So I had to move back to my hometown, which is surrounded by several large cities in the middle of CA. Ammo is worth more than gold, guns are heavily restricted and the supply is drying up. But the point being, I'm surrounded by 2,000,000 of the nanny state's finest yuppies and their priuses. Luckily I know the area remarkably well and know several escape routes. Driving is probably not going to be an option. Any suggestions from other Californians or people in high population areas on what you're doing? Don't suggest that I move. I wish things were only that simple.
Moved back to the city...and at the worst possible time.
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394 Posts
Get a plan, Have multiple routes and plans for different scenerios. Practice them several times, have a plan on bugging in even if you don't want to
I don't plan on bugging in but just in case I plan for that also
store at least 3 months food and water
I live in a apt and I managed to make room for food and water stores
I don't plan on bugging in but just in case I plan for that also
store at least 3 months food and water
I live in a apt and I managed to make room for food and water stores
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919 Posts
Even if you know the area I'd still get some topo maps. Everybody knows the roads but most don't know what's beyond that hill or mountain. Know your routes that work by car but have a foot plan too. They typically are two totally different things.
sounds like you know where you are going to escape to. possible to have most of your preps already pre-positioned there? if so, then you might be able to get there via off-road motorcycle or (like i'm building) an old school, heavy duty minibike.
just a thought. good luck to you.
just a thought. good luck to you.
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2,529 Posts
Im being serious, but please allow me...
You moved back to the city, and at a BAD TIME?
Meaning, there is a GOOD time to move to the city?
Im on the outskirts of the city, in the county.... and Id much rather be FURTHER out than that...
At any rate, I really do hope you can overcome whatever obstetrical you may encounter!
GL bro...
EB
You moved back to the city, and at a BAD TIME?
Meaning, there is a GOOD time to move to the city?
Im on the outskirts of the city, in the county.... and Id much rather be FURTHER out than that...
At any rate, I really do hope you can overcome whatever obstetrical you may encounter!
GL bro...
EB
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552 Posts
Toss a good pair of bolt cutters in the car. Start mapping the fire roads. The network of fire roads as you get out of the city (and that'll be city-specific) in California are staggering. Once you "liberate the access point", many of them are so well maintained that even a moderate sedan could navigate them, but ground-clearance is important, so a decent off-highway vehicle is necessary.
Printed high-quality topos are a must, but DeLorme Topos on a laptop interfaced to a GPS have a realtime nature that is hard to beat when you're beating feet.
Printed high-quality topos are a must, but DeLorme Topos on a laptop interfaced to a GPS have a realtime nature that is hard to beat when you're beating feet.
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176 Posts
I totally feel your pain! Recently we had to do the same thing, move back to SoCal from Colorado, to take care of elderly parents that couldn't move to our previous high altitude.
I'm trying to see this as an opportunity vice a calamity. There's a lot of surplus and other items here that are perfect for prepping. "One man's junk is another man's treasure". Craig's List here is just chock full of potential. There are a surprising number of backyard gardeners in the area. Yes there's a lot of sheeple here, but so what.
I figure that at the first sign of real trouble they are going to run like hell....leaving me all alone. One major advantage here is that we are a true Four Season growing zone. There is sufficient rainfall....IF....you have a large enough cistern and a rain catchment system (which we're working on).
On the other hand, it's always a good idea to have an exit strategy. Don't forget to consider railway lines, bike paths, rain drainage culverts and such.
I'm trying to see this as an opportunity vice a calamity. There's a lot of surplus and other items here that are perfect for prepping. "One man's junk is another man's treasure". Craig's List here is just chock full of potential. There are a surprising number of backyard gardeners in the area. Yes there's a lot of sheeple here, but so what.
I figure that at the first sign of real trouble they are going to run like hell....leaving me all alone. One major advantage here is that we are a true Four Season growing zone. There is sufficient rainfall....IF....you have a large enough cistern and a rain catchment system (which we're working on).
