Old time survivalists largely live in two camps when it comes to location.
Group one says that 15-20 miles from a major population center should be fine for your resilient location.
Group two says 150 - 300 miles from a major population center should be the minimum.
Why the disparity? I think it's generally optimism and practicality. The 300 mile camp uses that number because that's about how far a tank of gas will carry a car. That way, when the hordes of refugees make it to your neck of the woods, they'll be tired and on foot, and therefore less of a threat and easier to deal with.
I find myself in the middle of the two camps. I think 300 miles from a city is a bit(!) much, and it's also hard to find anywhere that qualifies (especially if you, say, have a job). However, while 300 miles is too far, 20 miles from Detroit isn't far enough away for me during good times, much less bad.
What you're looking for, ideally, is a community. While your first instinct may be to move out into the country and try to do it all yourself, it's simply not feasible for most people.
There are also good defense reasons not to try it this way:
When developing my own contingency plans, I realized that even if I could do it all myself (not likely), there is at least one scenario I could not defend against.
Looking through the eyes of a desperate or hungry loner, I realized that if there were an isolated homestead out there, happily providing for itself, I could take it over and make it my own happy functioning homestead with nothing more than a scoped hunting rifle. This single sniper scenario is very hard to defend against, and the best bet is to be part of a community of armed people who look out for each other.
This also allows for specialization and division of labor, which is important for long term surviving and thriving.
Next up - more notes on location.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Shelter - The Floor of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Like everything else in real estate, contingency shelter is all about Location, Location, Location.
I have some good friends in major cities. I hope they're not there when something bad happens. Cities are, in general, totally dependent on external providers for food, water, trash removal, fuel, everything.
Don't get me wrong - rural areas are dependent on these things too, but at a much lower population density. When things do go wrong in a city, they can go really wrong really quickly.
So, what's your plan?
You have lots of options, including:
One thing we've never seen in the movies is someplace that may be even worse - the suburbs.
The huge tracts of McMansions that crisscross America are isolated islands of unprepared people, totally dependent on a ready supply of gasoline and diesel for EVERYTHING. Food, medical care, provisions - you need a car for everything in the 'burbs.
In the city, you can generally get around without a car for the basics.
In the country, it's easier to rely on alternate transport (horses, donkeys, tractors, etc.) and neighbors tend to be more helpful, plus you have more ability to grow your own food.
In the suburbs, by and large, if there's no gasoline, many if not most are stuck - lots of little 3,000 sq ft islands. With neither the public services or infrastructure of a city nor the community and resiliency of the rural country, and not even counting the homeowners associations, it could be the worst of both worlds. When something bad happens (like a hurricane or pandemic), a whole lot of people in the suburbs without gasoline for their cars, are - in a word - fucked.
OK - so we're clearly leaning for a spot in the country. Next Post - what to look for in a resilient rural location. Stay tuned -
I have some good friends in major cities. I hope they're not there when something bad happens. Cities are, in general, totally dependent on external providers for food, water, trash removal, fuel, everything.
Don't get me wrong - rural areas are dependent on these things too, but at a much lower population density. When things do go wrong in a city, they can go really wrong really quickly.
So, what's your plan?
You have lots of options, including:
- Family / Friends in rural areas. Make sure they know (and are OK that) they're part of your plans.
- A cabin or trailer in the woods. Learn how to camp.
- Move to the country. The most wrenching, but overall best choice.
One thing we've never seen in the movies is someplace that may be even worse - the suburbs.
The huge tracts of McMansions that crisscross America are isolated islands of unprepared people, totally dependent on a ready supply of gasoline and diesel for EVERYTHING. Food, medical care, provisions - you need a car for everything in the 'burbs.
In the city, you can generally get around without a car for the basics.
In the country, it's easier to rely on alternate transport (horses, donkeys, tractors, etc.) and neighbors tend to be more helpful, plus you have more ability to grow your own food.
In the suburbs, by and large, if there's no gasoline, many if not most are stuck - lots of little 3,000 sq ft islands. With neither the public services or infrastructure of a city nor the community and resiliency of the rural country, and not even counting the homeowners associations, it could be the worst of both worlds. When something bad happens (like a hurricane or pandemic), a whole lot of people in the suburbs without gasoline for their cars, are - in a word - fucked.
OK - so we're clearly leaning for a spot in the country. Next Post - what to look for in a resilient rural location. Stay tuned -
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Basics - Mindset
Who's going to take care of you in Hard Times? If you have a family, what about them? Do you have any friends who you wouldn't want to turn away, but aren't planning for themselves?
How many people out there watched our government's response to Hurricane Katrina and thought "Damn, that could be me."?
After Katrina, how many people are still depending on the government to provide for them in Hard Times?
I don't want to take anything away from the hardworking people of FEMA, but if Katrina taught us anything it should have taught us about SCALE. NO government agency can support everyone in a regional, or multi-regional, disaster.
Seriously, give it some thought - how much food do you have in your house? How long could you last with what you have on hand? What about water? Sewage? Electricity?
Do you have plans for defending your family against other desperate people looking to steal what's yours to provide for their kids? If your kids were sick or hungry, wouldn't you jack someone else to feed or take care of them? Yeah - so would everyone else.
Americans are generally a very lucky lot. We've probably all been broke at some point, but we're usually more likely to die from too much food than too little.
Are you going to wait until another crisis to join the flood of scared people to scramble for provisions? If so, good luck.
If not, stay tuned! We'll have all sorts of good stuff for you. Starting with the most basic - shelter.
How many people out there watched our government's response to Hurricane Katrina and thought "Damn, that could be me."?
After Katrina, how many people are still depending on the government to provide for them in Hard Times?
I don't want to take anything away from the hardworking people of FEMA, but if Katrina taught us anything it should have taught us about SCALE. NO government agency can support everyone in a regional, or multi-regional, disaster.
Seriously, give it some thought - how much food do you have in your house? How long could you last with what you have on hand? What about water? Sewage? Electricity?
Do you have plans for defending your family against other desperate people looking to steal what's yours to provide for their kids? If your kids were sick or hungry, wouldn't you jack someone else to feed or take care of them? Yeah - so would everyone else.
Americans are generally a very lucky lot. We've probably all been broke at some point, but we're usually more likely to die from too much food than too little.
Are you going to wait until another crisis to join the flood of scared people to scramble for provisions? If so, good luck.
If not, stay tuned! We'll have all sorts of good stuff for you. Starting with the most basic - shelter.
Contingency Basics - What are your backup plans?
Hey y'all - I've gathered a lot of information over the years about contingency planning and preparing for disasters or interruptions of normal services.
I'm thinking of areas like home security, ensuring a reliable and safe food supply, pandemic planning, fuel shortages, self defense, raising your own meat, the basics of buying gold and silver - all kinds of stuff.
Anything you want to hear about, lemme know in the comments. Otherwise, I'll just pick something at random and pontificate. Hopefully it'll be useful to someone and you can learn from my mistakes.
Peace -
Chuck
I'm thinking of areas like home security, ensuring a reliable and safe food supply, pandemic planning, fuel shortages, self defense, raising your own meat, the basics of buying gold and silver - all kinds of stuff.
Anything you want to hear about, lemme know in the comments. Otherwise, I'll just pick something at random and pontificate. Hopefully it'll be useful to someone and you can learn from my mistakes.
Peace -
Chuck
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