Survivalist: The first three days of a catastrophe. What would you do?

The purpose of this thread is to find out what other members would do during the first three days of a catastrophe should one fall upon them. Allow me to setup the scenario.

It's 7:30 am and your sitting in your home getting ready to goto work (or whatever you do at that time). You have the TV on and you walk into the room to shut it off so you can head out the door, When all of the sudden the public broadcast warning alert shows up on the TV. You think "probably another test" as you reach for the remote. However it flashes on the screen that this is Not a Test. You suddenly become interested in what the TV has to say, so you sit down. Just as you sit in your seat there is a flash outside and the TV goes blank, your lights also went out so you know that you have no power. You jump out of your seat and run outside, you see a mushroom cloud way off in the distance. Luckily your city/town/village wasn't hit, it seems the nearest detonation was very far away. So you reach for your cell phone, it's dead, you try the landline, Nothing.

So tell me what do you do for the first three days of this event, you have no other information to go on other than what i have supplied you here. Remember there was a massive EMP and no electronics work. Your car was off so it still works but your low on gas and the gas pumps no longer work. Also please use only resources available to you right at this moment, do not use anything you plan to prepare in the future. My own responce will be following this post.

Day one:
Well first thing is first I am gonna have to calm down the roommates, Luckily for me my family already has a designated meeting spot for just such an occasion. I can’t reach them so I’m going to have to hope they can get there on their own. I know there will be some panic in the streets of my fair city and it might be a bit dangerous especially gathering some of the supplies I am going to need.

I grab my shotgun and my 22LR six shooter, unfortunately i have no ammo for the pistol but i’ve got a box of shells for the shotgun so I have one working weapon and one for show, I’ll take both of them.

I load up the Roommates into the car giving the passenger side the shotgun, I’ll tell him to keep it out of site for now. The first thing i think i will need is a geiger counter, so i head over to the University Nuclear Test Reactor as quickly as possible. As i get the reactor I will keep the shotgun and my roomies in the car to protect it, while i go into the reactor to find a geiger counter. I will assume for this scenario that i am successful (the odds are good i’ve been in there before and know my way around) I also take the six shooter with me concealed of course. I don’t want to shoot anyone especially right now because i don’t know if the incident is isolated to my general area only.

So i get the geiger counter and take the roomies to my sister’s house (our designated meeting area) she lives on the top of a mountain overlooking the town with only one access point for defense (yeah i know, NICE) The rest of the day will be sent planning and preparing for tomorrow.

Day Two:
Today i want to find as many family and friends that I can trust as possible. We are probably gonna hole up at my sister’s house. In the event of Radiation We will want to go the abandoned Silver Mine below her house, so I will send some family members down there to case the place and make preparations. I also want to get Gasoline and a generator today, I want to Avoid Major Population Area’s as well so I’m Going to the local hardware store outside of town. Again lucky for me my brother in law is a big hunter and owns upwards to 20 guns he also makes his own ammo. Also he always keeps a pallet of bottled water in his basement. (he works at a bottling plant)


Day Three:
The biggest priority for today is finding a bunch of dried food and canned food. Now I know that most of the big stores are already going to be looted, fortunately for me i know of some small time amish markets that i can go. I will barter where possible and well.... Let hope bartering is available.

Another priority for today is to make sure the silver mine is ready just incase, We’ll also be monitoring the radiation throughout the whole period. We also want to gather as many guns and ammo as possibly, we may need to hunt for food. Now we already have some but you never know. Also I am aware that by Day Three most of the guns will be looted but Since my brother in law can make ammo and we have lots of guns we will look for tips and brass and some powder to make our own. I doubt people will be looting this stuff since most people won’t know what it is.

If there is time some of day three will be spent on information gathering to see what the hell is going on in the world. We will also be looking for allies during this time but that can come in the days ahead.

That’s my first three days what's yours?

Ok pretty easy, First thing fill up the bathtub full of H2O your sinerio does not state that there is no water pressure. Next thing would be to fill up the two 5 gallon clean buckets I have lying arround for drinking water.

I live in Florida, we have hurricane supplies. Thankfully this year we wern't hit by one and I have all my supplies ready I can sit in my home on my couch eating chips, canned goods, drinking fresh water listining to my keneticly powered radio, and baithing for the next three days.

Course after day 5 if nothing is happining I mean like red cross or fema or something hasent had us go to the nearest concentration camp (er I mean Shelter) then im pretty screwed. but three days is what us Floridians are prepared for.

No electricity for several days is not an uncommon event in many rural areas during the winter. So large numbers of people already deal with your scenario every year.

I do not live near any population centers so it is unlikely I would even see a mushroom cloud. We have a small power plant near my town that burns biomass, and agricultural and forest waste, so the power will most likely continue. I have 2 generators as a fallback anyway. Everything and every home around here has shielding and grounding systems for lightning, and being in a valley surrounded by mountains, I doubt EMP would be a major problem.

