The potential ugliness of people after a SHTF

[revjen45]

My wife and I have discussed whether to bug out or hunker down,and the consensus is hunker down. No idea where we would go anyway that would be better than where we are. Add to that traffic gridlock that would make a normal 3-day weekend look like light traffic and going just about anywhere becomes impractical. I am 70 and recovering from a heart attack describe by the cardiologist as "devastating" so I'm not in the kind of shape as a Recon Marine. We live in semi-rural bucolic tranquility, unfortunately in a heavily populated county. 4 or 5 roads could be blocked off to deny entry by vehicle, leaving those with enough gumption to go on foot and the locals could lie in wait for them.
Just remember that at any given time there is a 3-day supply of food available, i.e. 3 days from chaos.
Lock and load.

 

[Motomom34]

My point is that it will take a community to survive post SHTF, and if you think it's a reasonably likely scenario then you need to find that community and become a part of it. Keep in mind I'm specifically not talking about a paranoid reality TV show prepper community, but a semi rural agricultural community full of good people and common sense. If you are wrong the worst case scenario is relaxed rural or semi rural living with periodic long drives for annual shopping trips.

You are correct. One not only needs to relocate full time to the rural community but become a part of it. Many people I know have BOL's but they are secondary places and the owners have not gotten to know their neighbors and town officials. Volunteering and going to neighborhood/community functions is a great way to start. People do not need to know your business 100% but they do need to recognize your face and know that you are a stand up person pre- SHTF.

I just moved out of a place I had been in for 6 months. The day we moved out, we were sitting on the furniture waiting for the moving truck and some lady came over and welcomed us to the neighborhood. Clueless! She had no idea what was happening or who resided in her cul-de-sac. Do not be that person.

 

[albin25]

Volunteering and going to neighborhood/community functions is a great way to start.

I would agree that "face time" is essential...
...Facebook is not a substitute!

 

[Cortes]

I for one do not believe that our already strained emergency response community has even considered the potential? Or maybe they have and are just quietly getting ready with all they got. Some supply shortages already are occurring.

Had this conversation last week with a representative of a fire fighting organization. He said that Oregon only has a 1 day supply of fuel and that they were filling up everything they had as they did not expect to be able to get fuel for a few days surrounding the eclipse.

He also stated that they expected that i-5 would be bad clear into southern Oregon as many people were booking rooms in Roseburg and points south as all the northern rooms were sold out. So they will be driving to Salem area in the morning to view the eclipse and then going who knows where.

I think I'll just stay on the farm a couple of extra days and be content with my two minute viewing of a 95% eclipse

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

You are correct. One not only needs to relocate full time to the rural community but become a part of it. Many people I know have BOL's but they are secondary places and the owners have not gotten to know their neighbors and town officials. Volunteering and going to neighborhood/community functions is a great way to start. People do not need to know your business 100% but they do need to recognize your face and know that you are a stand up person pre- SHTF.

I just moved out of a place I had been in for 6 months. The day we moved out, we were sitting on the furniture waiting for the moving truck and some lady came over and welcomed us to the neighborhood. Clueless! She had no idea what was happening or who resided in her cul-de-sac. Do not be that person.

Give em a try; sure. A neighborhood that only TAKES (like ours), needs to be cut off and educated by letting nature run its course.

Honestly; in my 57 years, rarely have I ever seen "everyone" contributing something; 24 years of military life included.

 

[ATCclears]

My wife and I have discussed whether to bug out or hunker down,and the consensus is hunker down. No idea where we would go anyway that would be better than where we are. Add to that traffic gridlock that would make a normal 3-day weekend look like light traffic and going just about anywhere becomes impractical. I am 70 and recovering from a heart attack describe by the cardiologist as "devastating" so I'm not in the kind of shape as a Recon Marine. We live in semi-rural bucolic tranquility, unfortunately in a heavily populated county. 4 or 5 roads could be blocked off to deny entry by vehicle, leaving those with enough gumption to go on foot and the locals could lie in wait for them.
Just remember that at any given time there is a 3-day supply of food available, i.e. 3 days from chaos.
Lock and load.

