Jump to content
Texanmile

Emergency Bug Out

Recommended Posts

Guest
So the firm you work for let's you arm yourself or was this just for your protection.....and how did ya know with that hurricane threatening mags and ammo could be bought ...?

 

 

We do carry at work (hand gun), but that’s been a more recent thing. I did this for my own protection and I told my boss ahead of time since I was the only person will to fly down to a city that would be hit with a Hurricane, that was my terms that I needed to arm myself especially with our site being in such a bad neighborhood.

 

Getting ammo and mags was easy, we did all of our storm prepping up in Ft. Lauderdale area because everything in Miami-Dade was wiped clean (not just talking ammo here) and in Broward County there are gun stores EVERYWHERE. Getting mags was easy, I wanted 30 rounders which we don’t have here, nor would I want to risk flying those through EWR, so it was easier to just buy them down there and sell them to a colleague. Normally I would just ship my weapon and ammo ahead of time but I was sent abruptly (wednesday before the storm hit, it hit saturday) and didn’t want to risk my firearms not getting there in time. Ammo was a little tougher. I got 2000 rounds between 4 different stores. Bass Pro Shops was wiped clean after I bought their last 200 rounds.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

None of my business but I find it interesting that a NJ firm let's you carry at work.....guess your licensed to do so....also I figured that ammo might be a little tough down there...anyway, back to the post.

Wood, water, dry goods, fire starting materials, batteries and lanterns / candles.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest
Just now, xXxplosive said:

None of my business but I find it interesting that a NJ firm let's you carry at work.....guess your licensed to do so....also I figured that ammo might be a little tough down there...anyway, back to the post.

Wood, water, dry goods, fire starting materials, batteries and lanterns / candles.

we're a corporation, not a local firm. NJ laws say you can carry at home or your place of business without a license. It was actually at the request of a client of ours they wanted armed personnel in the building.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 minutes ago, JR88USMC said:

we're a corporation, not a local firm. NJ laws say you can carry at home or your place of business without a license. It was actually at the request of a client of ours they wanted armed personnel in the building.

your FIXED place of business.

if you don't own the business, you can't legally carry at work, regardless of what your boss or client wants.....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

^Yep. Should cleanse your posts on here.. could be used as ammo.
Something to consider as far as water goes is perhaps buying a purifying filter. I have a Katadyn filter for SHTF scenarios or stuff like Sandy where our drinking water was said to have been contaminated. It's supposed to kill/filter out just about everything. We have a 30,000+ gallon pool in the backyard, which would be my source of water if SHTF as soon as any bottled water we have ran out..
What i have:
https://www.katadyn.com/us/us/475-8017763-katadyn-combi_usa

Got a good deal on it on eBay, otherwise i'd have purchased the model above (Pocket). Will still get the job done and supply water to everyone in my home without issue, and even with the gross green water in there right now its for the most part fairly "Clean" otherwise. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

as others have said.

 bugging out=bad idea. unless we're about to fall off the side of the country, or sink......shelter in place. thing is...by the time you realize you need to "get outta dodge" so have the other couple million people in the area. your home is(for the most part) defendable. your vehicle is not. unless it's an m1 abrams. :) virtually the ONLY defense in a vehicle is speed. you won't be able to drive fast. you'll be stuck out in the traffic jam with other people you don't know.

 bugging in, 1) water. plenty of it. if you suspect shit 'bout to hit, fill your bathtub, and any pots n pans you have. 3 days without water usually= ex-human being.

2) food. canned food. easily stored, and much of it can be eaten without cooking should it be absolutely necessary. it doesn't take tons of room, and as long as the cans aren't damaged, and are metal, it'll last for years. 

3) secure your shit. weapons you're comfortable and practiced with. the key here is to be proficient with your weapons of choice. you also will need the correct mindset. remember.....just showing the weapon more than likely won't end a situation. if you hesitate, you die. 

4) alternative source for electric. the genny topic's been covered pretty well here. thanks to one of the posts above, i'll be adding the deep-cycle battery idea to my stuff, along with picking up a 2nd genny when i get the money.

5) heat. more than likely, you'll be able to run your homes heater from the genny...but you should have some sort of non-electrically operated heat source. wood stove, fireplace, or even(when you get desperate) one of those commercial propane heaters.

6) KEEP CASH ON HAND. extended periods without electric, you more than likely won't be able to use your cards, nor will you be able to get money from the atm.

