Arizona exit strategies

I live in the Phoenix metro area. I am evaluating exit stategies and relocation destinations if everything goes to hell.

The southern part of the state will be pretty much prove to be uninhabitable without water and electricty in the summer, which is where I live. Some rural farms and isolated areas with wells, septic and solar panels might do ok. But I'm gonna have to migrate.

The northern, elevated, part of the state might be ok for hunting and getting away from people. But again I think there might be water shortages as the masses move to streams and lakes. There's not too many water shed areas in the uplands either.

I think that Mexico might be a move in the wrong direction. And a move towards southern california (LA 375+ miles) might not be much better with it's monsterous population. New Mexico (Albuquerque 470+ miles) to the east is very sparsly populated and has potential, but again I think water might be an issue. Maybe I'm wrong though.

If I go north towards the four corners region I could make it into southern Colorado or Utah. (450 miles+)

The one limiting factor here will be transportation. I don't think a full tank of gas would take me that far. We would also need a place where the locals wouldn't be too hostile towards refugees.

I live in Phx

and have a very solid exit strategy

For starters, you want to identify a bomb shelter location in the event of a Nuclear strike... Phx will burn like a dry stick in the desert...

Second you need to get a small escape vehicle that runs on diesel and has no computer chip, something that can go off road to get around the fried cars on the few higways we have here to exit by

The 10 will be no good, it's elevated in places and you can't go around traffic, the only highways which you can get out on will be the 17 the 60 or the beeline

If alone I'd go for the beeline on a motor scooter...or motorcycle of some kind... some areas will be impassable by car perhaps...


North is your only hope, the rim isn't far up beeline and it's wooded and so isolated from the world you could hide in there straight through ww3

My destination would be just above the rim, I have Land... acres by the Navajo Reservation...

Good ide to make a purchas about 1 G an acre...

But here's the kicker! Really deep well water... no radiation for months and month... maybe never.

I figure if things get truely desperate I hit the reservation, i.e. troops searching properties... although I intend to hide things underground, you never know...

I would think the reservation will be by and large left alone by enemy or domestic troops in most scenarios, it's vast, and it's in theory not part of the USA...

You'll want to research which Cacti give you water and know the cave systems... because I wont be building on res land anytime soon such as it is... the caves are your best bet for survival in a nuclear winter scenario, temperatures will remain constant, water will flow

and the land is littered with good caves, I spelunk, I know...

Colroado and New Mexico are NOT as viable as the southern portion/ AZ areas of the Res

New Mexico has too many Nuclar Targets in widely dispersed locations where as Nothern Az aside from the Hoover dam has none, most of the Military in AZ is from Phx south and given wind conditions your looking at a fairly low and short duration of fall out...

Most times of the year LA, Vegas Hoover Dam... those strikes will go south and aound the rim into New Mexico and the northern rim kind of gets it's own localised airflow off of Flagg and the Mountains in the area...

Colorodo is dicey many targets but... many large mountains to shield you

You'd have to really know Colorodo well to determine likely safespots

But the rim and the res are both vast...the coconino aquifer is enourmous, plenty of water if you have a well or ability to drill one...

I'd go for an escape plot of land in those reas and... it's affordable, i just did it 10 G for 10 acres... Forest areas on rim where you are hidden are more but compared to most of the country it's still affordable

with only a couple of roads in and out... and army couldn't fight thier way in very easy... and for what priority?

Thats my 2 cents worth on the local area

Getting out of this city would seriously be the hardest part and survival in a nuke strike would be... next to impossible for most.

I located, yards from a 4 story underground concrete reinforced parking lot that is built to prtect from Bank vault access... (Bank lot) the walls are feet thick underground...

aside from that... lol in Phx a Bomb blast here... probably the worst any city in America would fare given the Giant Nuke Plant, cheep houses and lack of strong structures...

Originally posted by mopusvindictus
Getting out of this city would seriously be the hardest part and survival in a nuke strike would be... next to impossible for most.

