Author Topic: Forced Bugout  (Read 2598 times)

Offline Jackalope

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Forced Bugout
« on: November 26, 2023, 06:26:53 PM »
    This is being posted in conjunction with the sticky posting regarding Physical Movement in survival situations.  There may come a time when you're forced to leave your residence or BOL.  The time is now to plan for that possibility.  And I have a good example of that possibility which occurred recently to a friend of mine.

     Middle Tennessee has been experiencing a severe drought over the past four months, and we're currently nine inches below normal precipitation levels for the year.  I rototilled the garden in an attempt to prepare it for the winter, and I was simply just tossing dust.  The area has never experienced such dry conditions.  Needless to say, there have been burn bans and red flag warnings regarding forest fires.

     A good friend lives at the summit of a mountain, which use to be ski resort.  There's one road up and down the mountain.  She called me mid-morning to say that all the residents were being ordered to evacuate by the Sheriff Department due to a wildfire.  She grabbed her dog, but was unable to corral the cat.  She reluctantly left the cat, while the scent of smoke was in the air, as she began the descent off the mountain.  She literally left with the clothes on her back and not much else.  Folks were advised to meet at the local townhall.  She went there and then started thinking about her next steps.

     She called me, and we started a plan.  Interestingly, I live over 13 miles from that mountain, and smoke from the fire was thick enough to be like a fog at my house.  Her dog was joining my pack for the duration. I have extra bedrooms, so she had a place to stay for the night.  Meanwhile, I was monitoring the situation using multiple scanners.  At that point, two buildings, housing 16 condos had already burnt, and more were in danger to the flames.  The Forest Service had dispatched bulldozers in an effort to contain the blaze.

     We decided to make an effort to return to her house and try to catch her cat, gather up some needed prescriptions and some extra clothes.  I dressed in some nomex clothing, and packed a filter mask, as well as some vhf/uhf radios, and off we went.  The access road was blocked by a sheriff deputy, but when we explained the situation, we were allowed to pass.  It was smoky, but not that bad.  We arrived at my friend's house without any issues.  We could see where most of the fire was located, about a half mile away.  There were a couple of brush trucks and bulldozers stationed between us and the fire.  I snagged the cat quickly, and my friend gathered up her necessities.  We then made a rapid trip down the mountain.  We then went to where the "refugees" were gathering,a local church, as the townhall proved to be too small for the number of displaced persons.  Of course, the news crew vultures were in abundance.

     Some folks were going to sleep overnight at the church, and others at local motels.  There was one lady with 5 cats who was in a pickle, as the church wasn't allowing pets, nor did the motels.  She planned on sleeping in her car.  I offered her the use of a cabin on my property, which she gratefully accepted.  So, in the end, two of the refugees and their animals were fed and sheltered at my homestead.

      The Forest Service was able to contain the fire overnight, and since then we've gotten over an inch of needed rain.  The fire burned 250-300 acres, destroyed two condo buildings, housing 8 condos in each one, and numerous utility buildings.

     My friend and I have done an after action review of the event.  One of the things discussed was having all important papers gathered together and ready to go.  In my case, I have a small Sentry fire resistant case that holds important papers, photos, and precious souvenirs.  Another idea was having a cache of clothing at another location.  I've done that to a certain extent, as I have clothing and other items scattered throughout my property.  However, the size of the fire has made me rethink that concept, as there needs to be caches further away.  I've always worried about household fires, but wildfires are a whole new ballgame because they cover such a large geographical area.  There needs to be a plan to handle pets.  In my case, I'd load the canines, on leashes into the vehicle.  My plan is to haul my camping trailer, so I would have shelter.  The poultry would be left to fend for themselves.

      Some scenarios occur so quickly, that it doesn't leave you much time to prepare.  In my friend's case, there was no warning, as it was a wildfire.  She actually left her firearms and radios in the house because she was in such a hurry to depart.  Needless to say, we gathered them up when we returned for her cat.

      I experienced a similar situation a few years ago when my cellphone activated with a text message advising of the need to evacuate.  This occurred at about 11pm, with no details of the emergency.  I activated scanners and a two meter radio.  On two meters there was already a discussion of the warning, as apparently it was sent to all county residents.  It was quickly revealed that a 911 dispatcher had accidentally sent out the message.  And sure enough, a follow-up text message was soon received advising folks to ignore the evacuation message.  This scenario brings up another point, how reliable is the information that is being used to cause the evacuation?  In my friend's case, there was a deputy at the door, the scent of smoke, and visible smoke. In my case, there was simply a text message.  It was night time, but I went outside to obtain more information.  No weather event was in progress, no sirens were heard, and the power was still on. So, I began gathering electronic information.

