You're downtown...when SHTF

[Just Jim]

I would hope to find a bicycle I could buy from someone, if not then I have no choice but to walk 60 miles to home. At my age that will be difficult but not impossible. I may be able to buy a ride between bridges. Cash will get you alot and if I am on a gunshow weekend then I would have enough cash on me. Odds are in a really big quake that would knock out the bridges that my house would be gone too.

 

[Brutus57]

Why wouldn't you buy your new iPod in the U District at the Apple store there? Then all you'd have to deal with is a bunch of unarmed UW students, with the frat boys in the basement with the sheep and most of the rest texting WTF! I'm just sayin' <grin>
TG I am back from NorCal in mostly one piece.
Brutus Out

 

[CoastRange57]

I have doubts that anybody will be using motor vehicles for transportation. I have seen enough situations no where as serious as a 9.0 that completely clogged the surface streets.

This thread has got me thinking about one comment made, that the homeless dudes will know where all the good places are to lay up at. If you are solo, that will be huge. Being able to lay up and get some sleep with out being fd with will be hard. Secure concealment will be very hard. Even a team will have a hard time laying up for any amount of time.

You will probably be in a situation where you will move, lay up for two to three hours then move on. Day and night. Night movement would probably be favorable anyway. Hence the many extra flashlight batteries I carry.

My sons taught me a lot about this, the Marine Corps and combat experience does a good job of teaching them how to conserve energy. They lay down the minute they can, get out of the sun when the can, and say 20 minutes of sleep will give you another 2 to 3 hours of endurance. I used to do that when when driving trucks, if I got tired, pull over and nap for 20 minutes to half hour, and it as pretty refreshing.

 

[Just Jim]

Not sure the homeless guys will be much help if they were living under a bridge and the bridges all come down. Nobody driving then there should be vehicles to sleep in. Always food in trucks on the highways to forage and pay for. I believe you could find decent companions on a hike to home.

 

[Wood Worker]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the fact that Portland is built over what is commonly known as the Boring lava fields, with vents and underground tubes all over for miles.

 

[The Heretic]

Live on a basalt mountain or hill and out of the valley.

A lot of the hills within the Willamette valley and around it are mostly alluvial in nature.

The mountain I live on is the highest within the valley, and has basalt once you get down about 100 to 200 feet, but on top is mostly loess, and that is what can slide away in earthquakes or rain soaked landslides. On the south side there are visible landslides, the northside much less so. I live on the northside.

 

[The Heretic]

Anyone think of all the sewage and the pumps that keep it moving away from the low level buildings.
Would anyone want to be in a building that was not higher than the rest of the buildings
If there is a total power failure.......
Just think of all those houses up in the hills all flushing at once ROFLOL

I wouldn't want to live on the east side of the west hills - that is very steep. I would be afraid of a landslide.

 

[Just Jim]

Anything big enough to bring down all the bridges and overpasses would break the water and sewer lines. Gas lines are steel or polymer so some of those may not break underground but would separate next to homes and businesses. Lots of fires and depending on the time of year maybe a firestorm. Fire could make it near impossible to move far.

 

[The Heretic]

The KelTec Sub2000 fits nicely in a small backpack.

So would an SU-16 or most any bullpup or anything with a folding stock for that matter.

Personally, I think a 9MM pistol would be sufficient and easier to bring to bear but remain concealed.

The first few days I don't want to be wandering around with a loaded concealed rifle, especially in Portland - the LEOs would be out in force and I would want to be legal within any metro area that has laws regarding loaded rifles in its limits, especially concealed ones.

I don't know all the laws of all of the different cities, but I know Portland city bans loaded firearms in public areas, the exception being handguns carried with a concealed carry permit.

Rule of Law usually doesn't disappear overnight and LE orgs are often especially cognizant of people with firearms, so it is best to remain legal while you are inside any municipality boundary. At least at the beginning - after I get home, I probably won't be going back into a city until the emergency is over, and once home, I am solely on private property (I live on a private road) in an area where it is not at all uncommon to encounter people that have long guns in view - mostly hunters.

 

[Just Jim]

A high cap nine that runs well plus two extra mags is what I carry out of town. If I am in my own rig I may have a take down rifle but not normally. Get me home bag has most of what I would need, including a metal water bottle to boil water in.

 

[U201491]

I wouldn't want to live on the east side of the west hills - that is very steep. I would be afraid of a landslide.

Those houses on the stilts up there are just plain scary. How can they sleep at night?

 

[mjbskwim]

You live on the East side. 1 hour later you're downtown at Pioneer Square buying a new iPod when SHTF. Let's say the fault line bursts and the bridges go down. What would you do to get back home?

Didn't read more than a couple of posts.Most ideas won't come true,sorry.
IF the fault ruins all the cross lake bridges you won't be DRIVING anywhere.A lot of the other bridges will be down rendering most routes impassable.
Half the buildings will be blocking the streets.Cars and others trying to escape will be blocking the rest
IF you haven't been hit by rubble from one of those really cool old buildings down there,your car probably will have been destroyed.
If you have any common decency and no family to find,you will be helping those laying under the rubble.Instant volunteer.

