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#66945 - 05/31/06 07:04 PM Suggestion's Please?
krell75460 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 05/07/06
Posts: 63
Loc: Mesquite Texas
Gentlemen,
I need to gear up a sk towards 2 people over 50 with disabilities, living in the suburbs. I need to cover both options of Sheltering in Place or Bugging Out. Any Idea's?
Any and All Help would be Greatly Appreciated!

Krell

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#66946 - 05/31/06 07:13 PM Re: Suggestion's Please?
massacre Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/07/05
Posts: 781
Loc: Central Illinois
I'd say you should probably provide more parameters. Mobility? Medication and other physical requirements? Budget? How big of an SK? Can they carry anything or should the BOB be in a vehicle with sheltering in SK duplicating some items? This is sort of a "sky is the limit" sort of exercise unless you give some details.
_________________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.

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#66947 - 05/31/06 09:10 PM Re: Suggestion's Please?
krell75460 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 05/07/06
Posts: 63
Loc: Mesquite Texas
First, Thank You for the response, I do Appreciate your taking the time. While in the military I suffered a broken neck and lower back in 2 places. Permanent nerve damage. Losing left leg slowly. Wife has had a hip replacement, and severe arthritis in both knees.
I have constant pain that never stops. I have "Electric Shock's" from small of back thru left leg, can lose all feeling for up to 15 min's. Wife cannot walk far, period.
I have a 97 Suburban that I keep in Good shape. We have packed both of our packs, all camping gear, and our 3 Pekingnese dogs into it in less than 2 hrs. If we had to "Raid" the kitchen before we pulled out, we would stuff every nook and crannie with food and water.
What I am looking at is a Sudden event. Something where we either had to Haul A** instantly, or Button the house up tight and sit. I know this is a lot, but I see hard times coming, and I really do not want to wind up like the majority of the "Mass's), so to speak. Basicly that's where I'm at, we either Batten Down the Hatches and sit whatever happen's out, or we take the truck and run.......

Krell

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#66948 - 05/31/06 09:52 PM Re: Suggestion's Please?
massacre Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/07/05
Posts: 781
Loc: Central Illinois
Well, I'm not sure if Dallas gets any Hurricane style weather, but perhaps it does. I'm assuming that's what you mean, but perhaps you also mean TEOTWAWKI type scenarios.

Anyway, for bug in, I would definitely have plenty of rope and perhaps a pully system for raising and lowering yourself or your wife into the basement if she's unable to walk. Obviously an elevator would be best, but is both expensive and unreliable if no juice.

I would also have alternate mobility setup. I've seen people (and done it for kicks when working in a warehouse) pushing another person on a hand truck/furniture dolly. For your wife, this might be ideal if she is unable to get around. You could push her and make her verticle.

Now, one thing you may not have considered is a handicap accessible vehicle. With your situation, that might be a prudent choice. Even in a sudden event you could roll your prone wife or vice versa onto said hand truck and get the other around. Even if crawling is involved it's easier to carry someone on 2 wheels than to drag them along.

Off hand, I would say even in a sudden event you should have your mobility figured out. Hunkering down is less worrisome, but tornados could mean getting to the basement ASAP.

As for the rest, you're in Texas... make sure you have guns and ammo both in house and in vehicle. And I would have at least minimal supplies in your truck in case your are unable to bug out effectively. This should minimize your get-away time. I would have basic shelter, stove, fuel, food, and rotate water - say at least a weeks worth, which would be about 10 Gal. I would most certainly have radios, firestarting, knives and other standard survival gear. Make sure you duplicate it and keep it rotated through your truck as much as you can afford. Plenty of rope too.

For digging in, maybe have generator with fuel supply (or solar with batteries for minimal equipment like HAM). And a good amount of food and water.... enough for a month including sanitation.

Just my 2 cents. Maybe that will prompt more conversation. I have a cousin who is quadrapalegic, and I've never really discussed it with his parents about how he would get out, but it's still crossed my mind a few times. He's in a wheel chair and when out of it he can 'scoot' from place to place, but opening a door would be beyond his capability.

In the house, I'd sock away plenty of food and water (look at the long term survival board for more info)



Edited by massacre (05/31/06 09:59 PM)
_________________________
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.

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#66949 - 05/31/06 10:24 PM Re: Suggestion's Please?
groo Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 11/02/03
Posts: 740
Loc: Florida
This sure sounds like either a "stay home" or "assisted bug out" scenario. Don't know what your residence is like, or under what circumstances you'd be tempted to leave it, but given your description...

I say assisted bug out, because you might be better off as part of a like minded caravan that can support you and your wife if something happens along the way. Other threads on here have talked about the importance of community, group effort, knowing your neighbors, etc. Don't see why that wouldn't apply to a bug out situation as well. Do you know anyone you could "buddy up" with when leaving town?

I think my preference would be "shelter in place", but that's just me.