Town water system is gravity fed, and a stream flows through the middle of town, so water is not an issue. We keep plenty of food around as a normal practice, so we would be OK for a month or so. Firewood for heat, as a backup to the propane. During winter I don't let the vehicles get less than 1/2 tank, and I have gasoline storage tanks.

Urban and suburban areas would suffer more, but the rural areas would mostly just shrug and life would go on with only a minor inconvenience.

I just can't seem to relate to your dire scenario.

Originally posted by dave_54
Urban and suburban areas would suffer more, but the rural areas would mostly just shrug and life would go on with only a minor inconvenience.

I just can't seem to relate to your dire scenario.

I'm not so sure about shrugging things off, It all depends on the specific scenario however the biggest enemy really is public panic.

Fortunatly for you Dave it sounds like you live in an area that would be cabable of coping as you said, unfortunatly there are communities that wouldn't be able to quote.

Originally posted by JackJuice
That’s my first three days what's yours?

If thats your first three days, I suspect I or someone else who prepared in advance of the catastrophe will be left to bury your body.

Sorry, you don't honestly think you're going to be able to get food, gas and a genny after the fact do you?

we have an emergency kit living for earthquake preparedness. i'd use that as long as possible, and break out my 3000 watt generator for electricity. i have several tanks of gas, that would fuel motorcycles and my truck and gennie for emergency needs. (it's nice having super survival gear from years of camping in the nevada desert at burningman)
at worst case, time to break out the bicycle. since we have no relatives here in CA, we would just tend to current state of affairs here and hope the others are well.

i think on some angles after the initial "greed" of people's heightened scare, people would eventually work together. (or not) supplies would run low. one guy has this, the other guy has that; seems like people would pool together in some fashion. (or am i a hopeless romantic?)


[edit on 21/12/2012 by zooplancton]

Originally posted by Skibum

Originally posted by JackJuice
That’s my first three days what's yours?

If thats your first three days, I suspect I or someone else who prepared in advance of the catastrophe will be left to bury your body.

Sorry, you don't honestly think you're going to be able to get food, gas and a genny after the fact do you?

No I don't, thats why I'm putting my stuff together this year but i wanted to think about where i was Right at this very moment. Actually I can get Gas after the fact, a genny i don't expect to find after the fact and i have food for a couple of days but that doens't mean I'm not gonna try to get more. Just because you have say a month or more of food supplies are you just gonna sit on your bum and not try to procure more? Or atleast methods of getting more?

And i hope you don't think your totally prepared because your not, there are always more things that one can prepare to do. Thats the point of the thread, I'm sure you might be prepared beyond the point where it would be worth preparing more, but there will always be some unforseen circumstance that we are unprepared for.

Originally posted by zooplancton

i think on some angles after the initial "greed" of people's heightened scare, people would eventually work together. (or not) supplies would run low. one guy has this, the other guy has that; seems like people would pool together in some fashion. (or am i a hopeless romantic?)


[edit on 21/12/2012 by zooplancton]

No your not hopeless, people would start working together again, especially with an external threat to our saftey, but it could be dangerous getting through the first couple days or weeks depending on the scenario.

On day 1, I would gather up my recourses in the home that I may need such as, my Shot gun, 22 calliber rifle, and my six shooter(it seems we have the same guns, haha) I would gather all my amo, and head over to my parents carl ot and auto shop where they would most likely be, gather all my friends that would most likely be at the skateboard shop right behind my parent's business, form a pack and devise a plan for all the possible scenarios we can think of.

Day 2, I would steal all the cigarettes, beer, food, and bottled water I could from the gas station next door along with trying to find a way to get gas in the case we must travel. (I would only steal because I'd imagine that there would be no way to buy these things). During this time I would stick with my group and try to gather all the information about the situation that I can.

Day 3, I would probably do the same as Day 2.

I'd probably hear about it a week later, it's pretty rural where i am.

But, should AHBLRN and i had to move I'd hop out of my chair, inform my roomates, turn the oven off, eat my half cooked ribs quickly while shrugging my pack on, grabbing a few handfuls of items that could be useful and toss 'em in a duffel. In the event that the roads are open but no vehicles have fuel, i'd load up the crew in the truck and/or van. From here we'd be able to roll downhill and out of town, and make it in far enough that we could push or pull, possibly with the assistance of horses, all the way to the settlement. If the roads are blocked, no problem, its a 4 mile ridgeline hike to the spot, i can be there in an hour if i hustle. Day one.

Day two, wake up, cook breakfast, water the horses, and get ready to start hunting and gathering. If the well pump and solar panel managed to get EMP'd then somebody will have to be on well duty with a long rope and a bucket. If the EMP was blocked by the canyon walls and surrounding mountains, then it should be okay.

Day three, commence pioneer style living for as long as it takes.

If civilization civilizes after a few days or even weeks, then it was just a camping trip. Should this be TEOTWAWKI and the mad max days are upon us, i'd set up a lightweight backpacking rig from my assortment of gear, and hike north, sticking to wilderness, harsh terrain, places where people just don't do, and stealthing my way up to alaska and get as far away from the ridiculousness that will probably be going on I may take a person or two with me that can handle the trip and would have no problem living i harmony with nature.

