bug out » Survival and Beyond

5 Home Invasion Scenarios Your Family Should Train For

Posted by Ed Corcoran News 3 Responses »

Jan 222013

Many of us realize that the key to a good bug out is all of the preparation which is done prior to the actual event taking place. Pre-positioning all of the bug out gear, talking through various scenarios, conducting rehearsals with family members which results in being able to efficiently evacuate a home in mere minutes with all required equipment. Natural disasters aside the chances of having to conduct an actual SHTF bugout are slim. Admittedly most of us would prefer to bug in given the choice and still we train just in case the need ever arises. We train because we do not want to be caught off guard, 20 minutes to leave the home and all of the SHTF gear is in unorganized piles throughout the basement and garage.

It’s safe to assume you have your bug out strategy nailed down but what about other life threatening scenarios which are far more likely to occur in your home? Do you practice with your family what each person should do in the event of a home intruder? Do you have a plan for multiple intruders? Or is the shotgun under the bed and the knowledge that “dad knows what to do” your family’s only plan?

Because home invasions are typically filed as a robbery, burglary, battery, assault, rape, or murder, keeping the public informed of the frequency of home invasions within their communities is difficult. However, thanks to data gathered by the FBI and Statistics USA, we’re able to get a better idea of the prevalence of this sinister crime:

-Home burglaries occur approximately every 15 seconds in the U.S.

-Most home intruders force their way into homes through the front door.

-From 1994 to 2000, an average of 3,600,000 home invasions occurred each year.

-In the U.S. alone, 1 out of every 5 homes will be victimized by a violent home invasion or burglary.

Source: Global Security Experts

I would submit to you that any well laid plan to defend your home against evil doers should involve discussing a few scenarios which I have listed below and rehearsing your plan of action to deal with those scenarios. Rehearse them during daylight hours first, just talking through some of your considerations and “what ifs.” Once you feel like you have a decent plan try to implement it during the evening or even during the middle of the night unexpectedly. Dialing 911 should always be part of your plan and additionally please remember to never train with loaded weapons. I can only assume that my plan(s) will differ from yours because we all have different family sizes, ages of children, home layouts, dogs/alarms and proximity to law enforcement).

5 Scenarios To Train For.

1- Bad guy(s) outside the house, trying to gain entry.

It’s the middle of the night and your dog starts barking. You wake up and look out the window, you think you see a shadow and a bit of movement outside…or did you see two figures? What’s the plan? Someone calls 911 but they are at least 10 minutes away on a good day. You hear glass break downstairs while you reach for your shotgun. What to do with your family? Your dog won’t stop barking now and your wife is freaking out. You want to go downstairs but aren’t sure how many men there could be in the home. What are you going to do?

2- Intruder in the house, unknown location.

You wake up to the sound of breaking glass, instinctively you reach for the shotgun beside your bed. You hear your dog barking loudly and then a large yelp, your dog has gone silent. Nobody else is awake yet but in the fog of your mind you quickly realize someone is in the house, either going through items in another room or mere seconds from entering your bedroom. The kids are down the hall, you need to call 911, you are fumbling with the safety on the shotgun and stubbed your toe trying to quickly move across the bedroom. Your wife calls your name out, it’s only been 15 seconds since waking up but feels like an eternity. You shouldn’t have drank those 4 glasses of wine before bed, you hear another sound in another room. Now what?

3- Multiple Intruders in the house, unknown location.

Everything that happened in scenario #2 except you hear multiple voices. You’ve only got one shotgun which happens to be a side by side coach gun (2 shots), will it be enough? Your wife could use your pistol to back you up but you have never practiced that before. Does she even know what sectors of fire means? You have seconds to react, no time to explain. You wish you had practiced this like PJ told you to. This is when you realize your pistol is locked up in the safe in your office along with the rest of your shotgun ammunition.

4- Unexpected attack, forced entry.

Ding dong, that’s your doorbell. Your wife opens the door because two men in uniforms are standing there holding clipboards. As soon as she opens the door they bum rush her and force their way into your home, pulling pistols out simultaneously. In a mere second this has gone from mundane to armed robbery and you are in the garage working on your lawnmower. Are you even armed? Where is everyone else in the house, do they know what to do?

5- Dad isn’t home, intruder alert.

This is one of my biggest fears. Let’s say you have to travel for business and any one of the above scenarios happens while your wife and children are home. Do they know what to do? Has your wife actually trained with weapons enough to know how to employ them in the dark? Or does she just pop a few rounds off at the range and hand you an empty gun which you reload for her…

The bottom line.

I’m not suggesting that everyone in your house should sleep in a 360 degree perimeter keeping one person up at all times to pull guard duty. What I am suggesting is that you take a little time to discuss/rehearse practical and rational reactions to likely life threatening scenarios which statistics tell us are quite likely to occur. You might be thinking something like this could never happen to you, after all your home is in the suburbs and you live next door to a cop. I bet Melinda Hermin never thought she would be putting her recently acquired gun skillsto use earlier this month to defend her children from an intruder. I also believe Dr. William Petit never thought it could happen to his family either (tragically it did).

In dramatic testimony, a prominent Connecticut doctor described how he was beaten in his sleep and woke up face-to-face with two men who sexually assaulted, tortured and killed his wife and two daughters in a brutal home invasion.

Dr. William Petit, who took the stand Tuesday at the trial of one of the men accused of murdering his family, was the sole survivor of the 2007 attack. He told the court for the first time how Steven Hayes, along with co-defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky, allegedly broke into his Cheshire home, raped his wife and one of his daughters and set the house on fire.

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Video: Organizing Your Bug Out Bag

Posted by Ed Corcoran Videos No Responses »

Jan 112013

By Craig Caudill – Dan’s Depot

Organizational skills are a must when developing a bug out bag. There will be a need to get to some items quickly, or at least efficiently. Consider how you might work with the items in your kit in a dark, stressed, cold environment. Particularly when you have been thrust into that situation rather than slowly made your way there.

We put this video together to start your idea machine working on how you would do it. If you are so inclined, please take the time to get in the forums and share your ideas, or leave a comment below. With this video and your additions, I am sure we can come up with dozens of ideas to help one another.

Check out the Dan’s Depot forums, I am going there now to start a thread on this topic. I am sure there will be alot of ideas generated there to help you organize your kit.

Until next time I hope to see you on, or off, the trail!