7) keep gasoline ahead. rotate it, as with all the additives and whatnot, it's really only got a 7-9 month shelf life anymore. you cannot get gas outta the ground without electric. my understanding is that christie mandated some shit that gas stations need to have an alternative power source just in case. but.....i know for fact that my landlord hasn't installed such at the station where my shop is, nor has our gas retailer neighbor across the street.

8) you probably want to keep copies of all legal documents you may need on a thumb drive.

9) make friends with your neighbors. i probably shoulda put this up higher. but.......you will NOT survive alone if they want your shit. make friends with them, make arrangements to share resources, and your entire neighborhood(or block at least) will be much better off.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
19 hours ago, Sniper22 said:

My generator runs on propane (20 lb tanks), so if things got really dicey, I know I can always find tanks in almost every backyard hooked up to people's grills.

Plus, I use deep cycle batteries to run lights and electronics of off an inverter, and only fire up the generator to recharge the batteries and run the fridges or furnace. This way, I only fire up the generator 3 or 4 times a day for like an hour or so at a time. I get multiple days from one tank of propane that way.

I have no intention of bugging out, I'm staying to defend the homestead.

How big is your array? Or you jus bat bank off genset for now? And how big( watts) inverter? And how you hook up into panel?

How big is battery bank?

On 4/10/2018 at 10:41 AM, Texanmile said:

Hello All,

Our power went out for a good long time this winter and I saw how residents of towns around me (Maplewood, Milburn, The Oranges) were not prepared.  I have a 4x4 vehicle with good tires on it, food, water, fuel, clothing, etc...  Many of our neighbors, despite warnings were scrambling for items as simple as flashlights.  My 67yr old uncle lives in South Orange, near Newark and says that they had several car break-ins in one night during the dark hours, with all the lights out.  He can handle himself, well and is in good shape, but he is getting older and I worried enough about him that I went to check on him.

I wasn't in NJ for Hurricane Sandy, and I know that was pretty bad... but I do worry that if a simple winter storm caught so many people unprepared, what will happen if a big one hits.

The first plan of action for my GF and I is to hunker down in the apartment if something like that happens, but... I feel like there is a potential here for things to get worse than other places I have lived in more rural areas.

Someday, I'd like to build a small little off the grid (but still comfortable) cabin on a piece of land in NY, NJ, or PA which could function as a weekend get away, hunting spot, or even a place to go in an emergency.  I don't have that yet.  There are some nice rural places west of Morristown and about an hour south on the GS Parkway, but I expect traffic would be slammed in an emergency and there are bridges to cross.  I guess I am just looking for a spot to hunker down and pitch camp to plan our next move, or wait out trouble.

So... if a second Sandy hits, if NYC has a catastrophe, etc... and things get really bad around here (Newark area) where do I go, and what do I take?

-Dave

Tbh. Unless you have a boat.. you’ll never make it after it goes full retard.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
41 minutes ago, Zeke said:

How big is your array?

No actual array on roof (planning on installing some this summer), but a portable set up with 3 - 250 watt panels that I deploy as needed.

42 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Or you jus bat bank off genset for now?

Battery bank is 600 AH, can charge off of gen set, normally its on trickle charger to keep topped off and ready, or can be charged from panels.

43 minutes ago, Zeke said:

And how big( watts) inverter?

2500 watt, pure sine wave as main, 1500 watt and 1000 watt units as back-up.

44 minutes ago, Zeke said:

And how you hook up into panel?

Transfer switch I installed at panel. Can switch between gen set input or battery bank/inverter input, depending on where I want the power to come from.

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, Sniper22 said:

No actual array on roof (planning on installing some this summer), but a portable set up with 3 - 250 watt panels that I deploy as needed.

Battery bank is 600 AH, can charge off of gen set, normally its on trickle charger to keep topped off and ready, or can be charged from panels.

2500 watt, pure sine wave as main, 1500 watt and 1000 watt units as back-up.

Transfer switch I installed at panel. Can switch between gen set input or battery bank/inverter input, depending on where I want the power to come from.

 

I’m thinking similar. I’ll do switch on line going to/from my genset/ interlock. Other then ac. My 3000 runs hole house.

Now I can bat charge from my Honda. Need to rig up cables.

How long 600 amp hour bank last you , being normal?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
13 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Now I can bat charge from my Honda. Need to rig up cables.

Honda, as in vehicle? That's my third option, charge by running my truck. if the gen craps out and solar doesn't produce because of clouds, the vehicle is Plan C. Like I mentioned above, One is none, Two is one, and Three is the plan.