You mention "hard times". Worried about the coming economy? :-)



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#66950 - 06/01/06 03:45 AM Re: Suggestion's Please?
ratbert42 Offline
Member

Registered: 05/31/06
Posts: 178
Loc: Florida
I think you need to realistically assess the potential threats. I think if you really look at the likely threats, you'll see that something as simple as a house fire or a burglary are much more likely than anything else. Smoke detectors, fire extinguisher, important documents stored somewhere fire and theft resistant (even off-site like a safe deposit) box, etc. Those should be your first step. You probably have already done that, but it's easy to get hung up on worrying about the bird flu that never comes while never preparing for more "every day" disasters.

In almost ever other case, I would think that you'd very much prefer to stay at home. You probably have a decent stockpile of food, but water is usually overlooked or understocked. One gallon per person per day. I would store at least 5 days of water, more likely 10+ days if I had the space, so roughly 30 gallons of water for your family and dogs. WalMart sells cases of three 1 gallon jugs for about $1.50 so $15 buys 30 gallons. That's roughly 270 pounds of water though, so I'd spread out my stockpile purchase. Bottled water stores almost indefinately, and even if you have to purify it, it's a better start than what you could collect from local groundwater.

Medications can be hard to stockpile, but you really need at least two weeks of meds at all times. They're one of the hardest things to replace in a disaster recovery.

As romantic as the idea seems for some reason, "bugging out" should be a last resort, especially if you have no specific destination. I've seen over and over how frustrated people get when they've evacuated then can't get back to their homes for an extended period of time. Surviving for a week with what you can throw in your car is no fun.

If you need to evacuate your home, go somewhere specific. Ideally, have a friend or relative a few hours away. If not, find a decent hotel in a nice area and keep their phone number handy. Call them as soon as you decide to leave. It's great to leave your home knowing exactly where you are going and that there will be "room at the inn" when you get there. It does wonders to prevent panic.

You really must have a checklist for evacuating your house. It's so easy to overlook something.

Make sure your relatives know how to contact you. Pick a remote friend or relative that's easy to reach and designate them as a "message center". Let everyone know that you'll call them in case of a disaster.

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#66951 - 06/01/06 04:55 PM Re: Suggestion's Please?
teacher Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 12/14/05
Posts: 988
ratbert,

Excellent suggestions -- Prepare for the likely events, not the spectacular ones. Simple things like checking your smoke detectors, keeping your meds current, storing water are so simple.

TRO

PS I'd add a hand-crank radio to listen to while you're bugging in.

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#66952 - 06/02/06 11:43 AM Re: Suggestion's Please?
krell75460 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 05/07/06
Posts: 63
Loc: Mesquite Texas
Ratbert,
Thank's for the input and the insight. I need all the advice/opinion's I can get right now. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> You actually are quite accurate......being an exPolice Officer, all the step's you mentioned, smoke detector's, etc, were in place very shortly after we bought the home.
Now as far as the Bird Flu goes, at our ages, if we were to come down with it, what can I say..."...well, St. Peter, it was like this.....". That we are not actually worried about. I am a realist by nature, Not one of the Paranoid set that sit's in their backyards every night looking for Black Helicopter's! I try to take each day as it comes, and be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best.....like most of us.
I have learned to trust my instinct's however.....seriously trust my instinct's! My instinct's tell me there's "Wailing and Nashing of Teeth...." coming.....so I am doing the best I can by providing for my family, in the best way I know right now......by asking considerably more learned people such as yourself for suggestion's! I am a Newbie, and I admit it!
Your right about the water....I have 6, 6 gallon plastic "Jerry Can" type water container's, "Stabilized", and am planning on getting at 6 more. (Good thing I have such a neat garage!). We are getting a supply of bottled water to go in both the car and the truck also.
Being a Disabled Vet, Med's are a problem! Especially when your daily dosage of Narcotic's would floor a Pachyderm! I am going to have to go talk to the Director of the D/FW VAMC about that. Knowing the VA as intimately as I do, that's going to be a problem.
In the event of a Bug Out, we have a family friend who has 88 acres in AR nestled in a valley, between two mountains. VERY Nice! As far as a Checklist goes, D##n Good idea! We are going to have to start work on that! Thank You!
As far as Family contact goes, we are working on that one. As if to add to our problems, both the Miss's daughter's live in the FL panhandle, and Hurricane season just started....wonder if I should put up the tent and chack it?
Before anything else, Ratbert.....Thank's!

Krell

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#66953 - 06/02/06 11:45 AM Re: Suggestion's Please?
krell75460 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 05/07/06
Posts: 63
Loc: Mesquite Texas
That's why I am asking for suggestion's......Good Advice!....Thank's Teacher!

Krell

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#66954 - 06/02/06 11:49 AM Re: Suggestion's Please?
krell75460 Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 05/07/06
Posts: 63
Loc: Mesquite Texas
All Good Point's Massacre! You, and the other Gentlement here have given me an ide of where to start and in what direction to go! Your advice and your input is noted, and Appreciated!

Krell

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