Um....

You know, you both sound utterly paranoid.

We've already HAD "SHTF" situations in the USA, in many places, at many times, and the response has always been for Americans to come out and help.

Just a few years ago, right near me, an ice storm stranded a bunch of people on i78 for several days. Rather than a zombie apocalypse, what happened was locals on snowmobiles shuttled food and water and medicine to the folks stuck in vehicles.

In NYC, 2003, the lights went out. Millions of people - the dreaded "urban hordes" of so many overwrought imagined scenarios - slept outside, wandered the streets, made new friends and got home, eventually.

Bridges collapse in Minneapolis - the help rushes in. Floods come to the Red River, everyone fills sandbags.
San Francisco gets blasted with an earthquake, communities turn out in droves to do what it takes.

Yes, we've had riots in the USA, yes, they have been scary (I remember the Rodney King and Washington Heights riots) and they are localized, short-lived and really really rare.

If you're on a train, you're already near a lot of gear. There's first aid. There's water. There's radios and backup radios. There's people who are PAID to come rescue your ass on the way. Nobody is walking 40 miles in "enemy territory" and nobody is going to be abandoned to the wilderness if a crew car goes missing for 24 hours.

The •410 MAGNUM UMBRELLA SHOTGUN







Or if the Umbrella seems a little over the top for the paranoids (it might even rain, whilst waiting for the train) The •410 walking stick shotguns might be more appropriate..

I want that umbrella.

For the next time someone fails to obey the stop sign when I'm crossing the street.

If I were utterly paranoid, I'd either drive every day (and stash a rifle in my trunk!) or not take this job. I'd abandon my career and move out into the back of beyond.

I'm not trying to prepare for a zombie apocalypse while I'm on the train. The two most likely versions of unpleasantness are a small-scale disaster, where if I survive professionals will come to my rescue, or a short-term transportation disruption, perhaps as bad as overnight. It's worth spending a few bucks and a few ounces of weight on preparing for a variety of contingencies, but I won't be bringing a hobo suit to use as urban camoflage.

Chaos, in reply to your questions and comments: A thin pair of polypro socks can be rolled in a small tight package or flat vacuum packed. You put them on under your dress socks, to prevent blisters in a long walk home in dress shoes or loafers; the silcock key will get you into recessed commerical facets with ease. A leatherman may or may not always work. Getting fresh water is a major conern for hydration/ first aid/ and decontamination; A water purifier bottle will filter out chemical contamination. your other preps will not ( consider also putting it in a Ti cup and the whole unit in a light nylon belt bag to get it out of your pack when needed, giving you extra pack room to add scrounged items); The Cop Tool is a purpose designed pry bar/chisel/belt cutter/short serrated blade, much stronger than a LM screwdriver for prying out a train window or opening a train door Its a bit heavy, ~6oz., so its optional; A silcloth ponchco is light and compact and has muliple uses, i.e. poncho, ground cloth, sun shade, wind break. Its much more versatile than a rainshell and; The trauma supplies, especially the izzy bandage are not that big or heavy. you want to be able to put on a bandage/touniquet quickly and with one hand. Just my opinion. YMMV.

Something I did years ago was start wearing hiking socks as dress socks. I get the dark black/blue ones so they look just like dress socks and if you shop around enough are not any more expensive. I bought a bunch of the three packs at sams club back in 2003 and still have a couple that haven't been worn. The colors that don't work for dress socks I don't have any grey pants but three pair of grey socks) I put in my BOB at home.

In my office kit I have added a homemade "survival necklace. What you do is take a badge holder like this one:

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/50743642/Lanyards_With_ID_Badge_Holders.jpg


Remove the badge sleeve ( you can use for a fresnel lens) and add a ring or D-ring to the lanyard. Attach a whistle, a small flashlight ..etc.

You can keep it in the bag. But in case of emergency, you want those items on your person, so you have the means to wear them like a necklace.

Gee, why didn't they ask them to come out of their cars, and back home to warm food and warm environments?

I come to this forum for tips on being self-sufficient. If it turns out that others help out in a disaster, then that's a bonus.

Since you brought up real scenarios, we should analyze the Katrina hurricane and the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. In those situations, the people who were entirely dependent on others were in bad shape. Also, in California, there were some pretty bad fires a couple years ago. The government seemed to be well prepared, but what if the government wasn't? Then, many people would have been stranded and desperate, which would have lead to unrest or worse...

California has pretty bad fires on a regular basis, and has learned to deal with them fairly effectively. There have been a few exceptions, but they are rare.

I think a key factor, not surprisingly, is the relative affluence of the populations. In California, everyone has a car. You simply drive away from the flames, bypassing the Red Cross and large animal shelters on the way to the motel/resort/friend's home of your choice. Shelters are typically underutilized. Even a very bad fire which guts a few hundred homes affects only a very small fraction of the population, hence there is no large scale disruption.

The Big One, properly situated, may well be a different story. A large earthquake, epicentered within a large urban population, might well result in something like Katrina. A close analogy of what might come would be the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Apparently the death toll there was likely much higher than the heavily spun "official" count.