@revjen45 we're in the same county, a bucolic area too, and I agree with your assessment. Our plan is to hunker down too.

 

[EPS]

There is a movie called HOURS it's a true story about a man keeping his baby alive during the Catrina thing in New ORLEANS at a hospital after everyone else left him there SOME PEOPLE WILL SURVIVE AND SOME WON'T just how bad you want it

 

[CoastRange57]

You are correct. One not only needs to relocate full time to the rural community but become a part of it. Many people I know have BOL's but they are secondary places and the owners have not gotten to know their neighbors and town officials. Volunteering and going to neighborhood/community functions is a great way to start. People do not need to know your business 100% but they do need to recognize your face and know that you are a stand up person pre- SHTF.

I just moved out of a place I had been in for 6 months. The day we moved out, we were sitting on the furniture waiting for the moving truck and some lady came over and welcomed us to the neighborhood. Clueless! She had no idea what was happening or who resided in her cul-de-sac. Do not be that person.

Great post and ideas. Just like where we are planning to move next year. We have met our neighbors who have offered tools, storage and help. I have met 2 of the deputies who patrol the area, let them know about our property, they have my phone number, met the fire chief and told him I would like to join his support group, or join as an engineer. Went to the local car show and met some of those people. We are on a Facebook page, NextDoor for the local area there. Met the local Lions Club president, told him I would join his group as well. All were very welcoming. Starting to feel like it is home already.

 

[EPS]

I will agree with that getting to know your neighbor 's is good in a time of bad things happening it would be good to know who's friends and who's foe I know for a fact that three of my neighbors are well Armed have guns and know how to use them the others we might have to look out for I also know that my one neighbor has supplies as do I so we would be a life saver to the rest THE ONLY QUESTION IS HOW LONG TO SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T PREPARE

 

[3MTA3]

I will agree with that getting to know your neighbor 's is good in a time of bad things happening it would be good to know who's friends and who's foe I know for a fact that three of my neighbors are well Armed have guns and know how to use them the others we might have to look out for I also know that my one neighbor has supplies as do I so we would be a life saver to the rest THE ONLY QUESTION IS HOW LONG TO SUPPORT SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T PREPARE

Everyone who consumes must also provide. I've assessed the skills, capabilities, and character of the people I can't turn away as well as others I would flat out invite. Any who will not contribute will need to find another place. The area that Mrs 3M and I are relocating to is rural and has rural folks that are already pretty self sufficient, except for a fairly small number of city dwellers.

 

[EPS]

My one neighbor is state patrol officer but I have know idea if they have supplies I would say probley but never know probley be working till the s#!+ got bad then LAW AND ORDER is out the window every man for them self my other neighbors I have been to the range with older couple but I know they are armed I have seen them shoot lol but I have a few that are space case YOU KNOW EVERY THING IS GREAT ALL THE TIME stumbling through life like nothing bad will ever happen

 

[EPS]

The older couple I met them not too long after they moved in I bought my truck from them and we talked about shooting because the truck had a CZ sticker on it lol I know they have food because I have seen the bucket 's of survive food in there shed and they have a small garden in there yard not worried bout them they are friend for sure

 

[EPS]

I have said it before this is a simple thing to solve I don't care how rich or poor you are anybody can buy a case of bottle water at Walmart for like $4 then go to the dollar store and spend the other $16 bucks on cans of soup and live for a week or more this is basic stuff here

 

[EPS]

Sorry should buy more water you can go weeks without food maybe 3 day's with out water

 

[notazombie]