16 minutes ago, Zeke said:

How long 600 amp hour bank last you , being normal?

If I pushed (which I haven't), almost three days easy, without recharging, based on average draw down. But, when I used it for Sandy, I topped it off every time I ran the genny. If I kept it hooked up to the panels, it would power the house forever (without the central A/C running). It's all about power management.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Sniper22 said:

If I pushed (which I haven't), almost three days easy, without recharging, based on average draw down.

Please keep this in mind.  Deep cycle batteries do not like it when they are drained below 50%.  If you have a 1000Ah bank then you only have 500Ah of practical capacity if you want those batteries to keep charging.

Also, anyone running a gen set or an inverter should get a device (sold at HD) called a Kill-a-Watt line analyzer.  It's a test device that gives you all kinds of useful info.  In addition to power draw, it also gives info on power quality and line condition.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
14 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Please keep this in mind.  Deep cycle batteries do not like it when they are drained below 50%.  If you have a 1000Ah bank then you only have 500Ah of practical capacity if you want those batteries to keep charging.

Yep, I was going to mention that, never drain them down to 50%.

15 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Also, anyone running a gen set or an inverter should get a device (sold at HD) called a Kill-a-Watt line analyzer.

One of the best tools in the tool box. It's REALLY important to know what each of the items on a circuit draw in power.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If anyone is interested, I have a very detailed, extensive list of what I decided to include in our "GO BAGS".
That project sort of snowballed and we now have more than one GO BAG. 
Actually, we have five (5) GO BAGS filled with different items, so I just refer to them now as our GO LUGGAGE.... 
(Send me a PM if really interested in this list).

Clearly all of these GO BAGS would go into our all-wheel drive, fully gassed "evacuation" vehicle, since all of the sherpa paid help will have abandoned us in an SHTF situation.

But they also are a dedicated resource if we most likely determine to BUG IN and stay in our home, depending on what resources and utilities are still available.

AVB-AMG

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, sota said:

or, you can just run your house on the genset for 2 weeks straight after a substation decides to go nuclear, and you'll get a really good idea what your average consumption is. :D 

You brought up an interesting point.  My first generator was rated at 1800r/2000p.  Off that, after an ice storm, I was able to keep the furnace going, the fridge running, FiOS TV, Internet and telecom up, TV on and enough cfl bulbs going that we didn't break our necks at night. 

As long as the fridge compressor and the furnace did not kick on at the same time, 1800 Watts was enough to keep us in our house while 80% of my town was living in a gym or hotel room for two days.

It was that storm that got me to buy the Kill-A-Watt analyzer so I could assess and prioritize power consumption.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree with many of the previous comments in this thread and have revisited and updated a post on this topic that I made several years ago.  In northern NJ we have lost electrical power, land-line telephone, most cell phone service and cable tv/telephone, multiple times in the past 20 years, primarily due to strong wind, ice and snow storms. The worst by far was Storm Sandy where our outage lasted 13 days and, like for many here, that was our “wake up call”.

Today, while I realize that you cannot plan for every possibility, you can anticipate a number of the most likely emergency situations and the best options on how to respond.  This analysis is based on one asking a number of important questions in advance and then considering how that will affect you and your most likely answers are and subsequent actions to take to deal with it:
- What exactly happened?
(This may not be something that you will find out for a while)
- What are the results of the emergency event?
(Failure of electrical power, contaminated water, no cellular service, nuclear fallout, martial law imposed, etc.?).
- Where are you when “it” happened?
(At home, at work, driving your car somewhere, traveling?).
- Where did the emergency event occur?
(The proximity to the event and where you and/or your family are at that time?)
- Did you have any advanced warning and if so, how much?
(Most likely for a severe weather storm event or health pandemic)
- Do you decide to stay in your home or evacuate to some other place?
(Depends on advanced warning, congested traffic conditions, gasoline availability, etc.)