On the other hand, it's always a good idea to have an exit strategy. Don't forget to consider railway lines, bike paths, rain drainage culverts and such.
.06,my friend,my sympathy toward your plight...But! Alas.All is not lost...Your aware of your situation..My thoughts,keep a low profile,be discreet in your dealins such as layin up supplies and routes of escape...It sounds to me that if the scenario is that bad concernin anything of value,the less that know what you have,the better...I 2nd the alternate routes method as was posted earlier...Might consider a walk-in storage unit on the outskirts of town to store some of the essentials...
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Move
I feel you brother! The Portland metro area has become an LA suburb but in some ways worse. We have become a mecca for all things nutty and attract a certain kind of hipster, hippie, liberal all around nutty persons. we draw all the liberal meccas cali, Michigan, Illinois, NY, Massachusetts, DC
:xeye:
I am moving back to a big city(5-6 million people) form a smaller city(1 million people) to go to school and i am super bummed about it. i will be about 45-60 min from the "edge" of the city civilization by car. My plan is to get a real nice bike when i get there and fit it with a rack over the back wheel and maybe a milk crate so i can haul some things if i ever needed to. i would have my bug out bag that i could possibly live out of for a while if i have a way of killing some small game(plan on a henry survival .22 when i move) i will also put water and some food into the milk crate with a nice blanket covering it so no one can see and i will ride as far as i can hopefully to the edge of the city or atleast find some pretty dense woods to camp in for the night and continue the next day. possibly ride at night and rest during the day.
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Check out saddle bags as well. Some are made in such a way that you could put a milk crate on top of them.
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This is great advice. In my mind's eye, my get-home routine always revolves around walking along known roads. If that becomes impractical for whatever reason, that would be a real problem without a map
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CITIES, millions of people in a panic trying to leave. just look at what happens at rush hour when there is a wreck on the freeway traffic backed up for miles in a panic situation there will be thousands of wrecks. Best to prep for a situation that you may be stuck at work or at school or cant get to your kids at their school. This is a situation that has no way of planning for. WTSHTF our family might be scattered about, doing their every day stuff and not able to get home. I surely dont know what the answer is or even how to prepare for it, if i was liveing in the city. Im 65 and have lived in my home in the cascade mts of washington state for 33 years right outside a little mt town. I really hope good people that live in the city can maybe form some small groups to work togeather.
There are fire routes in the surrounding mountains. I'll definitely read up on those some more.
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First, try to give your disaster planning some scope. There is never one answer for every scenario, you'll never be able to identify every threat or scenario, and you'll never be able to plan for everything. So start small, and create a list of what you consider the most likely threats: personal, local, regional, national, global.
Personal. This is the step most "preppers" skip over, because it's not nearly as glorious and planning for the end of the world. But what happens if you (or a spouse or dependent) loses a job, or gets sick or injured, or dies? Do you have your estate planning in order? Do you have sufficient life and disability insurance (your work probably doesn't provide enough) a will, health care proxy, power of attorney, etc? Do you have enough cash in the bank (or under the mattress, if you prefer) to get you through a rocky period? Remember, you can't pay the mortgage with canned goods or ammo, and a maxed out credit card is far more of a liability than the survival gear you bought with it is an asset.
Also consider, what happens if nothing goes wrong, ever? Are you investing properly in your retirement?
Next, local. There's a fire, flood, localized natural (or man-made) disaster. Is your insurance up to date? Do you have copies of vital documents in a safe place (preferably not in the home)? Do you have an evacuation plan? Do you have a bug out bag? And when you pack your bug out bag, consider what is really going to matter. In a local disaster (and most disasters are local) you'll have all the resources of the surrounding region at your disposal, but you can expect to lose most of the resources in your home. So if your house goes up in flames, what's going to be more important to have - important documents and family photo albums, or guns and camping gear?
