So, it's the middle of the day, on a workday, and the SHTF....what steps do you take?

Here are the parameters of the SHTF event.

Whatever the event, power is out or will be out soon (within hours)
martial law is imminent (within hours or days),
roads are currently clear, but this will change within minutes or hours,
it is fairly clear that this may be somewhat long term, at least more than a few days, if not weeks or more
the news is telling people not to panic, and other instructions (stay in your homes, etc.)

You're at work, with no prior warning that this would happen today.
What do you do first?
Where do you go?

Assume the scenario will disrupt modern life for at least two weeks to a month, but possibly longer.

Head out to pick up family at school and work, gas up, head to Savannah on the coast and hop on the boats. 2000 gallon gas tanks on 2 sailboats with reverse osmosis water treatment, plenty of gear for surviving on the water for a very extended period of time. Would take about 5 hours to get there including picking everyone up and should be out of big city Atlanta within 1 hour using backroads to avoid highway congestion. Once outside big city hit the interstate and head to coast.

Run home..fill tub up with water, check supplies ( i have lots of dried foods that will last a decent amount of time).
Go around my street telling folk to rush to the shops and get what they can and meet me at 7pm at my house for a meeting.
Keep listening to the news, while preparing my weapons
At 7pm have the street meeting, decide what we must all do and stick together for now. Oh and make sure the old dears in my street are ok.

reply to post by Gazrok


I've thought about this alot Gaz~

I'd grab one of my best friends KC i've grown up with since birth (litterally) and I'd explain after I got her to safety. I have a F150 so if needed, I can do some off roading to make up as much distance as possible before having to go on foot.

My fiancee is at home with my daughter. The half way point would be my mothers house where I keep some special SHTF scenerio "tools of the trade"

Borrow the neighbours car...nip down the road to the local country sports shop and grab a few guns (shotguns/semi autos) and as much ammo as possible (don't want the unwashed with ammo - they can have the guns as they're clubs without ammo)

Then nip down to the local vets to ninja loads of medical stuff

and finally raid the local cash and carry tooled up for loads of stuff and then relax with my neighbours since we have food/meds/guns and pretty much everything we need (2 out of 4 houses have solar power so can keep low power stuff charged like phones etc)

Leave work ASAP, go by foot leave the car it will probably be a hindrance within hours, as you say traffic will be affected. Jog to the closest food store and fill the trolley with essentials, e.g bottled water, tinned foods, and toilet paper (that one most people will forget, but it's very important).

Then no need to return the trolley, or cart (whatever you call it) so jog home with it, as It's a lot easier than carrying it. Then basically get home make sure everyone's ok and hold tight.

I guess the rest depends on the exact scenario as to what steps or decision I would make next. If it was some sort of attack or if it was weather or environmental related I'd make completely different decisions.

Depending on what happens I may not know much about it anyway. I work in a chemical factory with thousands of tonnes worth of explosive and flammable material, which would make the recent factory explosions look like child's play, probably leveling the whole industrial district.

So, fingers crossed I guess that I get a chance to get the hell out of there.

reply to post by Gazrok


Context:

Workplace: Office
Distance from home: 5 minute drive
Survival training (Scale Low 1-10 High): 2

My very first thought upon the realization the a SHTF scenario was unfolding would be loved ones. I would forego scrounging around my location of work for valuable survival materials because I do not believe there would be anything readily available to grab and that would be of much benefit. Secondly, my desire to secure those close to me may override logical thinking.

I would hop in the car and rive 5 minutes to another location round up my loved ones that are local. Depending on the obviousness of the disaster, I would pray that the majority of the population remain apathetic to the severity of the situation.

Next stop would be place of residence. Collect food, non-perishables, water, equipment that would be of some benefit. Then head north. Luckily the city I work and reside in is North of any major urban centers and I would be one of the first on the roads. We have a cottage that has some basic necessities, plus a very large fresh water lake full of edible fish. Though connected to the power grid, we have also adopted 2 solar panels. These will provide sufficient power for the basics, even a electric burner for cooking.

Unfortunately I would say that I am to untrained or unskilled in survival to accurately gauge the value of workplace items in my office to assist in survival.



Alternative

Grab some beers, maybe a cigar and sit on a roof and watch what happens, happen.