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10 Tips for Bugging In

Posted by Ed Corcoran News Comments Off

Jan 082013

Prepper Resources

Bugging in is most likely the first option in the prepper playbook that will be employed by most of us when confronted with a crisis, regardless of how much time is spent chatting about the far sexier concept of bugging out. Let’s face the facts, you and I are much more comfortable on our home turf. Most (if not all) of our supplies are there with us and unless a fully stocked survival ranch is awaiting us in the redoubt our chances of making it are far greater at home versus heading off blindly into the unknown. This does not mean that we aren’t ready to bugout at a moment’s notice, or that we have not rehearsed this many times over, it’s just that we simply do not want to.

Bugging in does present a few challenges, some of which are dependent on the type of SHTF scenario that unfolds. It is impossible to write about every scenario and to take into account each specific circumstance so I’ll just keep things rather generic and hope that you can adjust as needed. What follows is a list of 10 things to keep in mind when bugging in, feel free to add more of your thoughts in the comment section below the article.

1- Hygiene: I listed this as #1 because I believe this potentially presents a much greater threat than any pack of gun wielding evil doers. Even something as simple as continuing to use the bathroom (no doubt outside in a pit after T-SHTF) without paying proper attention to the washing of one’s hands before eating could lead to severe sickness. Add to that the fact that there could be very few accessible Doctors or prescription drugs and things could quickly spiral out of control. Great care should be taken to maintain some semblance of clean living, brushing and flossing one’s teeth daily, using baby wipes or other methods to “shower” up (read: get the funk off your body), disinfecting the small wounds that are sure to occur to avoid infection et al. The list goes on and on, but I wanted to make sure to list this first because I believe that it is often overlooked by many in the prepper community.

2- Security: Obviously very important in any SHTF scenario. Hopefully you would work with your community to identify and secure a small area encompassing all of your homes, almost creating an outpost of sorts. Also consider the following when planning your security strategy.

a. Appearance. There has to be a careful balance here, you don’t want to attract attention to your house but you also do not want to be seen as a soft target. Based on your home’s location and how many people you have living in close proximity to you will help to determine what course of action you choose. Personally I think the “ransacked house” look is much more practical than the “fortress.” A home that looks like it has been torn through a few times will be much less noticed than a home with boarded up windows, sandbags and concertina wire in the front yard. Hopefully you will be able to find a decent compromise which allows you to remain somewhat incognito but still maintain some semblance of security.

b. Light Discipline. When the sun goes down, all lights stay off, it’s just that simple. Most people who do end up on the road will probably travel at night as a precautionary measure, and keep in mind even a small candle can be seen through a window from miles away. You don’t want to broadcast your location to the world by keeping the lights on at night. Use a red or blue lens flashlight if you have to and cover up the windows.

c. Guard Roster. Depending on how far into SHTF things have progressed and how volatile things are in your area you should consider leaving someone up at night. Think like a bad guy for a second. They will try to break into your place under the cover of darkness and it will probably be sometime just after midnight when they think you are completely asleep. Even bad guys don’t want to wait until 3 or 4 in the morning, besides they are factoring in the time needed to ransack your place and still get out under the cover of darkness. If you can’t spare anyone to stay up at night hopefully you have an alert dog.

d. Locks, Bars. Consider additional low cost methods of securing the entry points to your home. If you have a sliding door which leads to a back deck or patio, realize this is a huge security risk. It is relatively simple to pry a door up out of its tracks and it can be done quickly with minimal tools. Consider using a barricade on your door, or even something as simple as a door jammer.

e. Early Warning. Cheap early warning devices might succeed in thwarting amateur-ish criminals, at the very minimum they could wake your dog or provide you with the suspect’s location (if you are alert). Something as simple as stringing up a few pop cans on para cord, or emplacing one of these Cyalume trip flares will let those who are approaching know that your home has not been left undefended.

3- Water: I’m assuming you probably have enough potable water on hand to sustain your family for a few weeks or maybe even a month. I am also assuming, like any good prepper, that you have ways to filter water obtained from various non-traditional sources. Does your neighborhood have a pool? This will be a huge resource if T-SHTF. Remember the Berkey filter system can make chlorinated water safe to drink although it will wear down the filter elements faster. Don’t forget to identify ponds, lakes, streams within your immediate area and your methods for retrieving water from those sources. Water is heavy and constant trips to a river which is 1/2 mile from your home (one way) will prove to be exhausting if done on foot.

4- Fitness: You simply cannot sit inside your home every day, eating MREs and pulling guard duty and not expect to get fat. Have some sort of fitness plan which incorporates muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness. You don’t need a gym or running track to accomplish this task, much can be done utilizing one’s own body weight and a jump rope. If the SHTF does occur and 6 months passes those who have put in the extra effort to continue on with some sort of fitness plan will be leagues ahead of those who did not, especially when it comes to the ability to work, defend, survive.

5- Fire: If your home starts burning the local fire department will not be there in short order to quench the blaze, nor will an insurance agent be there with a check to replace your home in a week or two. Resist the urge to build a fire pit in your living room, do not bring your propane (or charcoal) grill into the house because “there are no rules!” As a matter of fact pay special attention to your smoke detectors. Even in a grid down scenario they should still be able to operate on 9v batteries, make sure they remain functional. Fire is a very real threat and care should be taken to avoid catastrophe.

6- Medical: Unless you are a trauma surgeon who is married to an anesthesiologist with two kids who happen to be an ER nurse and EMT, you will probably experience situations which require more medical treatment than you can provide. Even after SHTF it is likely that there will be clinics of some sort, most likely set up at local churches or quite possibly run out of the homes of medical practitioners Remember even those people will need to eat and it is quite possible that you will be able to barter for medical care. Seek out these treatment facilities and if possible identify who within your immediate community has any medical experience.

7- Trash: I’ve written about the problems associated with trash after SHTF, remember Mr Garbage man won’t be around once a week to take your nasty bags of maggot covered pizza crumbs. While it does stand to reason that there will be much less trash produced after SHTF (many items will be re-purposed) having a good plan for waste will be important. You should also educate your neighbors if possible, I’m quite sure they will be more than willing to simply toss stuff out into the street which is completely unacceptable. Once the critters and vermin arrive they become very hard to eradicate

8- Communications: I’m doubting that your mobile unlimited plan will be worth anything after T-SHTF, so it might be a good idea to have a commo plan in place when operating around your home. 2 way radios are a great option, many have cool features which allow them to double as weather radios (assuming reports are still being issued). If you are out collecting water or even doing perimeter checks having a radio is a great way to keep tabs on what is going on near the house itself.