Days 1-30: Wait for the fallout to tire itself out killing unprepared looters. Plenty of time in that month to reinforce the entrances to my shelter, dig out the supplies from underneath the foundation, prep traps, reload shells, dust off the portable generators, and rest up. Maybe catch up on some reading.

Days 30-?: Drive the BOV up to the farm by the lake and enjoy a much quieter existence. Teach the young'uns how to trap and skin trespassers.

: shrug :

Day 1

Check TV is off and that I haven't just watched the first episode of Jericho.

Day one: Head out to grab supplies and fill water containers. Gather family to my home. Reinforce security on property. Wait with dc powered radio for some info.
Review all of my printed out survival manuals with family.

Day two: Determine where to secure more food. Protect property.

Day three: Decide how long to stay put. Count out rations. Monitor situations.

kind of hard to guess how things will really go.

I'm prepared and I have a family to look after. It's pretty simple - our meeting point is our home. There I have a generator and about 100 gallons of gasoline, (10) 5 gallon water carboys, A very comprehensive medical kit, windup emergency radio, windup flashlights, battery operated 3meter radio, guns and ammo and food - lot's of canned and dry goods along with about 3 cases of MREs. We could sit tight at this location for up to a month or so without a problem.

I guess we are assuming that my family is not in imminent danger from said explosion. If not, we sit tight and evaluate the situation as it evolves and make decisions from there. As I said, I am very prepared to defend my territory.

If we need to bug out, we head to our cabin in rural Ohio where I have a duplication of supplies, plus the benefit of solor power cells and well water. The place is so damned rural it would take alot of time before someone found us. We could literally live like our forefathers indefinitely out there. Ultimately, I would expect that if this were the end of civilization as we know it, that is probably where's we'd end up as soon as is practical.

Easy, wouldn't do a damn thing. Why bother. If an all out nuclear confrontation starts why would you want to survive. I'd grab a bottle of scotch, a lawn chair and watch the circus unfold. I'd probably be dead by days end.

You can take all the precautions you want but the reality is that man would resort to primordial survival. People would kill each other over a loaf of bread or a jug of water. You could only defend yourself so long before someone overpowered you. Case in point:

When the blackout of 2003 occured it really was an eye opener to how panic set in and how people lose most of their rational decision making. I saw people pulling cases of water from other peoples hand for really no reason. Basically they lost it and that was just a relatively brief power outage, can you image a nuclear strike.

brill

Day 1,water,food medicine,bleach these should be up to date and ready to use,if you haven't prepped you will be in trouble fill any cans, buckets ,baths with water.Tell friends, family to do the same if they will listen.Get BOB close to hand.
Day 2,expect to see panic and random robberies,stay home and secure the home dig a whole in the garden for a toilet,sleep in day clothes, keep busy plan for different scenarios,if the waters out drain the central heating to avoid burst pipes,i have been told the sewers can create a blow back and flood your home with raw sewage if they are left untended so some supply's will go to the attic.
Day 3,keep low if its seen your a little prepared with a generator lets say, all the local hoods will be visiting,thank god i have visited some decent survival sites,if i had 3 days with no knowledge of how to cope then i would be in trouble.

We live in the country far enough from the cities that we wouldn't suffer from a direct hit.

We could exist on the food in our house for a month or two. We have a swimming pool filled with water and bleach to keep it pure. But, alas, I'm down to about 4 cases of wine. Maybe it's time to stock up the wine celler.

So, for the first few days, we'd probably just stay at home. I might try to make a run to the grocery store (about 6 miles) or to a costco (about 20 miles) to stock up but I think that many many people would be trying the same thing.

I have a wood stove for heat. I don't have a generater so it would get pretty dark when the sun goes down. I think that we're better prepared than most but we are far from independent.

Originally posted by brill
Easy, wouldn't do a damn thing. Why bother. If an all out nuclear confrontation starts why would you want to survive. I'd grab a bottle of scotch, a lawn chair and watch the circus unfold. I'd probably be dead by days end.

You can take all the precautions you want but the reality is that man would resort to primordial survival. People would kill each other over a loaf of bread or a jug of water. You could only defend yourself so long before someone overpowered you. Case in point:

When the blackout of 2003 occured it really was an eye opener to how panic set in and how people lose most of their rational decision making. I saw people pulling cases of water from other peoples hand for really no reason. Basically they lost it and that was just a relatively brief power outage, can you image a nuclear strike.

brill

See that's the thing, if it happens you won't know if it's an isolated one bomb event or a full on engagement Unless of course you live in a strike zone. Either way it doesn't hurt to try to survive the first couple days just incase it is a single or limited event.

I think it was at Valley Forge,
at one of many 'darkest hours' of the breakaway America
that George Washington took time to pray for guidance and such...

with meager or even nonexistant supplies, rations, resources,
General Washington didn't practice 'defeatism' but found an inner strength
to seize the moment....and with his volunteer army, change history.

of the 19 posts in this thread, I hadn't come across a latter day George Washington
attitude in praying for guidance

~peace~