Since this scenario has many gaps...I will assume most people drive to work.
If you work in a large city and use public transportation, good luck.

First and foremost:
Grab any supplies from workplace that can be of use.
Leave place of employment. As long as roads are clear enough to travel.
Keep radio on FM or AM. Whichever is broadcasting events.
Use cellphone to call family and friends to tell them quickly about your plans.
Pickup whoever needs transportation to the main meeting spot. Elderly family, children, etc.
Travel on all backroads and steer clear of main highways.
Stop at gas station if possible and fill up. Only IF POSSIBLE! Lines at the pump? Keep trucking.
Bypass all stores and markets, as crowds of peoples are panicky and dangerous. Avoid at all costs.
Supplies should've already been prepared for years now, no need to shop/loot.
The main goal is to get and keep your loved ones safe and secure.

After arriving at the safe destination, gather all intel and people and start the planning process.
Who is doing what and what time things will change...that sort of thing.
Setup wind-up radio, water and food rations, and most importantly, keep calm.
Load magazines, oil machinery, and ride out the storm.
Prepare for anything.

This may take a while....

Workplace: Home
Wife's Workplace: 6 miles (she doesn't drive)
Son's School: 3 miles (directly between home and wife's work)
Home Rations: Enough for a month (max)
Survival Training: Moderate to Good (35 fit)
(I've been hard camping since I was an infant, and I used to train our local P.D. in self defense and disarming tactics)

Upon hearing the news I'd plug the tubs and sinks and put them on the slow run to fill for the 20 minute round trip.
I always store a G.O.O.D. bag in the trunk of my car just in case. My son is priority one.
There are 3 ways to get to town from my son's school. Depending on the traffic, I'd probably take the four lane highway. The road is straight as an arrow and generally has mild traffic.

My wife knows not to stay at her work. The hardware store she works in is small, independently owned, and right in the heart of downtown. They sell camping gear, fuel, tools, and hunting gear (ammo, crossbow bolts, knives, arrows, etc), so it'll be hit hard in a SHTF scenario. There are a number of abandoned buildings in the area. She's been instructed to spray paint a symbol on the dumpster outside, which will let me know which building she's chosen to hide out in.

Once I have both wife and son, I'll head home, turn off the faucets, and lockdown the house. If, for some reason, I can't go home, then it's likely things are really bad, so I'm not going to care about leaving the water running**, and I'm likely just going to head west (1.5 hours) to our spot in the mountains.


**the slow pour won't fill the tubs/sinks faster than the overflow catch can swallow.

Gazrok, this scenario gave me a flashback to 9/11. I was in my office when the planes hit, and was amazed at how everyone sat around murmuring and dumbfounded. Personally, I didn't waste ten seconds to get in my car, pick my son up, and get him to (at least temporary) safety. Then, I reevaluated the situation.

What I wonder about in this scenario falls into two categories:

1. How much will the government really know at the time? Will the situation unfold, or will they really have all the information? And, if they do have it, how much of it will they actually share with the masses?
2. Will people act as they did on 9/11, like deer in the headlights? I rather think many of them will, although not anyone on this forum.

My work is at home, so I'd roll a fat one and watch the carnage from my window.

King

Drive home (5 minutes), nock on all my neighbors doors, have us all meet up and discuss what we are going to do to keep the neighborhood secure and take inventory of what supplies we have and what we can quickly procure using the our local knowledge. You wont survive a SHTF scenario on your own, sorry but thats the truth. Get to know those around you and build a report with them.

Not specific enough.

Is power out locally? Regionally? Nationally? World-wide?

Likewise, martial law going to be instituted on which of the above levels?

I'd very likely be in COOP mode at work, so I would probably be working through it, in most scenarios.

Walk out to car, pull 9mm from glovebox, burn rubber to get family, secure family at house, have family start to go over supplies we have. Evaluate the situation. Get on radio. Take a 3 minute drive to the nearby dollar store with one of my sons, my other family is already armed and holding the house until we get back. All this can be done in 45 minutes or less.

