Move to a Big City

[Nemo]

Survival will be easy.  Per The Week.  Just don't freak out.

Nemo

http://theweek.com/articles/730098/how-ride-apocalypse-big-city

How to ride out the apocalypse in a big city
Eugene K. Chow
November 24, 2017

Thanks to wildfires, hurricanes, and certain leaders trading threats of nuclear annihilation over Twitter, you've probably been thinking a lot about disasters recently — specifically how not to perish in one.

And if you live in a city, this kind of thinking can be extra fraught. It's easy enough for doomsday preppers living in the woods to head for bunkers filled with canned food, but how are you supposed to get out of dodge when you don't even own a car?

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, there are no realistic scenarios that would require a sudden, mass evacuation of an entire city.

Nuclear attack? I hate to break it to you, but nuclear-tipped ICBMs travel far too quickly to give anyone time to flee before all are incinerated in hellfire. Dirty bomb? Conventional explosives combined with radioactive material would not release enough radiation to kill anyone or cause severe illness.

Even most natural disasters wouldn't require a sudden evacuation. Hurricanes are slow-moving and their paths can be predicted while earthquakes happen without warning.

"A lot of what drives big evacuations is often mass hysteria," said John Renne, director of the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions at Florida Atlantic University.

So while you may not need to head for the hills when disaster strikes, you still need to be prepared. The key is to think more realistically about disasters, evacuation plans, and what you actually need to stock up on (fewer nail-studded bats, more bottled water).

Here are a few things city slickers should consider to realistically prepare for a sudden disaster:

1. Plan on staying put ...

"There are really not a lot of scenarios where you would want to evacuate a whole city," Renne said. "Panic leads people to want to evacuate, but that may not necessarily be the best thing to do."

During some types of disasters — a chemical attack, for instance — it's safer to shelter inside rather than evacuate. Even during the largest terrorist attack in history — Sept. 11 — only a small section of New York City needed to be evacuated.

"Most typically you would evacuate the parts of a city that are being impacted to a different part of the city," explained Renne.

2. ... But be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Most people won't need to evacuate, but if you happen to be in the area that is directly affected, you'll need to be prepared to leave quickly.

The fires that scorched California's Napa Valley swept through residential areas so rapidly that in many cases people only had a few minutes to evacuate. Hesitation proved lethal, and many victims died because they didn't hear the initial warnings.

To avoid getting caught flat-footed, listen carefully to any emergency alerts from local news stations and monitor social media for developments on evacuation orders. They could come at any time.

3. Stock up on the right supplies.

If you plan on riding out a disaster in your apartment, you will need to have a lot more on hand than just Netflix and a case of wine. At a bare minimum, you should stock enough water and non-perishable food to last three days.

It's also a good idea to have a basic emergency kit with a flashlight, batteries, first aid, and a solar charger to keep your smartphone humming. But if cell service goes down or the lines get overcrowded, having a hand-crank radio will be critical for receiving emergency updates.

And in case you do need to evacuate your neighborhood, you should have your "go-bags" already packed with important documents, non-perishable food, water, and medication. It's also a good idea to include a flashlight, some extra batteries, chargers, some cash, and basic toiletries.

While it may be tempting to cram as much food and water into your bag as possible, you shouldn't carry more than 20-25 pounds of gear. Unless you've got a fancy hiking pack that's designed to carry heavy loads safely, stuffing more than 20 pounds in a regular backpack will put a lot of strain on your body and make it hard to move quickly.

4. Know your surroundings.

Whether you're fleeing or staying put, you really need to know the ins and outs of your home and neighborhood.

For instance, depending on the type of emergency you're in, you may need to shut off your gas, electricity, or water in your house or apartment. So figure out in advance where these controls are and how to access them. The last thing you want is to accidentally set off a gas explosion when you light a match.

And if you do have to evacuate your home, it helps to already have an escape route planned out. Bear in mind that exits can become blocked, so having an alternate is critical.

You'll also want to figure out the location of your local evacuation center and how you'd get there. Cities with good emergency plans might even have fleets of buses ready to ferry people there, but you don't want to count on it.

Lastly, if you do have to escape, please be sure to check in on elderly, very young, or disabled neighbors to make sure they have options to get to safety as well.

5. Relax.

More than a New Age mantra, a positive attitude is the key to surviving an emergency. Nearly every outdoor survival guide begins with maintaining a positive attitude, keeping calm, and not letting anxiety or negativity infect your thoughts.

Hopelessness is a dangerous feeling when under extreme duress. Only by maintaining a positive outlook will you be able to maintain the willpower to survive.

You might be drinking toilet water, but at least you're doing it from home

[Kbop]

Nemo, i hope this goes viral!  i live within walking distance of several million people in an urban area.
I guess its an 80% solution (it will work 80% of the time).
I wonder if anyone who lived thru Hurricane Katrina or in Puerto Rico this past summer would agree with that analysis?