So basically you will need to be ready to hike it wherever you decide you want to try to go.
The Rainier valley! Oh boy! You will need to head for there if you live south of Bellevue.You will need to be armed and have some others with you.Unless you look the part.
Or go north to keep away from the RV and walk two to three times as far.
Or find a safe shelter downtown.There will be many after they start clean up.

While at the shelter,you can look on line and see that amazon had the very thing you went to Pioneer Square for,but because of unseen difficulties Amazon has suspended orders.

Man,am I glad I never have to go down there again!

 

[CoastRange57]

Those houses on the stilts up there are just plain scary. How can they sleep at night?

They probably sleep quite well. It can never happen to them. Obliviots. Oblivious idiots. Some of those stilts actually go to bed rock, some not so much. Big pile of fire wood at the bottom of the hill, if the flood does not take it all to Scappoose.

 

[CoastRange57]

If I was in Portland and this happened, and the chance of that is zero anyway, then I might have to think about deviating from my usual law abiding behavior and commander a bicycle. They have enough of them to spare anyway, but mjbskwim makes the valid point that the roads are clogged with rubble and you are likely going to hoof it anyway.

 

[mjbskwim]

If I was in Portland and this happened, and the chance of that is zero anyway, then I might have to think about deviating from my usual law abiding behavior and commander a bicycle. They have enough of them to spare anyway, but mjbskwim makes the valid point that the roads are clogged with rubble and you are likely going to hoof it anyway.

Some of the buildings downtown are 100+ years old.And I have done plenty of digging down there.I know there are some voids under ground.
Wait and see what the tunnel project destroys.Then it will look clearer what a good shaking will do
But just like the "what route?" threads in the past.If you have ever worked in King county,not just Seattle proper,and tried to get home on a 3 day weekend,you understand the nightmare that a devastating earthquake would be

 

[Caveman Jim]

Most likely I will be afield when this happens as I am a social misfit living in a cave (1100 sq' hovel) with a larger shop than most houses.
If I survived the sure to be flood I will be quite satisfied and hope the boat ramp is high and dry.
There are only 2 small bridges between home & the ramp and 11 miles to drive as there are no seeming obstacles to overcome here. I love the sticks!!!!

 

[Ttuck]

Found this awhile back but never thought to post it here. I guess this is the perfect time to. This goes into detail what would happen during the big one. It's a long read but a very good one. Highways roadways and freeways would almost all be unusable. Prepare for the long haul. Not to mention almost all internet and phones will not work.

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/the-first-four-minutes/Content?oid=5766214

 

[CoastRange57]

Pretty good over all look, but you would need to drill down under each "what if" they present to see several levels of underlying problems and scenarios you will have to deal with.

Jumping around and then assuming things will be fine in 2 months as far as electrical and other utility and transportation infrastructure is a complete load of horse crap in my opinion.

Assuming that FEMA, ODOT and Emergency Services will go on without a hiccup or problem is ludicrous. Their own infrastructures will be destroyed, their own people will be AWOL. Clearing all the collapsed over passes and ramps on I5 in two weeks ?? Laffable in any case.

 

[Skier]

I think about downtown PDX scenarios a lot (I can't give much credence to an all bridges down scenario though)...

I took CERT training in Hillsboro a few months back, and one interesting thing I learned was that if we had a quake big enough to even damage bridges (let alone, one even being destroyed), part of the immediate disaster response effort would be to shutdown bridges and even some overpasses until they could be inspected by (if I recall) the Army Corp of Engineers (or some similar people if that's not right), so even if a true "all bridges down scenario" is unlikely, it's highly likely that all bridge might have first responders posted at either end blocking traffic from crossing for days, as soon as they can mount a response. Not sure if that might be 10-15 minutes, or a couple hours, but if your not able to take the risk and cross ASAP (and who knows, they may even be blocked by people who are afraid to cross, but who can't turn around or get out of the way), so you may have to find alternate means of crossing or hole up for a while, even if none of the bridges are truly destroyed.

One of the CERT instructor mentioned that he lives across the river from where he works, so his plan is to have his family mentally prepared to do the right things, even in his absense, he keeps supplies for a week in his GHB in the vehicle he drives to work, as well as an inflatable raft, just in case.

The CERT training was interesting, informative, and free, and in addition to learning a lot of basic skills to prepare for and deal with disaster situations, it was also good to learn what kinds of steps the government and first responder will be taking in various disaster scenarios. Whether those with authority are acting like friends or enemies, its good to know what their general plans are, so you can plan/respond accordingly.

 

[pioneer461]

Start walk'n. I worked downtown Portland for about 7 years, and this topic was frequently on my mind. Every time I leave home, I'm prepared to fight my way back home. I always carry at least one handgun, usually 2 reloads per gun, at least one knife, a small LED flashlight, good walking shoes, dressed for the weather, cell phone, etc. Fortunately if I had been caught downtown on the west side of the Willamette, I don't need to cross a river to get home.

I've run various scenarios in my mind, from a simple stroll (20 miles) up to and including a combat scenario.

Since I left my job downtown, I stay pretty close to home, but still leave home with the possibility I may have to fight my way home.

If you stay rready, you don't need to get ready. ​