Once back home, check radio constantly. Then the most important thing is to decide to hunker down or flee depending on the situation. If we decide to leave then we gather other family members load up and hit the roads, a small convoy of loyal family members armed to the teeth, our destination is basically all back /side roads. I do not live in a city, I live in a small town. We have to make it about 70 miles (1/12 hour drive). I figure if we are traveling in numbers we should be ok,
I doubt the Military will have road blocks setup that fast on small town roads. Any other opposition we will just deal with determining the situation.

Should be in primary secure location within 4 hours.

That's the good thing with you guys in the US and Australia you can head for the hills when TSHTF, but here in the UK we can walk out of one town or city for like 20 mins and be in the next, and the few hills we do have, well they'll be over populated within hours.

We basically have no where to run.

If extended loss of power(greater than one week) is primary emergency, the main goal (once family is secure) would be to get as far away from any nuclear power plant or spent fuel storage facility as possible.

Then find as safe a place as possible for friends and family, trying to ensure they all understand the danger posed
by such a scenario.

In a matter of hours any operating reactor will have a core melt down and explode, in a matter of days, any spent fuel pools would boil off their water, begin to melt and explode also.

If this scenario plays out, anyone living on the surface is toast after a few generations.

In other words, game over man...




Make sure to mark these on your physical maps, draw a radius of at least 100 miles, take prevailing winds into account to plan routes.

There is insufficient information to judge what would be the best option, as to this specific SHTF scenario.

The best general advice for such a case, is to go home safely, get everyone accounted for, and then take stock of your real options.

Given the limited amount of information concerning the 'events', running for the hills does not sound like the most viable option.

As for martial law, there are not enough troops or police etc, to make an inflexible or escape proof barricade around most large cities. You might be able to blockade one major city with ease, if you used every swinging Richard in the effort, but beyond that, there are not enough bodies to pull it off across the entire nation.

Given that such a crisis would require massive support and logistics, in a time of such great upheaval; it'd be foolish to even consider trying to lock down a city. Hell, the DHS, Police, Military etc cluster-frak that occurred with the Boston bombing showed just how ineffective such things can be. Which is where a lot of the paranoia and fear of 'martial law' breaks down, people seem to think that every TSHF that ends up with a 'martial law' in it, would last or be unable to get free from. It's not the case.

It's like the old adage of every blade of grass hiding a person with a gun, in time the 'martial law force' would have to fall back to their 'castle' defense and keep the hungry armed masses out of it.

But hey, your view may differ.

M.

Originally posted by DAZ21
That's the good thing with you guys in the US and Australia you can head for the hills when TSHTF, but here in the UK we can walk out of one town or city for like 20 mins and be in the next, and the few hills we do have, well they'll be over populated within hours.

We basically have no where to run.

---

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------

When the SHTF, I will drink 5 pints....put a paper bag over my head, lay down on the floor
and yell "It's 42!" over and over again while waiting for us to be all demolished or blown to
smithereens all because someone needs room for a hyperspace bypass!

Gazrok, this scenario gave me a flashback to 9/11. I was in my office when the planes hit, and was amazed at how everyone sat around murmuring and dumbfounded. Personally, I didn't waste ten seconds to get in my car, pick my son up, and get him to (at least temporary) safety. Then, I reevaluated the situation.

That is pretty much what I had in mind when thinking about the post. I happen to be working for the same company I was with during 911 (went back there), so a coworker and I were talking about when it happened.

Me, I'd call my wife, let her know I was on the way, and then call my mother and let her know (she knows to try and get to the ranch). My wife would call our friends. In the event even phones are down, they all know the deal anyhow.

I'd drive as far and as fast as I could, before getting snarled up in traffic. If I make it home, great, but I probably will get stuck in traffic at some point, probably on the bridge or in Tampa. Even alternate routes will likely not work...due to the geography of the area. I figure at that point, I'm hoofing it. I'll try and stash the truck if I can and hide it, but not a likely option. I do have a quick disable option that should prevent anyone from using it, so I can come back for it.

I'll change into my SHTF clothes, grab my BOB, and start on the hike home. Will probably take me a couple of days or so, depending on how far I get in the truck. Once within about 30 miles of home, I'd check in with the wife on the Motorola two-way. (we have preset channels and time intervals). Once outside of Tampa, she may even be able to come pick me up.

Once home, we'll check in with neighbors, lock up gates, double-check preps, and see what happens.

Go to the Winchester and wait for it all to blow over!