     I continue to refine my bugout plans. Essentially, there will be two different plans, which are contingent upon warning time.  Zero warning time means I grab preloaded bags and leave with the dogs in tow.  A longer warning time allows me more flexibility.

     What are the triggers for bugging out?  My homestead is my bugout location so it would have to be significant threat to make me leave.  Wildfire is one trigger.  A toxic gas spill would be another.  I'm sure there are others... The important thing is to be flexible, and have preparedness plan that entails being a "refugee".  Be smart, don't panic, and have a plan.

 :dancingBanana: :dance:

Offline grizz

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Re: Forced Bugout
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2023, 12:55:50 PM »
Interesting
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Offline Nemo

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Re: Forced Bugout
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2023, 05:32:30 PM »
I did some serious thinking on this over the past week.    Saturday (Nov 18) morning wife was looking out the kitchen window and asked what was burning?  I didn't know and had been outside about an hour before.  I looked out and it was pretty good smoke in the area.

No news on local I could find right off and we went for a ride.  Finding nothing nearby went home and waited on news and net info.  Nothing until about noon and found 15 acres up on the mountain about 20 miles away.

No rain for a week before or coming until Tuesday after this.  By then it was in the 12K acres size.  Rain of 3 inches in some areas and 2.5 or so on the fire area helped.

Turned into Matts Creek Wildfire, burning 15K acres in the National Forest/National Park area along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Got me to doing some real thinking too.

Good thing is wife and I both keep scripts in a bag feeding a 7-day tray.  That bag has in pretty much minimum of 30 day supply and both are one hand grab bags.

Nemo

https://newsadvance.com/news/local/update-matts-creek-wildfire-93-contained-repair-work-being-done-along-appalachian-trail/article_bd53a69e-8ae8-11ee-bbe4-17620e02af61.html

From map on link above, NE quadrant stopped on the James River, NW quadrant on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Or dayum close to them.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2023, 06:03:14 PM by Nemo »
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Offline Jackalope

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Re: Forced Bugout
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2023, 06:58:14 PM »
    My friend was extremely fortunate because on that particular day the winds were light and variable.  The following day was very windy, so if the fire had occurred on that day I would expect there would have been a large loss of lives.  As it was, the one condo building burned so intensely that there was just rubble left.  I was surprised that no metal remnants of refrigerators, stoves, or clothes washers were discernible.  The other building had part of the shell left, but not much.  The fire occurred on November 15th into the morning of the 16th.

     I've had wildfire training, but I would be very hesitant to get involved in fighting one without sufficient back-up.  Wildfires are too unpredictable.  But then again, life is unpredictable...

Offline pkveazey

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Re: Forced Bugout
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2023, 11:38:10 PM »
Jackalope... I'm glad you talked about the possibility of "Wild fires". I hate that name because all my life they were called "Forest Fires" and some asshole decided that it needed a new name. Anyway, when I bought my land and built my house, I made sure that the trees were at least 90 feet from the house. OK, OK, the proper term is 30 yards from the house. Hmmm... Apparently there are 2 assholes out there. When I replaced my roof, I had them install a metal roof so falling sparks couldn't catch the house on fire. Even with the proper 90 feet, I'm prepared to use my well to wet down my out buildings and grass. I've seen several house fires when I lived the city and as best I can calculate, you've got about 2 minutes from when the fire starts to grab whatever you can save and haul ass outside.

Offline Trail Ninja

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Re: Forced Bugout
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2023, 01:00:22 PM »
Good content Jackalope.

Fire is one of those wild cards that takes some serious preps to mitigate.  Although I have several 4 lb fire extinguishers throughout the house, I'm gone a lot so who knows what the outcome would be?

If fire 🔥 is a real threat for us, which it is, then we need to prep for that.  Indoor or in-ground caches, outside your home or in a fire proof room, have to be considered in my opinion.  But, as of this moment, wifey and I are not prepared for a fire.  So, we shall have to make some changes.

To BO, I would need 4 hours to be effective.  If not for our HOA, it would take half that time  :facepalm:  I'll spare you the details.