9- Egress Strategy: Nothing more than your Bugout plan, which of course could be complicated by the fact that your vehicles no longer work and you have long since dug into your supplies (reducing your overall readiness level). While bugging in might be your plan if you get word that the golden hoard is 2 days away and closing in on your location a plan to pick up and move needs to be ready to go. Unless of course you fancy going out like Davy Crockett while trying to defend the Alamo.

10- Food: No ma

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9 Mistakes Typically Made by Preppers

Posted by Ed Corcoran News No Responses »

Dec 282012

By The Survival Woman – BackdoorSurvival.com

Once upon a time I was a novice prepper and there are days that I still feel that way. Having chosen the prepper lifestyle, I always find myself in search of that next greatest thing – whether it is a piece of gear, a new type of freeze dried food, a fabulous new prepping book or a DIY survival skill. No matter what it is, there always seems to be something out there to capture my attention.

While I do believe that is it worthwhile to be looking forward, it is also good to reflect on past prepping mistakes, to learn from them, and to move forward with a new sense of resolve. Today I am going to share some common prepper mistakes. Many of these – especially those at the top of the list – I have made myself. Others – through luck or planning – I have managed to avoid.

Whatever your personal situation, take some time to review this list and if you find an area where you are remiss, consider the past a learning experience and do what I do – make adjustments and move forward.

9 Mistakes Typically Made by Preppers

1. Failing to inventory stored food supplies.

Guilty as charged. It is easy to amass a sizable supply of food in a short period of time. This is especially true if you tend to purchase a little bit extra each time you shop. Before you know it, you have a closet or pantry full of stuff but no clue as to what is inside. In my case, I have some well marked buckets of food but no master list. I know I have 30 pounds of coffee beans – or is it 40? And #10 tins of freeze-dried meats, fruits and veggies? They are packed away in carton boxes and I know I have lots of cartons but just exactly what and how much?

I have been storing food for so long that I can not rely on memory alone to know what I already have and what is still needed. This is my number one mistake and one that I plan to remedy in two ways. First of all, everything new that I purchase will be inventoried right away. This is what I call my going forward plan. Then, as time allows, I will methodically inventory everything else.

The key, of course, is not to co-mingle the old with the new. Sure, I may end up with some duplicates but that is better than being so overwhelmed than to do nothing at all. Your plan may be different given the dynamics of your space and your time. All I can say is that if you are fairly new to prepping, don’t let this one slip by. Keep track of what you have from the get go and save yourself a lot of grief down the road.

2. Identifying the most likely risks and prepping for those first.

When I first started, I went off willy-nilly preparing for all sorts of calamities. Earthquakes, terrorist attacks, pandemics, nuclear melt-downs, civil disobedience – you name it, I tried to prepare for it all. These days, I recommend that one of the very first steps that you take when prepping is to evaluate the most likely risks in your area and within your personal domestic situation.

Most if not all city, county and state governments will have emergency management websites that will help you sort through the most likely disasters to occur in your area. Add to this an assessment of your location. Are you in a city where gangs, mobs or terrorist attacks are likely? Do you live in a remote area where the failure of transportations systems or the lack of fuel will cut off you off from supplies from the rest of the world? Is your employment situation tenuous requiring that you build up some cash reserves to get you by just in case the job goes away?

Clearly, at the beginning, some choices will need to be made regarding the best use of your prepping budget. Just remember that food, water and first aid supplies should be at the top of everyone’s list. After that, assess the most likely risks and plan accordingly. A good place to start is 12 Months of Prepping – The First Year which is a recap of monthly supplies, skills and tasks to get you starting on the road to preparedness.

3. Preparing mostly to bug out rather than bugging in.

We all talk about having a bug-out-bag and without question, having your most basic survival items in a pack that you can grab and go if you need to get out of dodge in a hurry is important. But beyond that, over and over I see people acquire all sorts of gear for surviving on the run - perhaps in the woods or bush in a remote location.

I know that in own case and also with the majority of the readers on Backdoor Survival, hunkering down and bugging in will always be preferred to taking off into the unknown with our stuff. For many, the choice to bug in has to do with family, health concerns or financial considerations. That, plus the availability of stored supplies makes bugging in – or staying at home – the choice when a disaster strikes.

At the end of the day, take care of your bugging in needs first and foremost. Plan for outdoor cooking facilities (perhaps an existing charcoal grill?), supplemental lighting (like this $21 Dorcy Wireless Motion LED Flood Lite), stored water, and a portable generator now. Later, down the road, you can expand your supplies to include the essentials for truly bugging out.

That said, pay attention to mistake number 4.

4. Failure to evacuate at just the right time.

When the storm of the century is heading your way, know that it is time to evacuate. Load up your vehicle and go. As much as you feel that your are better off in your own home, if the authorities tell you to leave – and even if they do not – get out of harms way as a precautionary measure. Do so while you still have the ability to load up your vehicle with supplies and fill the tank with gas.

Sticking around when there is at least a 50% chance of a disaster occurring (hurricane, flood, landslides, tsunami,wildfire) is just plain silly. Remember mistake number 2 – failure to evaluate the risks? Part of your planning should be to determine the trigger point for evacuation as well as identification of an evacuation site and a route to get there. Better yet, plan an alternate route as well.

5. Having the gear but not knowing how to use it.

I am guilty of this one as well. I have a Kaito emergency radioamazon.com/e/ir?t=continmoti-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003A21DQA" alt=" 9 Mistakes Typically Made by Preppers Backdoor Survival" width="1" height="1" border="0" /> as well as some Midland FRS radios. Sure, I know how basically to use them but what if I needed to use some of the more esoteric features? My bad. I also have a hand held compass – a nice one at that – and yet in these days of GPS navigation, would I know how to use it?

Get out the gear two or three times a year and put it through its paces. Not only do you need to know how to use it, but you need to make sure your gear is in good working order. Blades need to be sharpened, batteries need to be charged and skills need to be refreshed.

6. Underestimating other humans as a threat.

In a perfect world, we would all get along and go about our business in a mild-mannered way, not bothering anyone or causing others harm. Alas, as humans this has never been the case. From biblical times forward, man has opposed man. There have been and still are warriors, and armies, soldiers and dictators, enemies and foes.

As recent mass shootings have revealed, mental illness or drugs can make good people go bad. Add the uncertainly and chaos created by an unstable society and the potential for human threat because a major cause for concern.

Whether you embrace firearms or shun them, you still need a way to defend yourself, your family and your property. Consider pepper sprays, martial arts, and other defensive mechanisms in addition to traditional firearms. It is foolhardy to believe that having some means of defense is not needed because “there is no one out to get you”. Desperate people are dangerous people. And the lack of food, water and supplies will turn ordinary people into desperate people in a heartbeat.