The town I live just outside of is very rural. Less than 900 residents. Of the many I've met in the few weeks I've been here I get the impression that most would be just fine for quite a while. The two wild cards would be:
(1) I am situated at the edge of the Owyhee mountains. In the event that the Boise crowd decides to bug out, many would probably be using the 2 lane road at the bottom of my hill to head south / southwest. Best I can do is try to be the gray man in the gray house on the brown hill under the smokey gray sky. Hopefully, most just keep on driving/riding/walking.
(2) There is a very large migrant worker population here. Most are truly migrant so depending on the season it may be a non-issue. If something goes down in the summer I would need to be extra vigilant. There is a housing authority complex (wife says it looks like base housing) just up the road. I highly doubt there is much in the way of long term supplies there. So, maybe things get ugly and they all head for Mexico. Maybe the farmers who employ them will provide. Maybe they'll organize and raid the neighbors. I can't say.
Bottom line is that there is no perfect spot or perfect neighbors. I'm much better off here than in the PDX area on both counts. I don't worry about the locals. I worry about those who don't call it home.
I'll stay gray and keep watch.

 

[EPS]

The town I live just outside of is very rural. Less than 900 residents. Of the many I've met in the few weeks I've been here I get the impression that most would be just fine for quite a while. The two wild cards would be:
(1) I am situated at the edge of the Owyhee mountains. In the event that the Boise crowd decides to bug out, many would probably be using the 2 lane road at the bottom of my hill to head south / southwest. Best I can do is try to be the gray man in the gray house on the brown hill under the smokey gray sky. Hopefully, most just keep on driving/riding/walking.
(2) There is a very large migrant worker population here. Most are truly migrant so depending on the season it may be a non-issue. If something goes down in the summer I would need to be extra vigilant. There is a housing authority complex (wife says it looks like base housing) just up the road. I highly doubt there is much in the way of long term supplies there. So, maybe things get ugly and they all head for Mexico. Maybe the farmers who employ them will provide. Maybe they'll organize and raid the neighbors. I can't say.
Bottom line is that there is no perfect spot or perfect neighbors. I'm much better off here than in the PDX area on both counts. I don't worry about the locals. I worry about those who don't call it home.
I'll stay gray and keep watch.

The big city's will be a mess I know for sure it will be bad I'm in a small town also but we are connected to the main land by bridge if they are gone it would be a long time to get supplies here if they ever came in time there are two bridge 's that connect ANACORTES TO MAIN LAND. Lots off people don't realize that ANACORTES is a island

 

[notazombie]

I'm separated from Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, etc by bridges also. I don't really worry much about earthquakes taking them out though. Anything is possible I guess. The Snake isn't that wide here. Wouldn't be tough to cross.

 

[shibbershabber]

Its really a toss up feeling out who is prepared and how...... without giving up too much information on yourself...

No one wants to volunteer that info first, in case the other person is not prepared nor plans to.

I have a couple that are probably not going to be a problem, though many more that are going to be trouble in the way of general lawlessness if there is trouble, moreso if they know I have excess supplies.

Im just outside of city limits, and there are a lot of people around here... not rural at all, yet not too densely populated.

Grey man is the order of the day here come SHTF... I dont have nice cars, my yard and house do not look impressive by any stretch of the imagination... (Id like to say this was intentional as a strategic move, but... )
As long as mouths are kept shut I should be fine... even in helping a prepared neighbor, Ill act as though I cant really spare it

 

[EPS]

My sister lives on a island that you have to take a ferry to we have talked about it before if stuff gets really bad I would make a move to her house we have small boat's that could cross the Chanel and move supplies they keep extra gas and stuff just because the ferry don't run 24 hours a day might take two trips but I could move out there if I had too these would be covert night trips LOL THATS IF S#!+ GOT REALLY BAD her house is 99% Solar power basically if you unplug what you don't need it's 100%

 

[Retired Guy]

Interesting conversation. I don't recall if it's legit to post a link to another blog but some interesting reading at: About – SHTF School

This guy runs a survival school in the Balkans. He survived the Balkans war in the early 90s and that includes living one year without: government, electricity, running water, working sewers, fuel, food/supply distribution, and law enforcement.

Pretty extreme stuff but if you want a glimpse of total society collapse, it happened here folks.