Not too many roads in or out.

I-10
I-17
Hwy 60
Beeline Hwy

And that's about it.

Now that I have put pen to paper, so to speak, I now know which direction I need to go at first.

After living in the area I think that I would head to the Salt River Canyon east of you. Drop off into it and wait out things for a while. You will be on the reservation but that might be a good thing. Once things calm down then work your way up into the White Mountains. The forage is not to bad with access to water.

Most people will head to mountains around Flagstaff, forage is not as good and the hunting is not as good ether. Plus you are going to see migration out of Las Vegas if Hoover dam is still passable.

High school and university in AZ, Go Jacks.

First off, bugging out would likely be a huge mistake. Most people have this romantic notion and assume it there will be no other people, and the only issues will be stalled vehicles. You know, like in TEOTWAWKI movies.

Once you leave your home, you will be a refugee.

Even if something like that happens, every Rambo wannabe will have the same idea, to go "live off the land" in the mountains. Pretty impossible to do unless you have property and an existing structure. It won't be long to all edible wildlife is wipe out. Then what?

You are probably far better off being able to "bug in" until after the riots and looting stops. Yeah, gardening isn't as sexy and killing a bear with a bowie knife, but it is the more likely scenario. I think the greater threat is crazy, desperate people than some type of nuclear attack. Katrina is a good example of the fact that Nature wasn't the bigger threat.

If you study economic disasters in other countries you'll find that your greatest asset will be other people. Having access to a barter market makes more sense and you aren't going to be able to trade your bullets for beans to yogi bear. Are you planning on pulling your own teeth? What if you get sick?

Also, living alone in a rural area means you are exposed. You cannot protect your fields and cattle from intruders 24/7. If you read up on Argentina's recent economic collapse, people in the suburbs fared far better than rural folk because they could band together and hire private security. Going it alone would be my very last option.

If you aren't living that lifestyle now, it will probably be impossible to do later on, when your survival depends on it. If something is so bad that the entire city of Phoenix (500+ square miles) is wiped out or contaminated, going to Flagstaff isn't going to make much difference.

I live in Arizona also, and I will be bugging out also. I think here in the west it makes alot of sense. I don't have romantic ideas of living like "Rambo" in the woods, the odds of living in the woods are better than living in the city.

This link is the population density of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

earthobservatory.nasa.gov...

The majority of the population of the U.S. is east of the mississippi river. Any kind of a nuclear event in the west ie. major pop, military, etc will acutally increase the ratio of square miles per person...

On the "Golden Horde" effect say if California got hit and a mass migration enssued I'd have to say this, people are like Air, Water, and Electrcity.

They all seek the path of least resistance..

Most of your hordes will stick to easy routes of travel, paved roads (Highways) and will not go off in a direction that travelling will be more difficult. Yes there will be a few people that might come across you, but it won't be a steady flow and would be few and far in between.

The North part of Arizona has my vote.

19 states rated as retreat locations in order of importance with pros and cons of each.

www.survivalblog.com...

Everyones situation is diffrent, not everyone can shelter in.

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
First off, bugging out would likely be a huge mistake.

Once you leave your home, you will be a refugee.

Agreed

We only plan on leaving if someone lights off a 10KT nuke at SkyHarbor

After hearing Dr. Bill Deagle's dream prediction, I'm a little worried being here in Phoenix.. if I'm at work when or if this happens, I'll pretty much be screwed and have to live in the old bomb shelter of this building for a little while as the roads will most likely be too much of a mess for my little camry. If I'm at home in Gilbert.. I think I'll have a much better chance at my own exit strategy.

Also, I'm looking for a video I watched a while back about survival in Arizona. It was a great video, about an hour or two long, and showed all the plants and animals and techniques you can use to survive in the desert. I'm trying to find this for a friend, but I cannot seem to find it anywhere. I want to say it was Ray Mears that did the video.. but I'm not entirely sure. If anyone can link me up to any good survival videos which directly pertain to Arizona desert, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!