7. Buying stuff while ignoring the need to develop skills.

Buying stuff is easy. Save up your money, select your merchandise and go to your local outdoor emporium or Amazon and make a purchase. On the other hand, learning new skills (or practicing old ones) takes time, patience and bit of study. Do you know how to start a fire without matches or a butane lighter? Do you know how to take advantage of natures bounty by knowing how to fish or hunt? And what about growing your own food? Could you do it?

Developing skills to become self-sufficient are every bit as important as having a closet full of the best gear money can by.

8. Lacking the knowledge to properly store your food supplies.

There are six enemies of food storage: Temperature, Moisture, Oxygen, Light, Pests and Time.

Okay, some might say there is a sixth enemy: namely the two legged type that gets into the tastier items (such a cans of brownie mix) and eats them without telling anyone.

Seriously though, storing food for the long term – meaning five years or longer – does take some care. Brush up on the basics of food storage and set up an active rotation program. You don’t necessarily have to store food for 10 years or longer but what you do store – even for a year or two – should be protected to the best of your ability.

One thing to keep in mind that except for the problem with pests, most food will still be edible even if it is not stored at optimal temperatures in a moisture and oxygen-free environment. But why not learn proper storage methods to insure maximum taste and nutrition. Here on Backdoor Survival, the following articles will help educate and there are plenty of others elsewhere on the internet including YouTube. A few hours of your time is all that it will take to make you a food storage expert.

Food storage and Beans: Using Mylar bags and a Food Saver
Food Storage Part I – A Primer on Oxygen Absorbers
Food Storage Part II: Unraveling the Mystique of Mylar Bags
Food Storage Part III: Food Grade Buckets, Lids and Gamma Seals
Food Storage Mistakes and Goofs

9. Relying only on yourself and ignoring like-minded members of your community.

When I first started prepping, I did not mention my new little “hobby” to anyone. You know, OPSEC and all that. But about a year into it, I realized that I could not do it all on my own. There were things I was having trouble grasping on my own and I needed help. As I tip toed around the edges of my community, I found some like minded people and much to my surprise, I found that I had skills and knowledge that they lacked.

The mutual exchange of skills and knowledge ensued along with some informal agreements to team up if circumstances required us to be on our own for any period of time. This included teaming up for shelter and food as well as defense.

The importance of having a peer group of like minded comrades in my own community was strengthened as I read R. P. Ruggiero’s Brushfire Plague and continues as I explore other truer than life survival stories,. How you decide to expand your community contacts is up to you but be advised that when it comes to survival 1 plus 1 will definitely add up to more than 2.

The Final Word

These days I feel fortunate that I have come so far with my prepping activities. Moving beyond obsession, the prepping way of life is now a part of my core. It is “what I do” as well as being a hobby and a passion.

Indeed, I have made some mistakes along the way and many of them are listed above. There will surely be others down the road but I know that will be okay since they will afford me an opportunity to learn and grow. At the end of the day, life is all about growth, opportunity and the ability to take care of oneself physically, mentally and spiritually. To me, that is what prepping is all about – mistakes and all.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

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Planning an Evacuation

Posted by Ed Corcoran News No Responses »

Dec 202012

By Thomas Miller – Personal Liberty Digest

There have been many natural disasters in recent history that have required people to leave their homes in order to preserve life and safety. Most recently, the East Coast was forced to deal with Super Storm Sandy.

In this case, about two days’ notice was all that residents had to evacuate the areas that would be affected by the storm. Those that chose to adhere to the evacuation order were certainly inconvenienced but survived to talk about it. In past times of disaster, those who ignored orders to evacuate from disaster areas have lost their lives or at best have been stranded for long periods of time.

So What Makes An Evacuation Successful?

It is safe to say that in most cases, an early evacuation is a successful evacuation. Those who wait until the last minute to leave will likely end up on the gridlocked Interstates and some may become one of the unfortunate evacuees who run out of fuel and have to abandon their vehicles in the middle of the highway system.

The key to a successful evacuation is not only leaving early but having a plan to evacuate. Here are some considerations for planning a successful evacuation:

Know Where To Go

Evacuating will remove people from immediate danger but it does not give evacuees a place to stay. In most cases there will be shelters that are set up by relief organizations, and there are always hotels and motels that are available. But shelters are not ideal, and other lodging options fill quickly and are also being expensive.With that being said, the best option is to coordinate with family members or close friends to stay with them at least until longer term arrangements can be made. Staying with friends and family also typically removes limits on whether you can take family pets with you. Shelters and other lodging facilities don’t always give that option.

How Will You Get There?

Method of Evacuation: Most individuals or families will elect to take the most reliable vehicle available to them, others will take more than one vehicle, and some do not have a vehicle to evacuate in and will be forced to rely on others or the government in order to leave the area. Key points to consider when selecting the vehicle that you will use to evacuate is the weather you will be driving in, terrain you will be driving on, capacity of the vehicle, and the availability of fuel and parts for the vehicle as you are evacuating. If you do not have a vehicle and do not want to be left hitchhiking, consider talking to close friends or family in your local area now who have cars about what might happen if there ever was an evacuation order. Find out if one of them will plan to pick you up on the way out.

Routes of Evacuation: Plan more than one evacuation route to your destination. Ideally, there will be a route that will lead out-of-town or away from home and work in each direction: north, east, south and west. This will allow for evacuation regardless of whether one direction is blocked or not. When planning routes, avoiding large cities and metropolitan areas can be a sound decision to avoid danger, areas of congestion and unnecessary delays. One of the best technologies that is available that can be utilized to assist in planning evacuation routes are the online map websites that allow users to get directions from one place to another. An added bonus to planning your routes this way is that once they are planned, they can be printed and placed in a binder with other pertinent information, kept in vehicle glove boxes, or even shared with other family or survival group members through online file sharing. Global positioning systems are great for navigating as you travel, but it can be valuable to have paper maps or an atlas that covers all of the states and major population centers that you may travel through as a backup.

Stops Along the Way: It is likely that if you find yourself in a position where you are evacuating your home that you are probably not going to a destination right down the street. Furthermore, if your idea of a good time is not staying in a high school gym with a bunch of strangers, the destination you will evacuate to is likely to be a close friend or family member, so it may become necessary to make a few stops along the way. These stops may include arranging overnight accommodations. Plan stops for fuel, food, lodging, etc. as needed along your planned routes. To ensure that your planned stops are likely to be open and operating, look at truck stops and places other than one light towns.

