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"...the United States does little to prepare for emergencies. ...there are no detailed state or federal government plans that we all know of for orderly evacuat

by lykr0n 8y ago

"...the United States does little to prepare for emergencies. ...there are no detailed state or federal government plans that we all know of for orderly evacuation or shelter provision. Last January, when residents of Hawaii received phone communications stating that there was an incoming ballistic missile threat, residents were advised simply to “seek immediate shelter." A good point. Think for a minute. What if something happens. What would you do. Myself- if I'm at work I'll race home. Fill the tub, ensure my HAM radio is changed, try and charge everything I can. Grab my gun and jam a spare mag in my pocket. And then what? I'm in Texas while the Family is in New York. 1800 Miles. Car can do 300 to a tank. Need to make 6 stops. Wait, car is almost empty- 7. Do my cards still work? I have some cash- will that work? I got my gun- ok. But am I willing to go there? Food. I got some dry soylent and some stuff in the fridge. Maybe a week or two. Where can I get more. Grocery store down the road. Same problem as Gas. Water? I got a gallon or two and maybe the tub I filled up. Farming? Don't know how to. It's a startling thought- We're only 9 meals away from chaos. You can go a day or two without food- sure. Maybe half that without water. Day 3 is when you'll start to do things you normally wouldn't do. (I know you can go for longer, but you try doing that- it get shitty quick) What will you do if something goes down? For better or worse, these times we live in are good. I'm not sure any of us know how to handle it when they get bad. "The privileged evacuees will have badges or uniforms that mean they must be let through—to the front of a line, to get on a bus, to pass through a traffic jam, or to board a helicopter. But will the crowds part peacefully for them ...? On that day, the dependence of the opt-out on popular acquiescence, or subjugation, will be rendered starkly clear."

AstralStorm 8y ago
1) Racing to home would be too late for anything non trivial. Infrastructure will be clogged to no end. Likewise ham radio and most forms of communication. What good is a phone charge when the network is dead? That's a nonsense preparation, like many kinds of bug out preps. What good is a bunker if you cannot get to it? 2) Lack of provisions will immediately hit everyone and looting will ensue, like in New Orleans. Cash becomes worthless due to looting, like many amenities and luxuries. Barter economy takes over and the main bar items are food, water, heat sources, tools and weapons. 3) Agencies are glacially slow to activate and their response is limited. 4) Even if you do have a gun, so do others, alone you're not even important compared to already organized crime and paramilitaries. Or people with private militaries like top government. 5) If water or electricity fails, there is another degree of bad on top. Most people are not prepared for this. 6) Some people think they can outhunt such a problem, this is stupidity. You cannot outprepare anything this magnitude. Even with specific civil defense knowledge and resources you have few chances and a definite shortage of provisions. Long term plan always relies on farming and banding together. Specific tools and knowledge for specific problems, such as efficient gathering aka looting, building, maintenance of infrastructure, true people management skills, loyalty, useful connections. People with health problems get instantly shafted, even some really rich may have trouble. The default is never individualism nor democracy. It's almost always feudalism or tribalism. Small to medium polis caring for its own local problems. Few hundred to few thousand people. We know much more about it because we have a semiregular flood emergencies in places in Poland. And those are relatively small fish where standard social structures do hold up. Likewise places hit by tsunami or bad earthquakes. Cheap Africa level affordable, reliable and reusable solutions are the way to go... something completely in the face of consumerism.

by lykr0n 8y ago

AstralStorm 8y ago

1) Racing to home would be too late for anything non trivial. Infrastructure will be clogged to no end. Likewise ham radio and most forms of communication. What good is a phone charge when the network is dead? That's a nonsense preparation, like many kinds of bug out preps. What good is a bunker if you cannot get to it? 2) Lack of provisions will immediately hit everyone and looting will ensue, like in New Orleans. Cash becomes worthless due to looting, like many amenities and luxuries. Barter economy takes over and the main bar items are food, water, heat sources, tools and weapons. 3) Agencies are glacially slow to activate and their response is limited. 4) Even if you do have a gun, so do others, alone you're not even important compared to already organized crime and paramilitaries. Or people with private militaries like top government. 5) If water or electricity fails, there is another degree of bad on top. Most people are not prepared for this. 6) Some people think they can outhunt such a problem, this is stupidity. You cannot outprepare anything this magnitude. Even with specific civil defense knowledge and resources you have few chances and a definite shortage of provisions. Long term plan always relies on farming and banding together. Specific tools and knowledge for specific problems, such as efficient gathering aka looting, building, maintenance of infrastructure, true people management skills, loyalty, useful connections. People with health problems get instantly shafted, even some really rich may have trouble. The default is never individualism nor democracy. It's almost always feudalism or tribalism. Small to medium polis caring for its own local problems. Few hundred to few thousand people. We know much more about it because we have a semiregular flood emergencies in places in Poland. And those are relatively small fish where standard social structures do hold up. Likewise places hit by tsunami or bad earthquakes. Cheap Africa level affordable, reliable and reusable solutions are the way to go... something completely in the face of consumerism.