Are you prepared for this!!

You are on a trip, possibly out of the country, in an unfamiliar place like hotel, museum, government building etc... You have your EDC multi tool, PSK (altiods tin size), cell phone, a bottle of water .5L, wallet, glasses if you wear them, and two additional items of you choice (both must fit in one hip pocket of your pants).

You are wearing jeans with belt, T-shirt, sweater, and casual shoes.

Situation: There is a major earthquake. a) you are with your family or b) you are travailing alone. You are uninjured and able/forced to get out of the building. You can not get to your car and help can not reach you for 72 hours possibly more. What extras do you try to gather and were do you go?
<img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I?m used to travel foreign countries and unfortunately even hostile areas sometimes and so I always try to have a backup plan to get me home.

As the two additional items I would choose a space blanket and one or two bandanas.

Generally:
I would try to leave the destroyed city to a more rual and less populated area.
Humanitarian measures would be focused on high populated territories at first but in a country that language you?re not able to (properly) speak or understand and that geographic specialitys you don?t know well the risks by other humans are vast. We all?ve seen pictures of violent crowds on a rampage plundering stores and even privat property from TV. It don?t need a TEOTWAWKI-scenario. Only a small blackout in the right (or wrong if you like it better) quarter ... Call me paranoid but my first and only interest at this point is to get home in sound condition without fighting! I?m not superman !

By my observations rual people (especialy in poor areas!) more kindly and more willing to help strangers in an emergency situation than urbans would be.
Part of my EDC is a area map and a sheet like the military "contingency plan of action format". I usualy know where to go to even when I only went to the grocery (paranoia index 6.9 <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />).

Let?s start with scenario b) >travailing alone<
My wife knows that I wouldn?t stay at a devastated place and that I?m able to come home on my own - even over a few hundred miles.
But for all that I would try to reach her by CELL PHONE to calm her. If the structures are down? Hm, maybe a postcard could work. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
The only necessity left: Water !!!

Now scenario a) >with family<
Generally It?s the same like scenario b) but this is a little bit more complicated as my wife is a petite fragile person with only minor stength and stamina.
In the case that we?ll have to make our way out over obstructed roads it would take her only an hour or two to collapse (sorry baby <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />) and then I?ll have to carry her (thanks god she?s only neat 45 kg). So one of the first extras I would try to gather will be a rope or something like to make an hopefully adequat carrying device (for example combined with a chair - like a packboard). Of course I carry several miles <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> of paracord but belief me: You don?t want to carry anything 90 lbs. by it ! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Molf

Molf:

Dragging her in an improvised "A" frame litter would be easier on you and more comfortable for her and you could put whatever supplies are necessary on the litter.

I have mentioned before that I prefer external framed packs. One of the advantages, especially for a person of weak strength, is that you can rig up a detachable axle to which you could attach wheels so that you can drag the pack instead of carrying it. Naturally, the bigger the wheels, the easier it is to drag, but you have to work with the limits of your pack and wheather you are willing to carry the wheels on the outside of your pack because you may feel silly doing so. These same wheels and jury rigged axle could be used on an "A" framed litter for dragging people and/or provisions.

Bountyhunter

(P.S. If you are a sociable person, one of the advantages of carrying large wheels on the outside of the pack is going to be the huge number of people whose curiosity will cause them to engage you in conversation in order to find out why you have wheels strapped to the outside of your backpack, especially those with frameless backpacks.)

Congratulations on This your 1000th Post!, -Bounty! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]bountyhunter[/email]

Molf thanks for your honest message and hope you're safe in planning and actions, always.

Regards