Regional. This is where you really need to consider bug in vs. bug out. Bug out should be a worst case scenario, because you'll be walking away from the relative security of your home, and leaving the bulk of your resources. If you have to bug out, plan evacuation routes and bug out destinations ahead of time. If you're single (or have a partner who can ride) a motorcycle or dirt bike is probably an excellent bug out vehicle for your location.
However, keep in mind that even in the most epic disaster, there will still be a .gov presence, and you'll need to operate in tandem with them. You may be forced into certain evacuation routes, methods, or destinations. Plan with flexibility. Also plan with speed and decisiveness. If you decide to go, go. The people who get out first will be the ones who get out fastest and with the most options. The people who wait until the last minute will be the ones forced onto buses and into FEMA shelters.
National/global. Personally, if things get this bad, I know I'm f*cked, so I'll let others address these scenarios. Just know that unless you have a self sufficient and fully sustainable bug out location that's well off the grid, and the means to get to it, you're probably f*cked too. Most people don't have the means or commitment to prep for this, and frankly, I think the cost/benefit makes that okay, but that's a conversation for another thread.
Personal. This is the step most "preppers" skip over, because it's not nearly as glorious and planning for the end of the world. But what happens if you (or a spouse or dependent) loses a job, or gets sick or injured, or dies? Do you have your estate planning in order? Do you have sufficient life and disability insurance (your work probably doesn't provide enough) a will, health care proxy, power of attorney, etc? Do you have enough cash in the bank (or under the mattress, if you prefer) to get you through a rocky period? Remember, you can't pay the mortgage with canned goods or ammo, and a maxed out credit card is far more of a liability than the survival gear you bought with it is an asset.
Also consider, what happens if nothing goes wrong, ever? Are you investing properly in your retirement?
Next, local. There's a fire, flood, localized natural (or man-made) disaster. Is your insurance up to date? Do you have copies of vital documents in a safe place (preferably not in the home)? Do you have an evacuation plan? Do you have a bug out bag? And when you pack your bug out bag, consider what is really going to matter. In a local disaster (and most disasters are local) you'll have all the resources of the surrounding region at your disposal, but you can expect to lose most of the resources in your home. So if your house goes up in flames, what's going to be more important to have - important documents and family photo albums, or guns and camping gear?
Regional. This is where you really need to consider bug in vs. bug out. Bug out should be a worst case scenario, because you'll be walking away from the relative security of your home, and leaving the bulk of your resources. If you have to bug out, plan evacuation routes and bug out destinations ahead of time. If you're single (or have a partner who can ride) a motorcycle or dirt bike is probably an excellent bug out vehicle for your location.
However, keep in mind that even in the most epic disaster, there will still be a .gov presence, and you'll need to operate in tandem with them. You may be forced into certain evacuation routes, methods, or destinations. Plan with flexibility. Also plan with speed and decisiveness. If you decide to go, go. The people who get out first will be the ones who get out fastest and with the most options. The people who wait until the last minute will be the ones forced onto buses and into FEMA shelters.
National/global. Personally, if things get this bad, I know I'm f*cked, so I'll let others address these scenarios. Just know that unless you have a self sufficient and fully sustainable bug out location that's well off the grid, and the means to get to it, you're probably f*cked too. Most people don't have the means or commitment to prep for this, and frankly, I think the cost/benefit makes that okay, but that's a conversation for another thread.
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You must be east of the SF Bay area, where I am from.
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176 Posts
My absolute last choice is to become a REFUGE. You are totally at the mercy of everything and everyone. You can't possibly carry enough long term supplies to survive for any protracted length of time.
If things become so bad that you have to abandon all your preps and the relative safety of your bug-in location then you need to be able to go and GO NOW!! As quickly and as far off the beaten track as you can go. To me that screams dirt bike. Whether it's a street/dirt combination or simply a straight off road bike. Big enough to carry you and your basic survival kit and yet small enough for you to muscle it through any obstacles you may encounter.
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