Safest Method of Travel

I was reading this article today (it's not CNN, I know) and was thinking about putting distance between my family and nuclear power plants if "something really bad" ever happens.

Now, if "something really bad" happens and things go to hell I want to be on the move fairly quickly. Never mind to where I'm headed for the sake of this topic...just that it's pretty far away from heavily populated areas.

My plan initially was to jump in the truck and "run to zee hills" as fast as possible, but now I'm wondering if that's the best idea. Would driving out of the populated area to a rural spot then walking the rest of the way "off the beaten path" be safer? Even if it's a few days hike? I guess what I'm asking is - is slow travel safer? I can see running into ambushes and such when travelling by car, especially in the dark. On foot you get a better sense of what's over the next rise, but then again you can only hump so much gear for so long...

I realize most everything depends on the situation at hand - but what are your initial travel/bug out plans? Is anyone taking the pros & cons of speed into consideration?

a reply to: RedParrotHead

I would say this is really situationally dependent…I say this because sometimes speed is your friend. Do you plan on taking off at the first spider tingle or will you wait until you see others bug out. If you wait then realize you'll hit clogged roads like during Katrina. If not you'd probably be fine to haul ass to the hills. I think a day or so hike wouldn't be horrible to keep your tracks clean off roads but you may want to have access to that vehicle later in case you gotta bug out from your bug out. I say I would probably find a spot to camp the vehicle close by or I would go back and try to clear my tracks and camp the truck at my camp. That's just me though…every situation is different and the best plans have contingencies for as much as possible.

ETA: Mine include getting a good few hundred miles from danger as quickly as possible with the knowledge that if I waited too long I will probably be ditching my car on the side of the road and heading off on foot. I also have access to a boat and would put that to use if I felt like it was faster. To directly answer your question…if you act fast speed is your biggest asset if not well be prepared to walk it or be stuck in traffic.

a reply to: RedParrotHead

My vehicle of choice is a F250 4X4 diesel with tools and equipment to go at a moments notice. If you are talking a permanent move I would look to being just beyond a full tank of gas from any urban area. Depending on the threat and your location relative to a power plant you need multiple escape routes for traffic concerns, and try to put hills or mountains between you and the reactor asap. There is a good book I would recommend called Strategic Relocation.

a reply to: RedParrotHead

Take the train!

a reply to: RedParrotHead

one medical hot air balloon
one protections hot air balloon
one for food hot air balloon
one for travel hot air balloon
one for refueling hot air balloon
hot air balloon clusters/trains
then lift off and try to avoid the storms...

Ever notice how the 'bugger-outers' haven't got much of a plan in place after leaving their general area? So a minor miracle occurs and you find yourself out in the middle of nowhere, upwind from any imminent danger...

Did you haul in food and water enough to last for exactly how long? Do you know how to secure shelter from the elements no matter how bad the weather is, how to secure fresh water since you can't carry that much with you? All your other buggyout friends are going to be killing the local deer, rabbit and fish population also, so that won't last long.

Then what? If there's ever an EMP attack, major CME, or nuclear of any kind, more than 70% of the population will be dead inside of a month from bad water and exposure. And some of us are already 'bugged out' in rural locations. We won't exactly be thrilled to have the entire contents of LA or Detroit ,or Cleveland even, showing up in the neighborhood.

Just so you know how thoroughly screwed we all are, here's a good read: We Almost Lost Detroit

The NRC in their infinite wisdom figures if there's ever a big nuclear meltdown near a city, they'll just evacuate the entire population for 20 or 50 miles around. Forever. Yeah, that'll work!

I'm already living in the hills, far away from a big city. You can even see the sky at night. I don't need transportation, I sort of do need to stock up some beer incase any ATSers stop by after a SHTF.

a reply to: signalfire

Personally I don't list my end locations purposely. One reason is opsec and the second reason is there are a lot of them and they are numerous to list anyway. One thing I learned is depending on the situation circumstances change and you can't count on knowing if your spot is going to be a good move before hand. Best bet is to prepare to not know and assume the worst. Basic building, hunting, farming, and all around living with not much in the way of supplies skills are paramount. Community is paramount...know a useful skill to ensure your chances of joining a community...I digress without going into it a ton because the thread is about bug out vehicles and there use or usefulness.

a reply to: RedParrotHead

In my humble opinion your best chance of survival is in already being at your "Bug Out" location and haveing an ongoing relationship or involvement with the community in that location, because you can do very little on your own in providing everything you will need to survive for your self and family.

