Where to live/move, Criteria to Consider
We are on the Oregon Coast, with one major road that could bring desperate Californians, which include some of my grown children and many of my friends, to our door. I fear the normalcy syndrome may keep those I love from getting out of harms/marshal laws way in time.
We had to make a marathon run down to the Bay Area (San Jose/San Fran) for doctor appointments, 1100 miles in 24 hours. On the drive down I was making observations of the route we chose, road conditions ,surroundings, populations of each town we encountered and the distances. On the return trip north we discussed in depth the observations made, enacting a scenario.
From the large metropolitan population, it is 450 to 500 miles from them to us.
What percentage of them will choose to flea the city fast enough to avoid grid lock, troops, hostiles, hysterical masses, et al ?
What percentage of them would have a full tank, much less cans equaling the 30 to 50 gallons of fuel it would take them to drive here, or the cash to buy gas if they could find a station open and willing to sell. How far could they get with what gas is in their tank. How far would they get before having to walk? How far would they get before coming nose to nose with hostiles?
What preps would they have in their car? Would they even have a jacket? Water? walking shoes? Are they in a suit from work? What percentage of them have security measures or weapons to secure their path. Would they have babies or small children to carry? What about grandma in a wheel chair?
FOR OUR CIRCUMSTANCE:
Highway 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) is two lanes, the majority of the path to our town. It is mostly up hill. It is almost always cool and damp. It is sparsely populated all along the route with few towns of density, several of which are tribal lands.
The encounters of people a "migratory mass", or single person, would encounter on their trek (in our scenario) are rural farmers, and tribal groups who don't take kindly to strangers or city folk. Who else would one encounter on this path?
How many could realistically show up in our town? To the west is the ocean
and to the east are a handful of roads leading up hills and rivers with vast areas of wilderness, federal lands and state parks. How many would continue north and not even attempt to explore small roads east working their way to our door.
How many would choose the road leading up to our location? How far would they be willing to stray away from the one major road (101) that they have been on for 10 hours to 20 days, before turning back to the "safety" of the highway. (Ten hours if they had five or six 5 gallon cans of gas to 20 days being on foot the entire way < 500 miles at 20-30 miles a day> )
I really think that our need to protect our home, children, garden and stores will be well within our capability to defend them, especially if we have any of our CLAN gathered.
WE did happen across something we did not think about, much less notice, until this trip.. .. .. .. .. We pass right by Pelican Bay Maximum Security Prison. With the most violent criminals and lifers, ever.. It is about 100 miles south of us ON 101.
What procedures , IF ANY, do the prisons across the U.S. have for a SHTF scenario? How near are YOU to your local inmate population and are you in their likely path?
How easy would it be for inmates to become a free "mass of mayhem" coming our way with no more than a 3-4 day walk and as little as a couple hours if they procure a car with gas in it. Do the corrections officers have orders to lock them all down, or to shoot them all...... what do we realistically have to fear?
How likely is it they would choose our little road to cut away from the highway? How likely is it that they would travel far enough back to be able to see smoke from our fire, prompting them to seek us out? Would they expect to encounter booby traps? Will they still be in uniforms enabling us to see them?
ARE THERE NEIGHBORS WITH WHOM YOU HAVE A PLAN TO PROTECT?
WHAT ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY/TOWN.... DISASTER PLANS, SECURITY PLANS?
Have you noticed an increase of population in your area? Are motorhomes trickling in to your town already? What is the jobless population in your area now? What is your food bank saying about the increase of local clients, traveling strangers coming in for a box of food? WE HAVE.
FEMA sent a notice to our local food bank warning them that in the event of a larger event, they were not to expect shipments or help due to the remoteness of our location and the lack of population here. To be prepared to deal with things themselves. We have also seen a definite decrease of shipments. The food bank used to recieve 2000 pounds of food every other week....its down to 700 now.
Has the migration begun in your area?
Just another day in thinking ahead, planning, and prepping for that shower of brown stuff. . . . .