What to Take

Cash: In the event of an emergency or disaster situation there may be electrical outages or technology failures that will result in businesses not accepting credit and debit cards. If this becomes the case, cash will be king. Planning to have cash on hand when evacuating will provide for purchasing necessities. It is also possible that banks will be closed and ATMs could be inoperable or out of cash.

B.O.B.: For those not familiar with the acronym, B.O.B. stands for Bug-Out Bag, which can be pretty much any bag that contains the life support items and necessities to survive for a certain period of time (usually 72 hours). The idea behind a B.O.B. is to have a bag on standby either in the house or in the car that can be grabbed at a moment’s notice and taken along. This is a perfect item to take in an evacuation to ensure that you are not without the bare necessities for survival. While there are no laws governing the B.O.B., typically each individual will have his own bag. A backpack is the most effective bag to use for carrying a B.O.B. for any period of time.

A B.O.B. should include:

A light source (at least a flashlight with an extra set of batteries).
Water for drinking (and a method to purify more water is recommended).
Food (jerky, granola bars, tuna, or other long-life foods that do not require refrigeration and ideally would not require any preparation).
Shelter (poncho, tarp, plastic sheeting, or survival blanket).
Fire/Warmth (fire starters, hand warmers and/or waterproof matches)
Clothing (Whatever suits you, no pun intended. For example, if you keep your bag in your car and wear dress shoes daily you would want to keep some hiking boots or athletic shoes in your B.O.B.).
Self defense/security (pepper spray or whatever is legal in your local area).
·First aid kit.
Personal hygiene items (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine products, etc.).
Tools (At a minimum a good knife, but a multi-tool can be valuable because of the additional features it offers. Other tools that some include in their bags include a hatchet, small pry bar, Woodsman’s Pal or machete.)
Communications (extra cell phone, CB radio, or family band radios to communicate between vehicles during an evacuation.)

Treated Fuel: If you have to leave, don’t get stuck on the side of the road in a vehicle that has run out of gas. A reasonable guideline is to carry enough stabilized fuel with you during an evacuation to travel an additional 100 miles.

Spare Vehicle Parts and Tools: Extra parts seem to always be needed at the worst of times. It is not going to be possible to carry an entire automotive shop everywhere you go, but a few key items can make a significant difference. Some important spare parts that should be kept in a vehicle include an extra set of belts and hoses, spare fuses, a can of fix-a-flat, various hose clamps, electrical tape, spare light bulbs and extra fluids. A basic mechanics tool set can be obtained inexpensively and will contain most of the tools needed to make side of the road repairs in an emergency. Must have items are jumper cables, lug wrench, tire jack, and either road flares or a warning triangle.

What Will Be Needed at Evacuation Location: Some of the important items that may be needed once you arrive at the location that you have evacuated to include:

Medical Records/Shot Records
Driver’s license
Social Security card
School records
Prescription medications (copies of prescriptions)
Glasses (copy of prescription)
Medical equipment
Comfort Items (especially important for children)
Insurance documents
Bank account information

Dealing With Extended Evacuation

The victims of Hurricane Katrina were displaced for extended periods of time and some never returned to New Orleans. Part of evacuating will require staring down the barrel of the cold hard truth and knowing that a new life may have to be established somewhere else, at least for a temporary, yet extended, period of time. This will mean obtaining long term housing, securing employment, finding schools for the kids, etc. Long term disruption is not a guarantee with every evacuation, but being prepared for this possibility can make a significant difference for a person that ends up in that situation.

For instance, an evacuee that has filed a resume in Google Docs so that it can be accessed from anywhere is better prepared to apply for a new job in a different part of the country than a person that is displaced and has to create a new resume from scratch.

In an ideal world there would never be a need to involuntarily leave home. The fact of the matter is that as long as natural disasters, catastrophic failures in technological systems, societal collapse, pandemics, economic disaster, terrorism or acts of war threaten society, so it may be necessary to evacuate your home and relocate to another location. If this happens, having a plan in place results in a proactive approach instead of a reactive evacuation where key items may be missed. Trying to gather all the necessities at the last minute may put you, your loved ones and/or friends in a difficult situation.

-Thomas Miller

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Literally Living on the Road… And Liking it!

Posted by Ed Corcoran News, Videos No Responses »

Dec 202012

Literally Living on the Road… And Liking it!

Some of the best times of my life were when I was on the road, free from all attachments and literally living in my truck or wagon for days, weeks or even months at a time. For me, it was never a hardship, or something to be endured, but rather a life of true freedom and adventure! I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

I learned a lot of my survival and preparedness skills from living a nomadic life. Learning to get by with less… solving unexpected problems… awesome triumphs and epic fails… Good times.

Watching the videos below made me feel nostalgic for those days, but even if you don’t plan on opting to live a bohemian lifestyle, it’s helpful to start thinking that way if you’re forced to bug out. You can either consider purchasing a cheep van or truck and trick it out for long-term living, or take a look at the vehicle you currently have and come up with creative ways to make it more ‘livable’. Even if you’re never forced to leave the comfort of your home, you can still use it to take road trips in convenience and comfort.

James Wesley Smith - Destiny Survival

Most of us aren’t thinking of living in a van for survival. With our families securely at home and plans to shelter in place, it’s the last thing on our minds. But isn’t it the way of catastrophes and turmoil to force us into that which seems abnormal to us now? And aren’t we preparing for things to be different than they are at present? Believe it or not, some are choosing to live in vans. It’s not always a last resort for the down and out homeless.

Below are a couple of videos featuring individuals who live in vans and like it. They’ve customized their vehicles to make them as homey as possible. Organization and efficiency are key. And the Vagabloggers featured in the first video have it down to a science.

This second video features one woman’s customized van. She shares her thoughts on what she likes about dwelling in a van..

A family might want an RV or pickup with a camper shell. Is this something you’d consider? Why or why not?

Is it possible that those who are already living on and off the road have a survival edge? Remember, think survival. Think the unthinkable.

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Bugging Out… Digitally

Posted by Ed Corcoran News 1 Response »

Dec 042012

by Gary Hines

ModernSurvivalOnline.com

“ITS TIME TO BUG OUT!” If you’ve ever heard those words before, you know, your heart starts racing, the gears in your head start turning, and all your “fight or flight” mechanisms kick in telling you to flee! You may not have time to discuss the reasons you’re bugging out, or your options. The people in and around Chernobyl got 15 minutes to round up their family and what belongings they could before most of them were put on buses headed out of the city prior to a nuclear meltdown of Chernobyl’s reactor. Your first thought is your family and pets. Where are they, and how fast can I get them in the car (or alternate bug out vehicle). Then you think firearms, water, food, clothes, prescription medicines (usually in that order) etc. One thing is for sure, if you are bugging out, you’re leaving behind probably 90-99 percent of your belongings, and you don’t know yet if you’re coming back for them. Some of the items least thought about are our physical records, documentation prescriptions, insurance policies, and things that cant be replaced like family photo albums. These items are both precious and important for many reasons. You may need documentation for survival purposes, rebuilding your life elsewhere, travel,or for legal reasons.

