I'm finally getting around to prepping for train spills. I can see the railroad from my house, and it carries a lot of freight. I'm assuming a bug out to a hotel while continuing to work. How long of a bug out should I prep for?

Also, should I consider any special equipment?

It would be helpful to look at a few examples. I recall reading about some on this site, but I'm not finding them right now.

My family was evacuated during a train derailment in Mississauga in 1979. It was the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history until the evacuation of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and remains the second-largest as of 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Mississauga_train_derailment



My dad packed up us kids and took us to my grandparents house while my mom, a nurse, went to work to help evacuate the nursing home she worked in. The experience made a lasting impression on 8 year old me. Back then, it felt like an adventure but now, as a parent, I can only imagine the nightmare it must have been.

I live near national rail lines now and being prepared for a derailment is a top priority for our family. Bug-out bags are are always at the ready and the car is always least half full of fuel for a trip out of town for a few days or a week. Our plan is to stay with relatives out of town. (I expect that a train disaster here would only be local in nature. In other words, not part of some greater calamity, and that our out of town destinations would still be viable.)

Traffic could be a challenge as we'd all likely be pushed North, away from the rail lines which are mostly to the South of us. Hotels and motels on the out of town routes would fill quickly. Reminds me of a trip to Louisiana a few years ago. We arrived during a mass of festivals and ended up driving the entire North-South route from New Orleans to Shreveport and then through Texas looking for a hotel room. Unable to find a vacancy, we slept in the car. The weather was great but I wouldn't expect that here, so my car preps include shelter.

Based on two derailment evacs that I have done,
3 days of clothing suitable for the season.
Know what hotels are on the other side of town or make agreements with friends on the other side of your town/city.
Have spare meds in your BoB along with some personal hygiene items.
If applicable, know what special needs items you will have to grab before you go. We keep a large suitcase packed with adult diapers, chucks, wet ones, etc. I know I have to grab the portable lift and both slings, and the potty chair.

There are a couple of motel chains that offer two room suites with kitchenettes for extremely reasonable rates and that helps us accomodate DD1 much easier.

Expect no warning of a derailment. My first experience occurred at 0400 and resulted in large propane cars exploding at about 1 per minute for hours. My second experience was at 1000 and involved tank cars of sulphuric acid. We were evac'd for 1 day during the first incident and 2 days for the second incident.

The above plus our BoB's and cash/credit cards is what we required this second time around. When we evac, we try to make it a vacation.

That clip gave me flashbacks, Jacque!

Just listening to the list of chemicals being carried on that train makes me wonder "what were these people thinking". I'm sure bean-counters somewhere decided it's a cost-effective way to move chemicals, but the hazard presented (but that will never happen) is significant. That's what insurance is for; do you feel assured?

Upon considering my escape plan more carefully, I realized there is a problem. The main street runs parallel to the railroad, perhaps less than 20' away. The two of them intersect the nearest interstate highway. The exist/on ramp are very close to the intersection.

(1) If a spill happens, the main street will probably get shut down.

(2) I may not be able to get on the highway and high tail it out of there.

(3) My roughly triangular town is bounded by the interstate on one side, and the railroad on the other. I feel kind of screwed. I may need to get near the source of the spill in order to get away.

So the big question is, if a spill happens, how close can I get and how far away should I get?

Rail was first designed for delivery of people and goods to the places where people are concentrated. Then the business changed, moving bulk materials, some potentially very hazardous, through those same corridors. So it goes.

The first question is: are you in a situation where you could shelter in place? A well sealed dwelling, at some distance to the tracks themselves, is sometimes the best choice. In a car you are highly vulnerable to a chemical cloud; much less so in a dwelling.

The second question: if you really want to bug out, have you considered back-door and back-road options for getting out of Dodge? You would not believe the places that even a little four-banger car can go, given decent tires, an experienced driver, and a thoughtful recon if possible (on foot always wins). But only when the wind is right.

The other thing you might want to do is talk to the emergency preparation people in your local government, and talk to the brass at the local fire hall. They have almost certainly been paying attention to the potential threat, even though nobody else has (or wants to even hear about it). There may be a treasure trove of information there for asking, and lots of carefully considered professional advice -- which you have already paid for in your taxes.

My 2c.

In making such plans, Google Earth can be a good starting point as sometimes paths/trails etc. can be hidden from street view. If you see a potential route on Google Earth, try to check it out in advance, as the Google Earth photos can be a couple of years old, and obstructions may have been put into place. For example near me, a nice route into a forest clearing shown open on Google Earth is now blocked by fences protecting a solar power installation powering a local farmer's home.

Me too, but I guess mine were stress-free compared to yours. My Dad kept it light. He was rushed but kept us upbeat, like we were going on an adventure. It was an unexpected trip to my grandparents house, which was always fun for us. I'll have to ask him about it someday, to gain his insights. Thanks for the prompt!!

We continue to explore all the roads and routes out and to our bug-out location options. We now have a pretty good paper map with routes marked and updated.

It's a good idea to check your routes regularly to stay aware of changes and detours. Today, for example, I discovered that all of the side roads off of one of our main roads are closed for construction for several miles. This seriously extended a trip for us this afternoon, and would make for a nightmare during an emergency evac. They just opened a new highway extension to the North of us, and construction on it's extension continues - totally buggering road travel. It's complicated our evac out of the city and something to consider.