While tabletop scenarios can be fun to discuss, useful in preplanning and help provoke thought, without realistic specifics or parameters they can become nothing more than fantasy.

I think most of us like the mental stimulation of “what if”, but this scenario seems to more along the lines of sweeping hordes of unstoppable zombies invade your community, now what do you do?

I think that unless there is logistical reason such geographic or conditional causes of single point evacuation, most residents will disperse in multiple directions. Short of a major weather event (hurricane, flooding) affecting a region, most real world evacuations are local events. Even in a regional event such as a snow or ice storm, evacuation is a local or a series of isolated events with most residents hunkering down or relocating to family and/or friends outside the affected area(s).

I think rather than speculating upon what seems to be a never-ending scenario, we look to real world examples of local and regional evacuations (there have been many in the last 5-10 years) and analyze what worked, what didn’t and how we may incorporated those experiences into our disaster planning.

Just my 2 cents-
Pete

Nah, the moat will keep most of the out, and the laser cannon will take care of anyone who makes it past that.

Around here, that's known as "Spring Break".

Unless a large enforcement presence is established, I would expect anarchy in pretty short order, as the have-nots will quickly become the majority.

Either you'll get martial law in some form, with detention camps and/or relocation routing, or you'll get riots and looting, or you get shades of the two mixed depending on the depth of the response by authorities.

As a resident, my first priority is to make myself the least desirable target of opportunity in my vicinity. Heads on poles always seems to be a good deterrent.

I think large and medium scale shelters to aid refugees are a far more likely scenario than "detention camps" to contain them. The first few days are likely to be chaotic, and crime rates may tick up, but large scale violence and rioting are unlikely.

In my extensive experience with displaced persons, I've found them to be very cooperative and reasonably orderly, on the whole, and I've seen the ability law enforcement has to exercise it's surge capacity in disasters (court officers, probation officers, fish & game officers, reserve deputies, DMV officers, campus police, marine patrol, state troopers, National Guard, Federal Protective Service, FBI, Border Patrol, airport police, etc.)

+1

People carry their problems with them - displaced persons who are alcoholics still need to drink, dopers need their drugs, gangs will be gangs, and pushers will be coming along to sell them their dope. Aside from that, people are people, and most of them are pretty good, and willing to lend a hand doing whatever it is you need doing.

Realistically speaking, what are most refugees in the USA going to do? I'd say ... keep on driving. You can get a long way in a car - provided you've got snacks, water and a full tank of gas. If connecting roads are open, then even a huge herd of refugees can dissipate over a wide area.

So if you want to avoid having a major hassle with these people, all you really need to do ... is to give them access to convenience stores and a gas station. Keep the major streets open - sooner or later they will pass on through.

The only problem is for bedroom communities that are located within walking distance of major cities. If the entire city has a disaster, and for some reason people cannot drive out, then you're going to wind up with a flood of people who walk a few miles. But the good news ... many Americans are obese and they probably won't walk huge distances.

I'd like to hope that human nature is generally good and that most people will assist refugees ... by offering some water or snacks. Try to keep in mind - if a huge number of Americans are really forced to flee - then these people have probably already been through hell.

And I suspect that the folks living in Idaho are pretty safe. Nobody's going to flee that far.

cheers,
other Pete

We will indeed be safe surrounded by superheroes who can intimidate unlimited adversaries 24-7 for an unlimited period of time.

And so long as all future emergencies conform to those of the past, we can prepare by looking only backward in time. You know, getting ready for the "last war" about which we can develop near perfect information and specifics.

The potential reason for developing bug-out strategies would seem to be acknowledging your bug-in location might become untenable. If you do not think this can ever be a possibility, then I congratulate you on having an amazing bug-in location and this scenario is indeed irrelevant for you.

Every few blocks around here is a Golden Arches -- that'll keep 'em moving at least until Warrenton. Slim pickins after that, so to speak.

Dweste,

If bugging in becomes untenable, we'll bug out.

If we see on the news that the Floridians, South and North Carolinians are marching up I-95, or the Bostonians, New Yorkers and Philadelphians are coming down I-95, we may be inclined to leave the human locusts in our rearview mirror.

We'll load up on cash, gas, food, some water and as many valuables as possible because our home will surely be looted after they've stripped the shelves bare at Harris-Teeter, Whole Foods, Costco and eaten all the home fries at the local diner.

We're going to get the teardrop trailer out of storage near the mountains and head west.

Need to look at the insurance policy to see if damage due to refugee hordes is excluded from coverage. That would influence our decision.

DC is presently under an "epic" storm watch. So the local hordes are stripping the store shelves bare as I type this.

Don't get between Weather Channel watchers and the Charmin.