Living near Atlantic City, and having just gone through Hurricane Sandy, I can tell you many of my friends living on the barrier islands did not think of these things. In fact, most of them were complete idiots and completely ignored the multiple warnings to evacuate. Several of them who were smart enough to flee prior to the storm remembered to bring their laptops, but never bothered to scan or save important information on them. Now, granted, storing important documentation on your laptop can be a recipe for disaster for security purposes. You wouldn’t want your laptop stolen or hacked with copies of your drivers license, social security card and birth certificate on them! Computers are a place thieves look for your valuable information. Even a damaged discarded computer could still have your vital stats on it if you did not properly delete them. Storing information on a laptop is not fool proof either. Your hard drive could melt down, your laptop could be subjected to water, you could forget to bring it or not be able to carry it in an emergency. Even disasters like a power surge, a nuclear event or EMP could render your PC and all its files useless. The solution is to keep a high capacity USB flash drive on hand, store your information there, and keep it updated and stored in your bugout bag. USB flash drives are readily available, secure, will plug into virtually any PC, and they’re cheap. Some companies even give them away as promotional items. USB flash drives are very compact and can easily clipped to a key chain or kept in your pocket. I recommend you keep them stored in a waterproof container like an Otterbox and stashed in your BOB. Because they are not constantly plugged into your computer, its near impossible for a hacker to get info off of one, and since there is no electricity going through an unplugged flash drive, they’re technically even EMP proof to the best of my knowledge. But hey, feel free to wrap yours in aluminum foil if it makes you feel more secure. Depending on where you have to bugout to, its a pretty safe bet you’re going to find a working computer and printer to make copies of your documents.

Here is a list of the most practical doccuments to have backup copies of and why:

IDENTIFICATION

1) Your drivers license. God forbid you lose your wallet, and are without identification, you could find yourself in all sorts of trouble.

2) Social Security Card. Like your drivers license, this is used to identify you, and difficult and time consuming to get a copy of without going to a Social Security office.

3) Your Birth Certificate. Ever try to replace a lost or damaged birth certificate? I have, and I can tell you its no fun, and can be time consuming in a time when you dont have time to waste.

4) Your Passport. Of course, the actual passport should ALREADY be in your bug out bag in the event you have to leave the country. But god forbid, you lose your passport in a foreign country. You will obviously need your passport to get back into the US, and if youve lost it, having copies of its contents can prove helpful in getting back in, or obtaining a replacement from the a US embassy.

5) Family. As you have copies of all of the above personal documents on your flash drive, you should also have those of your spouse and your children. They may not be able to gather these items in an emergency, and god forbid you find yourself in a situation where you need proof your child is actually yours!

6) Firearms Permits. Got a CCW permit? What if you bugged out, remembered your pistol, but forgot the permit and found yourself in a legal situation where you didn’t have it? Could be a big problem. At least with it stored on your flash drive, you could provide a backup if necessary. In my state of NJ we are required to have a “firearms ID card” for purchasing firearms and ammo. Keep copies of any pertinent firearms identification you may need in your state.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

1) Bank Account Information. Keep copies of at least one bank statement per bank account on your flash drive. Most banks have online banking or bank by phone options, but what if the internet went down or the power grid? This is why I also tell people NOT to opt for paperless bank statements. If a catastrophe ever caused your bank to lose its records, you’d better have paper records to fall back on! On your bank statement, you will have your account and bank routing numbers along with bank phone numbers in case you have to contact your bank.

2) Credit and Debit Cards. Scan both sides of each of your credit and debit cards, and store them on your flash drive. Its important to scan both sides of the card. Obviously, your account numbers are on the front, but just as important is the CV2 number and 1-800 customer service number on the back.

3) Your Portfolio. If you own stocks or bonds, you should keep current statements of your portfolio on your flash drive. Also keep a phone number to your broker AND firm so you can contact them in an emergency. Remember, your broker may have bugged out as well, and most large brokerages have offices nationwide.

INSURANCES

1) Health Insurance. Keep copies of you and your families health insurance policies and cards on your flash. You should also have medical records as well as any necessary maintenance prescriptions for you and your family stored. If your injured and need medical attention, you will need these things.

2) Homeowners / Renters / Flood Insurance Policies. Fires, flood, tornado’s, earthquakes, nuclear catastrophe, biological events, or any myriad of disasters could render your home destroyed, unlivable, or unable to return to. If this is the case, it is going to be necessary to rebuild your life possibly in another state. You’re going to need to be able to contact your insurance company for reimbursement for your loss. If you rent an apartment, I recommend you have a renters policy that covers fire, flood, other acts of nature and terrorism. Renters policies are usually under a hundred bucks a year, but I can tell you first hand, I know people who were renters who lost anywhere from 20-50 thousand dollars worth of belongings in Hurricane Sandy that they would have been able to get paid for had they simply invested a few bucks in a renters policy.

3) Auto / RV / Boat / Motorcycle Insurance and Registrations. Depending on your bug out vehicle or vehicles, you should have copies of all pertinent insurance policies. Again, if you have full coverage and a vehicle you leave behind is destroyed, you will want to recoup the cost of a replacement.

PROOF OF OWNERSHIP

1) Make yourself a small file, and keep a copy of automobile titles, property deeds, firearm receipts, and any other pertinent receipt in your life that you may feel is necessary to have backed up.

PERSONAL ITEMS

1) Photo Albums. Most of us are clearly using digital cameras these days and storing photos on our computers. But what about those old photo albums? You know, the ones with your parents, grandparents, pets, maybe children? Those things are not replaceable. That’s why you should be scanning them and backing them up digitally.

2) Videos. Maybe your wedding, friends, baby’s first steps. You want to preserve these treasures as long as you can.

3) Diplomas, College Transcripts and Resume’s. These may be useful in finding work in the future in another place.

4) Music. Its nice to have backups of your favorite music.

So, there is your next bug out project. Don’t risk losing those important and irreplaceable things you cherish most and can easily preserve with a little effort.

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Nature’s Super Foods: Bananas and Oranges

Posted by Ed Corcoran News No Responses »

Nov 202012

Here’s an interesting article detailing not only the health and nutritional benefits of these “super foods”, but also a few bushcraft uses for the peels!