[JohnyMac]

1) Thx for posting the article Nemo and I can usually gather a nugget out of most: However,
2) This was a weak article as their is A LOT to do to ride out a disaster in a big city. Well any city or town for that matters. The author
     only covered a very small segment of what to do.

[Jackalope]

I read and discussed the article with my wife, who lives and works in NYC during the week, and commutes to our home for the weekend.  Regarding hurricanes, she wisely stayed here during Hurricane Sandy, especially since her apartment is probably 50 feet above sea level, if that much.  There are a couple of scenarios where I can envision her getting out of Dodge, i.e. a tsunami or a pandemic.  She understands the dangers of tsunamis, as she lost an uncle to the tsunami in Sri Lanka, and she also understands there's not many safe places around NYC on a short notice.  She's got food and water stored, and she can hunker down if the situation requires it..  Her big problem will be staying warm during the winter months.  We've been working on a communications plan, so we can keep in touch if the grid goes down.  It looks like 80 meters SSB will be our best bet.  I can't wait for her to retire...

[Nemo]

Id like to see 80% of the big city population see it and do it.  By the time they got through the initial crash needing more than the 3 days stuff, the other 20% will be freaking out and taking advantage of them.  That would leave them too afraid to leave their apartments.

By the time everyone got it all sorted out and out into the wandering scavenger stage, those in our areas would likely be few and far between.

Nemo 

[JoJo]

 You think maybe he doesn't live in a city but close by and is trying to talk people to stay in the city. That would give him time to bugout or hunker down.
   

[pkveazey]

I live out in the country about 20 miles from the nearest City. To me, that's too damn close. Cities will be the most dangerous places during a major crisis. Whoever wrote that, hasn't done his homework. Having discussed a national disaster situation with someone who actually knows what our government's plans are in a major emergency, I wouldn't go within 20 miles of a major city. Unless you like the idea of your city being surrounded by military and a "Nobody In and Nobody Out" policy. If I were a younger man and in my exact same financial situation, I'd sell out, buy land at least 100 miles from a major city and go totally off the grid somewhere in a forest.

[JohnyMac]

pkveazey wrote, "If I were a younger man and in my exact same financial situation, I'd sell out, buy land at least 100 miles from a major city and go totally off the grid somewhere in a forest."

In essence I agree with what you wrote pkveazey however, the person (s) who think they are going to survive by themselves or as a closed family unit will perish. Maybe not the first couple of months of a disaster but mark my words by the start of the second year the folks left roving around will take them and their homestead out.

You need people around to support each other.

Commerce, labour, and defence come immediately to mind. 

We know that will never happen in a city or town but will happen in a rural setting.

[Kbop]

Like JM said; (and to paraphrase Doone)
"No man is an island entire of itself"
or a single family.  community building should be a priority, as soon after the stuff quits flying.

[JoJo]

.  community building should be a priority, as soon after the stuff quits flying.

 A place to start is burying the dead to prevent disease. A most important task.   

[pkveazey]

That's possible, but not likely. I'll know when they're coming and they'll lose more people than you can imagine before they get to me. My strategy is to take out the person pointing and giving orders first. Then immediately move to a second firing position. All the while, keeping in touch with the house by radio. I hope they don't mind hand grenades because I know how to make them. Plan B is to bail out and then pick them off one at a time at night because I have night vision equipment.

[Nemo]

And when the other 15 guys you don't initially see narrow your location or withdraw and surround you or just hang back for a week and be sneaky?

At seven pm a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it's been good t'know ya

Nemo

[Kbop]

@Pkveazy  if you can keep a low enough profile - good on you!  I'm visible from a side road and i have to sleep some time - i'm making friends

'The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times'

[Rogue-Metalsmith]

And when the other 15 guys you don't initially see narrow your location or withdraw and surround you or just hang back for a week and be sneaky?

At seven pm a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it's been good t'know ya

Nemo

Well i must say it is a good read, all things aside i would avoid the city like the plague- Night vision is our best friend @pkveazy.
No one person or even collective group could successfully plan ahead for every possible scenario.
It will come down to 2 very primal things in each and every one of us.

1. instinct
preparing for any eventuality is a given around here, but when the moment that counts arrives and you stand frozen like a deer in headlights, you have already lost. honing in on your skills and building on your own strengths to be able to rely on your good old "gut feeling" is probably at the top of my list. Has saved my life more than i can count.

2. will to survive.
Pretty much says what is needed already i suppose. This i have witnessed first hand. You may be trained, educated, well planned, stocked from floor to roof -it all goes out the window without this key factor.

The city is a living writhing organism, once the flow is disrupted within the organism the effects will ripple outward.
One way or another, getting away from heavily populated areas will be top of the list as soon as it is possible to move relatively safely.