Tim May
2008-05-25 19:17:35 UTC
Now what? On a more mundane level, how do you cope with the price of road
fuel?
A survivalist would *always* have at least $100 ($5 bills?) stashedfuel?
or 2 worth of living expenses (which is much more than $100), and your
savings account should have 6 months or so worth of expenses.
Your bugout bag should have a chunk of cash as well -- if you planned
for 3-days, and you wanted to stay in a hotel/motel for 3 days, what
would it cost? Most emergencies are not going to be "running through
the woods" type escapes, but moving out of danger of a natural
disaster.
No, not a hike into the hills. And not an "exercise."
Rather, I left because of a wildfire in my area. The so-called "Summit
Fire" in the Santa Cruz Mountains, specifically, near Corralitos, where
I live. The fires began Thursday in the early a.m., driven by 40-50 mph
winds.
Smoke was very heavy over my house, winds were high, my electricity was
out, so I packed up and headed for a friend's house in Sunnyvale, near
San Jose. As it turned out, I could've stayed without problems. Power
was restored later that day, and the flames never got closer than a few
miles away. (The smoke plumes are still visible, as the fires have not
been halted, but the fires are in steep, uninhabited canyons.)
But, of course, I did not _know_ that I could've stayed, not until
retrospectively. I left early to minimize any later "race to the exit"
panic, any trees being downed to block my way, etc. (I debated throwing
a chain saw in my vehicle, but only had one road to negotiate where
downed trees might be an issue.)
Many things were already ready to go, but I packed up several more
crates and bags (Ikea's plastic tote bags are very strong and work very
well...a couple of bucks each at Ikea--I have about 20 of them).
Took valuables out of my fire-insulated gun safe (details not given
here), disk drives, DVDs, photo albums (even though already scanned and
on disk), several guns, and some money in various forms (again, details
not given).
In my "ready pack" was a lightweight sleeping bag (Snugpack), spare
clothing, fleece jackets, and other minor camping supplies. I didn't
expect to need this, but took it anyway.
Money-wise, my credit card was available, as well as cash.
(Very, very few emergencies--and none in the U.S. since the advent of
credit cards several decades ago--will make the credit processing
network impossible to use. Many are already satellite-based, and stores
have emergency power sources. Or they can process cards manually, with
the old-fashioned card imprint systems. I'm not arguing against cash,
or encouraging abuse of credit cards, just noting the obvious reality
of the situation. In short, it is virtually inconceivable that a
disaster would completely cut-off all use of credit cards. Every
survival-oriented person should have them as just as extra source of
funds.)
"Survivalists" tend to have pre-considered the need to leave. Myself,
I've been in _three_ fairly big disasters:
-- a volcano : Mt. St. Helens, in May 1980. I was 15 miles west of
Portland, so not in the major ash plume. But a couple of inches of ash
were in my yard, car engines were at risk of becoming clogged, and our
wafer fabrication plant was shut down for a while. I had no need to
evacuate, but many in the surrounding states had to.
-- an earthquake : Loma Prieta quake of October 1989. Epicentered less
than 20 miles from my home near Santa Cruz. Major shaking of my house,
but only internal damage (smashed bookcases, all bookcases knocked
over, some electronics trashed). I was out of power for several days,
so emergency radios, light sources, and cooking options were useful.
Many were utterly unprepared and stood in long lines just to get
batteries for flashlights.
(I've also been in several other less significant quakes, including the
1971 Los Angeles quake.)
-- a wildfire : this Summit Fire.
(Tsunamis are not a concern, due to my distance from the sea, about 7
miles. Tornadoes and cyclones are also not a concern.)
This was a very minor bugout, done without any sense of panic and with
a good deal of comfort. I just stayed with some friends and watched the
spectacle unfold on television. Had it been worse, or done with more
panic, preps still would've helped (having a packed bag, having cash on
hand, having stuff already in my vehicle, etc.)
Preparation, mentally as well as having a ready bag, helps.
--Tim May