So you live in the US; does that make it any different from anywhere else on the planet?

My mother was born in LA, my uncle lives in Florida and I have family in New York and yes I have quite a lot of experience of the US. Including storm chasing both tornados and hurricanes. I chased Floyd and Andrew and saw first hand the effects. I had friends that chased Katrina (and helped out with the aftermath). As a child I lived in Australia and lost my home to a Cyclone that made landfall in Yeppoon and also had to evacuate from forest fires that threatened our home.

In adult life work has taken me to many places in Africa that have been devastated by war or disasters from draught, floods, disease or famine. I also saw Yugoslavia being ripped apart so yes I have seen first hand the devastation to people’s lives.

The US does not have the monopoly on disasters but the US does have the resources and money to bounce back relatively quickly compared to some countries around the world, I have been to refugee camps that are over 20 years old and with little prospects for the people in them to go back to there homes.

There is one thing I have learnt, be a real man and walk away from a fight, heroes end up bleeding in the gutter. If the situation is that bad that bugging out is a option I will do everything in my power to get out.

You guys saw first hand the effects of Katrina and its aftermath, it filled your media, you saw the suffering which in many cases is still going on and you say bugging out is not an option? In some situations bugging out is the only option, so a bug out plan should be considered.

I cant really comment on Washington DC as I have only been there twice as a young lad but I do know it is a political and military target and being a metropolitan area has a very high chance of large scale civil unrest. For those reasons alone a bug out plan would be good idea.

My point was/is, not having a car is a lame excuse (just like other lame excuses) made by people after the event that did not plan or saw the clues or were too stubborn or lazy to bug out. If you have the will you will find a way to get out.

As for helping others bug out I can’t answer that, it’s all down to individual circumstances and your and the individuals needs of the person you are thinking of helping. In my case I would only help if it did not hinder my survival. I would try to give some advice to the young single mum that lives next door and make sure she bugged out and if the 4 meter coastal storm surge happened that they are predicting for the south coast of England happened then I would make sure that she and her daughter made it to high ground if the opportunity allowed.

The crawl fact is that even if you hesitated long enough to help your loved one you will perish with them.