We are on the Oregon Coast, with one major road that could bring desperate Californians, which include some of my grown children and many of my friends, to our door. I fear the normalcy syndrome may keep those I love from getting out of harms/marshal laws way in time.
We had to make a marathon run down to the Bay Area (San Jose/San Fran) for doctor appointments, 1100 miles in 24 hours. On the drive down I was making observations of the route we chose, road conditions ,surroundings, populations of each town we encountered and the distances. On the return trip north we discussed in depth the observations made, enacting a scenario.
From the large metropolitan population, it is 450 to 500 miles from them to us.
What percentage of them will choose to flea the city fast enough to avoid grid lock, troops, hostiles, hysterical masses, et al ?
What percentage of them would have a full tank, much less cans equaling the 30 to 50 gallons of fuel it would take them to drive here, or the cash to buy gas if they could find a station open and willing to sell. How far could they get with what gas is in their tank. How far would they get before having to walk? How far would they get before coming nose to nose with hostiles?
What preps would they have in their car? Would they even have a jacket? Water? walking shoes? Are they in a suit from work? What percentage of them have security measures or weapons to secure their path. Would they have babies or small children to carry? What about grandma in a wheel chair?
FOR OUR CIRCUMSTANCE:
Highway 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) is two lanes, the majority of the path to our town. It is mostly up hill. It is almost always cool and damp. It is sparsely populated all along the route with few towns of density, several of which are tribal lands.
The encounters of people a "migratory mass", or single person, would encounter on their trek (in our scenario) are rural farmers, and tribal groups who don't take kindly to strangers or city folk. Who else would one encounter on this path?
How many could realistically show up in our town? To the west is the ocean
and to the east are a handful of roads leading up hills and rivers with vast areas of wilderness, federal lands and state parks. How many would continue north and not even attempt to explore small roads east working their way to our door.
How many would choose the road leading up to our location? How far would they be willing to stray away from the one major road (101) that they have been on for 10 hours to 20 days, before turning back to the "safety" of the highway. (Ten hours if they had five or six 5 gallon cans of gas to 20 days being on foot the entire way < 500 miles at 20-30 miles a day> )
I really think that our need to protect our home, children, garden and stores will be well within our capability to defend them, especially if we have any of our CLAN gathered.
WE did happen across something we did not think about, much less notice, until this trip.. .. .. .. .. We pass right by Pelican Bay Maximum Security Prison. With the most violent criminals and lifers, ever.. It is about 100 miles south of us ON 101.
What procedures , IF ANY, do the prisons across the U.S. have for a SHTF scenario? How near are YOU to your local inmate population and are you in their likely path?
How easy would it be for inmates to become a free "mass of mayhem" coming our way with no more than a 3-4 day walk and as little as a couple hours if they procure a car with gas in it. Do the corrections officers have orders to lock them all down, or to shoot them all...... what do we realistically have to fear?
How likely is it they would choose our little road to cut away from the highway? How likely is it that they would travel far enough back to be able to see smoke from our fire, prompting them to seek us out? Would they expect to encounter booby traps? Will they still be in uniforms enabling us to see them?
ARE THERE NEIGHBORS WITH WHOM YOU HAVE A PLAN TO PROTECT?
WHAT ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY/TOWN.... DISASTER PLANS, SECURITY PLANS?
Have you noticed an increase of population in your area? Are motorhomes trickling in to your town already? What is the jobless population in your area now? What is your food bank saying about the increase of local clients, traveling strangers coming in for a box of food? WE HAVE.
FEMA sent a notice to our local food bank warning them that in the event of a larger event, they were not to expect shipments or help due to the remoteness of our location and the lack of population here. To be prepared to deal with things themselves. We have also seen a definite decrease of shipments. The food bank used to recieve 2000 pounds of food every other week....its down to 700 now.
Has the migration begun in your area?
Just another day in thinking ahead, planning, and prepping for that shower of brown stuff. . . . .