By Dr. Alex Estrada

In my previous blog I discussed some basic essential vitamins & minerals. I’m now going to take the opportunity to discuss two super foods which you can throw into your bag before your next hike or have at home at all times in order for good overall health & nutrition as well as to pack in the event you need to bug out. Two of my favorite & most practical super foods are bananas & oranges. They are very nutritious & come in convenient travel packages (their peels).

Bananas:

Nutritional benefits:

One banana has 11% of the RDA of dietary ﬁber and only about 108 calories.
Bananas also contain high levels of fructooligosaccharide which helps promote calcium absorption, it further helps in glucose metabolism so that it lowers the chances for someone to be hyper- or hypo- glycemic. Fructooligosaccharide further nourishes healthy bacteria in the colon that manufacture vitamins and digestive enzymes that boost the body’s overall ability to absorb nutrients. Just one banana has 34% of the RDA of vitamin B6, which serves many important roles in the body’s health as discussed in my previous blog. Bananas have twice as many carbohydrates as an apple, five times as much Vitamin A & iron, and three times as much phosphorus. In addition, bananas are also rich in potassium and natural sugars. Eating only two bananas will give you enough energy to exercise or workout for an hour and a half.

Bananas have a chemical called tryptophan – the same chemical that turkey contains.
This mood regulating substance contains a level of protein that helps the mind relax so you feel happier. What couldn’t be better if one is “roughing it out”!

Practical uses:

Before you throw those peels away, rubbing the inside of it along a mosquito bite will help reduce the itching and swelling. Banana peels are also good for application to first or second degree burns since they contain antimicrobial properties as well as have a cooling / soothing effect. The vitamins & minerals in the peel also promote healing. Banana peels are also excellent for composting & I have read data which shows that burying a banana peel in a garden will help the plants / flowers around it. So, if you’re out in the wilderness – burry that peel instead of littering and you’ll actually be doing Mother Nature a favor!

Oranges:

Nutritional benefits:

Oranges have many health benefits. They are rich in Vitamins C and A, flavonoids, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, potassium, & dietary fiber. These antioxidants are also helpful in reducing harmful inflammation. Magnesium in oranges helps to maintain the blood pressure. Studies show that polyphenols found in citrus fruits protect against viral infections and this is critical since one cannot afford to get sick while out in the wilderness. Also, as I have discussed previously, oranges contain iron and Vitamin B6 which help in the production of hemoglobin and increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Oranges also contain Beta Carotene (the substance that gives oranges & carrots their color) which is a powerful antioxidant essential for cell strength & repair as well as being beneficial for eyesight. Oranges are also good for your kidney since their juice helps break down small kidney stones as well as prevents them from being formed in the first place. This is especially applicable since if one is in the wilderness for an extended period, it’s very easy to become dehydrated & dehydration is one of the most common ways to develop kidney stones.

Practical uses:

Dried orange and lemon peels are a good choice for use as kindling. Not only do they smell good, but they produce less creosote than newspaper. Also, flammable oils found inside the peels enable them to burn longer and can keep your campfire hotter. Orange peels also serve as a natural ant, moth & mosquito repellant. Orange rinds can also be used to scrub clean cooking equipment & eating utensils.

Until next time – stay healthy!

Dr. E

MEDICAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER The Author provides the information & content contained therein for informational purposes only. The Author does not provide any medical advice on the Site, and the Information should not be so construed or used. Using, accessing and/or browsing the Site and/or providing personal or medical information to the Author does not create a physician-patient relationship between you and the Author. Nothing contained in the Site is intended to create a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a licensed, trained physician or health professional or to be a substitute for medical advice of a physician or trained health professional licensed in your state.

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Gas Storage for when the SHTF

Posted by Ed Corcoran News 6 Responses »

Aug 202012

Everyone knows that having food and water storage is crucial for your SHTF plan, but gas storage is of almost equal importance. I always tell my readers and listeners to keep their gas tanks full and never let it get below half a tank without filling up again. It may be difficult to break the habit of letting your car get down to running on fumes before you fill up again (it was for me), but you’ll be grateful that you have that fuel if you need to bug out and gas is hard (or impossible/expensive) to come by.

Even if you do keep your gas tank full (or near full) at all times, you may need more gas than your tank will hold if you need to get out of Dodge to your designated bug out location or your pre-arranged stay with an out-of-town friend or relative. This is one reason it is so important to have a number of filled gas cans ready to use.

Conversely, if you’re not bugging out but instead find yourself far from home when disaster strikes, you should have enough fuel to make the trip back home to safety. Just as grocery store shelves will empty out in record time after a disaster, there will also be a run on the gas stations when the SHTF. Even if you don’t live in a disaster-prone area, a power loss or grid collapse – due to a solar flare or EMP – will make it impossible to get gas from your nearest filling station (gas pumps kinda need electricity to work).

Plastic gas cans or “Jerry Jugs” are readily available, and cost a lot less than metal cans. DO NOT store gasoline in containers that are not intended for that purpose!

5 gallon plastic gas can

Five-gallon cans are recommended. Gasoline weighs a little over 6 lbs at 72 degrees F (slightly more at colder temperatures) so a 5 gallon container will weigh a little over 30 lbs, which is fairly manageable to carry around with you.

How much gas you should keep on hand is largely dependent on how much space you have to store it. There’s only so many cans that you’ll be able to fit in your vehicle along with your other essential items. Store as much as you can, but not to the detriment of food, water and other vital supplies.

Hey looters! Come and get it!

It’s important to note that gas will become a valuable barter item in a post-collapse scenario, but it will also make you a target for thieves and looters. So make sure you keep your gas reserves stowed away out of sight. If your plan is to strap your gas cans to the roof or outside of your vehicle, you might as well put a sign on your car that says “Free Gas”, because that’s ostensibly what you’re doing. If you’re carrying gas in the back of a pickup truck, keep it covered with a tarp, or better still, put a lockable cap/camper shell on the back of your truck to protect your belongings. This won’t completely stop a determined thief from stealing your gear, but it could deter him or delay him long enough for you to do something about it.

Proper gas storage practices are essential for safety as well as keeping your gas stable and viable for a maximum length of time. A properly sealed can that is designed for storing gasoline should not leak vapor, but it’s still recommended that you store gas in a well ventilated area. Keeping the gas can out of the sun and excessive heat will minimize the expansion and contraction of the can. Add a fuel stabilizing product like STA-BIL or PRI-G (PRI-D for diesel) to the gas for long term storage and it will keep the gas fresh for 12 months. Just as with food and water storage, make sure to mark the cans with the storage date (the date that the fuel stabilizer was added). As your gas storage approaches the 12 month mark, pour it into your gas tank and refill the can with fresh gas.

