The Fortress

@ 1985 4runner: you have a lot of supplies in a vulnerable (to hurricane) location? Do you have plans / means to move with a substantial quantity if you have to? Just thinking...I grew up on the coast, New Orleans, Pascagoula, my first hurricane was in New Orleans, Betsy; after that Camille, then Frederick, then and then and then...thought I was far enough away from the coast 'til Katrina hit us. About the rest of the posts: I just wonder about mobility w/supplies versus a "fortress". If you find yourself in a EOTW / TSHTF situation in which the bad guys or government or zombies or ??? feel you are in an impregnable structure and want you out / want your stuff, they can escalate force while (unless you have a secret exit) you can only sit tight and wait for destruction. I had a friend who used to accumulate ammunition. I mean boxcars full of 7.62x39, 5.56NATO, 9mmNATO, etc. I asked him what he was going to do if TSHTF, sit in his wood frame sheetrock walled house and play the Alamo? Just didn't get it...best to have enough supplies and alternate locations to bug out to. How much food & ammo is enough? How much can you really carry and how - on person, in vehicle, hidden in caches - I don't believe in tying myself and loved ones to a single location. Rather slip out under the radar.

Cap't, build your saferoom with access to the attic. Cut holes for 360 degree shooting ports. Camera's could get you to the right one real fast and not use much power. Use subsonic .22's to keep the noise down, drop one or two and they don't know from where, they may find easier pickin's. Course easier picken's will get short and they'll have to come back. I got two brother but a 76 YO mother and MIL so movement won't be easy. Thankfully Mother has a 4 year degree from Tulane Nursing school and spent her time with blood and guts. She's still got PDR's and other books and I got mine. Camper in the back along with their trucks, all filled to go as last resort or a local event like Grand Gulf going off. Outhouse will have to be dug. Hopefully, a lot on the road will kill each other off, gang vs. gang if you will.

Scharfschuetze said:

@ 1985 4runner: you have a lot of supplies in a vulnerable (to hurricane) location? Do you have plans / means to move with a substantial quantity if you have to? Just thinking...I grew up on the coast, New Orleans, Pascagoula, my first hurricane was in New Orleans, Betsy; after that Camille, then Frederick, then and then and then...thought I was far enough away from the coast 'til Katrina hit us. About the rest of the posts: I just wonder about mobility w/supplies versus a "fortress". If you find yourself in a EOTW / TSHTF situation in which the bad guys or government or zombies or ??? feel you are in an impregnable structure and want you out / want your stuff, they can escalate force while (unless you have a secret exit) you can only sit tight and wait for destruction. I had a friend who used to accumulate ammunition. I mean boxcars full of 7.62x39, 5.56NATO, 9mmNATO, etc. I asked him what he was going to do if TSHTF, sit in his wood frame sheetrock walled house and play the Alamo? Just didn't get it...best to have enough supplies and alternate locations to bug out to. How much food & ammo is enough? How much can you really carry and how - on person, in vehicle, hidden in caches - I don't believe in tying myself and loved ones to a single location. Rather slip out under the radar.

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I'm limited in my mobility currently. We have a 6 month old son with special needs. Extended traveling, or living "off grid" is going to be very rough on him, if not fatal.

In a Hurricane situation, since I will be staying here due to work, (Fire Dept) my wife & kids will go stay with friends of the family North of our location. If it's a Cat 2 or above with a direct landfall projected, she'll bring with her everything she needs to survive short term (3-7 days). After that, she will either be back, (situation dependent) or go to her folks house out of State.

I have in place a very good network of close friends (fellow Firefighters) that will take care of my wife & kids in the event of a Natural Disaster. We all work rotating shifts, so one of "us" would be there 24/7 watching out for the other guy's families.


Currently we rent a house in town from a friend so I am not tied to my current location and am actively looking for a place for us North of I-10. Preferably out in the Country. The drawback to this is my son is further away from EMS in a Medical emergency.

In a SHTF secnario, all bets are off & we are going to load up a good portion of our supplies & bug out to our friends place in McHenry. I'll bring plenty with me & we'll all say a prayer & get down to surviving.

I've thought about this one a lot.

I live in a decent neighborhood in a small town of the type that most folks would be looking to bug-out TO, rather than bug-out FROM. About the only thing possibly happening that would force me to bug-out would be a serious accident at Grand Gulf, which is only about 60 miles WNW of here.

Not to be a hard-ass or anything, but most folks' bug-out plans that I've seen are seriously flawed.

1) They don't have multiple routes scoped out and planned for.

2) They don't take into consideration how clogged the roads will be.

3) They don't consider how potentially dangerous the roads may be, with possible roving gangs, outlaws, etc. preying on roadbound innocents.

4) They don't consider how much gas it may take to reach their bug-out location at low speed or having had to wait through numerous traffic jams/accidents. Remember those Houston folks who tried to evac and ran out of gas sitting in traffic jams on the interstates?

I have a friend whose plan is to bug out from here in Brookhaven to Leakesville over in Greene County. The place she plans on going to with her family would indeed be a good place - secluded family property out in the boonies on the Chickasawhay River - but it's doubtful they'd ever make it.

And none of the points I brought up even involves the aftermath of an EMP attack where modern vehicles may very well be useless.

Personally, I think the best plan is to LIVE bugged out. I live in town now, but I'm trying to get a little ways out into the country as soon as I can.