If this is not possible to stay where you are, then (If it is your plan) get out of the city as fast as possible, but move through the country side as slowly as possible. In other words turn a one day hike through the country into 2 or 3 days.

There is a lot that can be said about the advantages of staying put, even in the larger cities.

The Stargate.

Definitely the stargate....just go to another planet far, far away....

a reply to: RedParrotHead

Get a map and mark off the locations of nuclear plants near or around you. Measure the "safe" radius around them. Youll find there isnt much of a safe area. Some...but like in Detroit here, we have the Fermi plant...and across the lake we have TURKEY POINT right across on the Ohio side...right near Cedar Point Amusement PArk...These too are right ACROSS from each other.

My plan is multi-layered

Jeep/Mountain Bike/Good Hiking-Survival Boots

IN a true SHTF scenario, my end location is several hours drive so the plan is to start out in the Jeep, go as far as possible, then on to the Mountain Bikes, then if needed, walk the rest of the way.

My "E"Kits are all set up to accommodate all three with a large kit in the Jeep, smaller one for the bike and then smaller still for "hiking"... All kits cover the "Rules of Three" and follow the 5 "Cs"...

"Plan for the worst, hope for the best"

a reply to: RedParrotHead

I believe that in the event of a nuclear incident, your options are as follows.

1) Know about it before hand, well before hand, and get your traveling done BEFORE the blast. If you fail to do that, and you are traveling either during, or after the blast, then whether the wave hits you or not, the radiation will, and that will screw you over faster than a shoddy lawyer.

2) Have a hardened and well provisioned "its all gone to hell" room underneath your home, and pray to God you can get a message out to the authorities, letting them know where you are, and what your situation is.

3) Hope to God that you are far enough away, and that the wind blows the other direction, constantly, and the radioactive muck never reaches you.

Really, the best thing you can do, is not live within one hundred miles of anything that kicks out more rads than a hospital radiology department. Further than that, it is EXCEEDINGLY hard to counteract the risks presented by a radioactive event, unless you happen to have an awful lot of training, know how, equipment, and access to a large support network.

Evenin',

Few things on the planet are safer than your own two feet.

-Peace-

Since I live walking distance to the ocean. I would commandeer someones boat lol.

What people should really be doing is making plans to get into very large groups. Strength in numbers.

Here is a website showing you the linear distance from your zipcode to the nearest nuclear power plants:

CNN: How close is the nearest nuclear power plant?

It does not address

prevailing wind speed and direction
age of nuclear facility
defense facilities with nuclear materials

Edit to add:

NUKEMAP simulator

enjoy.

a reply to: Thisbseth

Good point. I also have direct access to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic beyond, something to think about. I wonder if it would be cheaper, easier, safer to put all of my efforts into a bug-out boat rather than a home bunker, bug-out vehicle and bug-out site. A boat could be all three. Supply, fortify some tough vessel and anchor way off shore...maybe even a secluded cove somewhere. One could come ashore at will to resupply and possibly tie up to other such boats, safety in numbers. I wonder if there are mariner survivalist groups akin to the land based ones I keep reading about - that gather at a specific locale when/if TSHTF.

There would be a whole new set of danger to prepare for though. I'll have to consider this options.

Poisonous or radioactive clouds usually travel as fast as winds high up. It's possible to look at forecasts, meteorological radar data (shows how fast clouds are moving) in the area of interest. Doing some math on wind speed, direction and traveling direction, speed could get an answer when exposure starts and how long it may continue until arrival.

It does not address prevailing wind speed and direction age of nuclear facility defense facilities with nuclear materials - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

It also may not consider if a plant is now offline and not in danger of a meltdown. For example, the nearest one to me is about 70 miles, but in reality, that plant has been offline since 2009.

To be frank, just about any prep plan for a SHTF event will fail if you are living in the Northeast US, unless part of that plan includes either getting 100 miles away from a reactor or the ability to shelter against the radiation. In most other parts of the country, not as big a deal, but a lot of these plants in the northeast.