So don’t neglect storing gas in your preparedness plan. Even if nothing disastrous happens, with the way gas prices have been fluctuating over the last year, buying gas while prices are relatively low means you won’t get pinched as hard when that roller coaster peaks again.

As a final note, make sure to check with your local fire department about any fuel storage regulations in your area.

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Survival and Beyond #20 – Interview with Adventurer and Survivalist; Scott B. Williams Author of “The Pulse”

Posted by Ed Corcoran Show Archives No Responses »

Aug 032012

This week on the show, Ed interviews author, adventurer and survivalist; Scott B. Williams. His many titles include: “Bug Out”, “Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters”, “Getting Out Alive” as well as books about his sea kayaking and other outdoor adventures. This time around, they discuss his first survival novel: “The Pulse – A Novel of Surviving the Collapse of the Grid”. And as usual, Ed brings the news, information and insights that affect our freedom, health and survival!

Click the button below to listen online or right-click and select “Save link as…” to download

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Interview with “Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters” Author; Scott B. Williams

Posted by Ed Corcoran News, Show Archives No Responses »

May 172012

On this installment of Survival and Beyond, Ed interviews outdoorsman, hard-core kayaker and survival author; Scott B. Williams. His first highly acclaimed book: “Bug Out” is an indispensable guide to planning your escape should you be forced to leave your home when the SHTF, including an extensive section on the types of environments and conditions you will encounter in various regions of the country. In his follow-up book : “Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters”, Scott covers the various types of “escape vehicles” to consider and how to equip them.

On the show Ed and Scott discuss a few of the possible survival situations that we could likely be faced with and what we can do to prepare should we be forced to… Bug Out!

Click the button below to listen on-line or right-click and select “Save link as…” to download.

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Should You Even Bother to Have a Bug Out Plan?

Posted by Ed Corcoran News 2 Responses »

Apr 112012

That’s a sentiment I encountered on a an urban survival blog (I won’t mention any names) that I happened upon in my internet travels the other day. An article entitled: “Is Bugging Out Really Worth it?” caught my eye. The article asserts that in a SHTF situation, staying in urban areas will be safer than attempting to get out of Dodge.

“A lot of hardcore preppers insist that you have to have a bug out bag and a bug out location. Many of them say that when the SHTF, the cities will burn to the ground. And even if they don’t burn, the people living in them will starve to death or be murdered by looters.

Personally, I don’t think things will ever get quite that bad. (The only exception would be if there were an EMP blast or a nuclear war, but that is beyond the scope of this site.) The government has contingency plans for natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes. I’m not saying they’ll do a great job (for example, FEMA after hurricane Katrina), but usually order will be restored in a few days, long before people start killing each other for food.”

There has been much written in apocalyptic fiction that paints a vivid (some would say exaggerated) picture of cities burning to the ground as the helpless residents fall victim to starvation, exposure, looters and horrific violence. Will the reality of societal breakdown bring these events to fruition? No one can really say for sure. What can be said for sure is that surviving in an urban environment in a WROL world will be an ordeal at the very least. Not to mention, you will also have to worry about government agencies, police and other “forces” coming in and confiscating your food, firearms and anything else you might have of value, leaving you helpless to defend or even feed yourself. Such as in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, when the police rounded up residents’ guns and food storage and National Guardsmen joined in on the looting. The next time, they may not just round up your guns and food. The may round up you as well.

Personally, I’d rather not be around for that.

Yet there are those within the survival and preparedness community who still believe that the government will (albeit slowly) come to our rescue and ultimately save the day, assuaging their fears with the reassurance that: “The government has contingency plans for natural disasters” and “…order will be restored in a few days, long before people start killing each other for food.”

I for one, have very little faith in the government’s ability (or inclination) to ensure the safety and well-being of American citizens after a major disaster or collapse. I’m sure that some kind of “order” will eventually be asserted, but that order will not be imposed with the best interests of the people at heart.
FEMA and DHS (which I consider to be two heads of the same beast at this point) seem more concerned with stocking up on ammunition than food and disaster supplies, and history has shown that it takes less than a few days for people to start looting and turning on each other, even in less than disastrous situations.

Take for example the New York City blackout in 1977. It took only 25 hours for power to be completely restored to all the city’s boroughs and yet during that time, hundreds of businesses were looted and burned while emergency rooms were flooded with victims of violence.

On the other hand, the blackout in 2003 – which was the largest in American history, affecting a much larger area of the country – resulted in far fewer crimes and markedly less violence.

Social analysts suggest that the outburst of violence and crime during the 1977 blackout was largely caused by socio-economic factors and exacerbated by the heat. In 1977 the economy was at a near-depression level, unemployment in New York topped 10.5% and the inflation rate was higher than the national standard. As a result, there was a lot of underlying resentment, anger and frustration within the city’s poorest communities. New York was also suffering a brutal heat wave at the time, so when the power went out, all that collectively pent-up aggression was released in an explosive free-for-all that resulted in $33M in damages.

By contrast, the 2003 blackout – while a lot more widespread than the NYC blackout – occurred during comparatively more prosperous times. Also, since it happened a little less than 2 years after 9/11, there was still a strong sense of unity and solidarity against the “terrorist threat” among Americans as a whole and especially among New Yorkers. This has been attributed to the markedly calm reaction in contrast to the 1977 power outage.

“So my point is: It’s not as dangerous to be in the city during a disaster as most people claim. And if things actually get so bad in the cities that you can’t survive there, you won’t be much better off in the country, anyway.”

Nobody can predict what kind of event is going to go down in any given city at any given time, or how the majority of people are going to react. There have also been full-blown economic collapses in other countries such as Argentina, Zimbabwe and now Greece, that did not result in mass exodus of the residents, or the transformation of the cities into a Mad Max landscape, but this should not lull you into a false sense of safety when it comes to urban survival. While it’s true that it’s just not practical to think that everybody living in the city will even be able to escape to rural areas, you should still have a plan to get out of Dodge. Even if your bug out plan is simply to go stay with friends or relatives out of state or in another region outside of the danger zone.

Survivng in the wilderness is tough, to be sure, and very few can manage it alone for extended periods of time – even with the proper training and experience – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bother to learn and practice those skills. American cities may not become full-blown war zones in the aftermath of an economic collapse, or some other wide-spread disaster, but they’re not exactly going to be “safe”, either. So keep planning and preparing!

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