Quote from Jeanette on Nov 9th, 2018, 8:35am:Quote from Fernando on Nov 9th, 2018, 1:37am:In thinking, the only thing that comes to my mind is a metaphor for you are growing up and facing a Mid-Life Crisis that mostly males get.You start to question everything in your past, what you have accomplished, why you accomplished those things and what can you take to continue further on with.
If that is true, I have faced a mid-life crisis since I was a teenager. Even in the 1990s, I have seen news clips of refugees fleeing their country with nothing but what they could carry. When I look at these things over and over again, I ask myself: What makes us, America, so unique? Who is to say this will not happen to America? A financial collapse, rioting and a few strategically placed nuclear bombs will turn the mighty American empire into a third-world nation.
Several so-called "Social Experts" calculated that for a massive disaster that would take down the United States would have to take/effect 80% of the population of the USA Mainland. In a nation of over 340million, that would be over 280Million people have undergo a life threatening situation and not survive. Taking the 2016 election as a perspective, Hillary won every major city in every state but not won the electoral vote for that state; she had over 140Million counted votes to Trump's 135Milllion. So, by perspective that is everyone who ever voted for Hilary in every state x 2. In this you would be walking into cities that would be ghost towns, highway gangs running the tolls and protection rackets on the roads, those who are lucky enough to have a bug-out shelter like a hunting cabin in the woods, would have to protect it from others coming to take it from them.
If anything, the best place to go in a SHTF Situation that what much devastation, would be an Amish Community, and work hard to be accepted by them because they are very close knit and not willing to accept outsiders. But once inside and accepted by them, you would be given food, shelter, clothing, etc., everything to start all over again. I thought about having the RPG group meet up with an Amish Community along its travel route, but it might be too far west to have one since they are from mid Pennsylvania to the Missouri/Mississippi Rivers. But the problem with the Amish Community, they would be very anti-Spirit as they are very devote Christians to the point of extremism.
Quote from Jeanette on Nov 9th, 2018, 8:35am:I'm all for making digital backups. I think it would be a good idea to make three: CD-ROM, SD card and a USB drive. There is no way to know what kind of computer I can access. I also want a hard copy since I don't need electricity to access those. Currently, I have seventy-five pages, not including the letter and a few duplicate printouts, organized in two folders. I hope that will change as I find more records.
Again, Amish community. You just have to lock up your technology, for they would not be accepting of technology.
Quote from Jeanette on Nov 9th, 2018, 8:35am:Quote from Fernando on Nov 9th, 2018, 1:37am:You mentioned that you were taking a plane? Unless you are going across oceans, I would not recommend it. It is not the paranoid view of "Planes Crash" or "they will lose your luggage" but TSA seeing all this stuff wrapped up in aluminum foil will think you are some sort of smuggler. Last thing you want is to be in a dark room being asked questions about those foil wrapped items. Road Motor Vehicle would be the best option to have, especially if it is pulling a camper trailer.
Mom prefers to shelter in place and catch fish until we die; if we have to leave, there is one place I know to go and that is on the other side of the Atlantic.
Jeanette Isabelle
By the time you would leave, unless you have your own boat or plane, it would not be possible. The disaster that would take down 80% of the population would also take down much of the infrastructure as well. You're mom's idea of bugging in is a good one if there is no way of leaving. During a disaster - taking NYC, if the city was told to evacuate, you will have over 12 million people (men, women and children - children are not always counted in such figures) trying to leave the city. Cars that break down or crash on the highways would traffic jam the millions of people behind them. people trying to walk out are going to assaulted by others who think they got in their way. Thus while everyone is trying to leave 1) they are the ones to die first, 2) it will take days for them to leave with some stragglers left behind and 3) the mess they will leave behind - the jammed up highways, would make leaving after that nearly impossible unless you know your side roads well enough to leave through them. Even then, some areas will be jammed at that level too.
Fishing is great but you also need other things besides fish. Thus you need a small garden farm to grow vegetables and spices in. Add that with the fish and you can have a meal. You need to gather things that would supplement a meal, even raise a few chickens for their eggs and meat. 4 chickens can supply eggs (1 per day per bird) for the both of you for the next 2 to 5 years. You can take the chicken droppings and use it as fertilizer for the crops. You can take the entrails, tails, bones and fish heads, grind them up and use them as fertilizer for the crops as well. Nothing here is wasted.
MountainHouse.com (Its Back!) sells freeze dried semi-prepared foods for preparing for an emergency. Unfortunately, I do not see their 1/2 ton to 4 ton food supplies that they used to sell years ago. Their freeze dried foods are great for 20 years of storage. But there are other places that sells preparedness food by the ton. But do not depend on it as a sole source. You need to get your food supplies to suppliement each other. Caught food (fish, deer, etc), Grown food (spice and vegetables), and Stored Foods have to be combined to complete a meal for you and the family.
For me, I have 500 pounds of food stashed in the home and another ton stored at a storage facility 1/4 mile away. This is enough food for up to a year for a family of 4 by itself, longer if (and I will) supplemented with other supply stock. In a Bug In situation, I would have to have friends and family assist me in getting the food in the storage facility home because there will be idiots who will try to steal it when they see what I got during transport. All I need is water and in NYC that is not a problem.
My plan is to stay in (Bug In) for several months and during the area, scout about and check how things are while we prepare for a Bug Out. Finding out what roads are cleared, which ones are not, which ones can be cleared if we "barrow" construction equipment to clear the roads. All the while we would prepare for the Bug Out - making/taking fuel for our venture, and plan out route. After supplies go down to the 1/2 way point, I'm heading to an Amish Community.