Type of disaster:  I am concerned that the combination of natural and man-made carbon dioxide and methane gas being released into our atmosphere that is contributing to the acceleration of global climate change and what that may mean for the frequency and severity of our weather systems and events.  Also, disaster can occur from not just Mother Nature, but from a terrorist-generated event, either physical or cyber, affecting our power grid, water supply and communications systems. Or it could be a health pandemic that rapidly spreads, forcing people to stay at home.  Another worst-case scenario would be attempting to deal with the aftermath of a single or multiple EMP attack on our country that destroys the capability of almost all electronic equipment to function.  In addition, a national and/or international economic crisis could also perpetuate a rapid downward spiral of our society, pushing us into another Great Depression with grave consequences for all of us. If the inequality of the classes continues to broaden, it could eventually lead to progressively worse protests, demonstrations, riots and escalating civil disobedience and unrest that may potentially become something much worse for the existence of our country as we know it. Finally, I share the concerns advocated Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking about how we all need to become aware of, understand the ramifications and be wary of the potential negative effects of the progress of artificial intelligence (AI) in our society and what that could mean for mankind…

Stay / Bug-In: I am assuming that in most emergency events that we would be able to stay in our home and ride it out for approximately two (2) weeks. Our “lesson learned” from Super Strom Sandy was/is that we now have a minimum of 2 weeks’ worth of unrefrigerated canned food and water, along with an alternative food cooking/heating option. When the weather report indicates a possible strong storm approaching our area, I will fill up all of our vehicles gasoline tanks, as well as 5-gallon gas jug.  I also fill up a 10-gallon water container and get a sufficient amount of cash from our bank’s ATM. In the worst-case scenario, we also have multiple firearms, sufficient ammunition and the knowledge and practice on how to properly and safely store them and if need be, to use them effectively for self-defense.  In this relatively short scenario, we would help our friends and neighbors to the best of our ability, taking a "we are all in this together" attitude.

Leave / Bug Out: If we chose not to stay in our home and/or a mandatory evacuation is required, we have a Plan A and a Plan B on where we would go, or at least try to go.   This begins with having one vehicle, fully fueled with all-wheel drive and good tires with room for us and key items. We have prepared key survival items in “Go Bags”, (that actually turned into multiple bags and now is our “Go Luggage”), along with a list of items to take in case we need to evacuate our home. The degree of the emergency will be predicated on the extent and severity of the power outage or unexpected situation. Is it limited to being local in our neighborhood or town, or just in our county, or is it broader, i.e. state-wide or say the northeast U.S. or the entire country…? That reality will certainly influence one’s “bugging out” options and whether realistically it makes sense to even leave your home to attempt to go someplace else. Keep in mind that we are living in NJ, the most densely populated state in the country. So it is best to assume that all roads will be experiencing very heavy traffic that will be crawling along or clogged with many others in their vehicles with the same idea.  What happens when you run out of gas?  Will you possibly be worse off in that situation, if you have yet to reach your desired destination?  Where is your destination?  A second home, rural cabin, friend’s home, hotel/motel, campground?  A rational weighing of the options, accepting the realistic chances for success and all of the various possibilities of what could go wrong, will be necessary to make the best possible choice of what to do.

After 2 weeks:   Ultimately, I think most of us should be fine for up to two weeks without electricity. During that second week, let alone beyond, the main concern will be for obtaining all forms of food and potable drinking water.  Many people, primarily city-dwellers, who do not have the space to stock up and store an adequate supply of both will be the first to panic. They will run out sooner and when they become desperate they will start by looting local stores and then things will rapidly deteriorate and general respect for civil order and law-abiding society will crumble.  This will result in gang rampages through apartment buildings, targeting the elderly and defenseless first to rob whatever food and supplies they can get. While we in suburbia think we are far enough away from this mob scene, we may be kidding ourselves.  Most suburbs are not realistically defendable from the onslaught of desperate refuges from the more urban cities and ring towns and will be overrun by these people seeking safe food and water and will do horrible terrorizing things to others to obtain them.  Desperate former urbanites will become the real zombies attacking others, first in the suburbs and then in the more rural areas. Even with firearms and ammunition, the number of these desperate people will overwhelm most family’s ability to defend what little they have left.  Keep in mind that not everyone is predisposed to preparing in advance for a long-term crisis without electrical power.  Not everyone has the physical and financial resources to prepare for these “what if” scenarios and they will become equally desperate, just as fast as their urban brethren and may be knocking on your door, or worse, sooner than you think. 

Bigger Questions:  As far as the extreme “preppers” seen in these silly television programs and YouTube videos, I always ask myself what are they going to do once they eventually run out of their incredible stock of supplies in 6,9, 12 or 18 months? If our society breaks down to such a degree that our population is in a mass panic, with chaotic disorder being the norm, where rule of law has disappeared and civilization as we have come to know it no longer exists, who would want to live in that type of world?  What’s the point?  Survival for what purpose?  At that point, let’s all enjoy each other’s companionship, both intimate, social and intellectual, augmented by some of the finer man-made luxuries, such as some fine liquor, non-spoiled food, cigars and other selected pharmaceuticals and make what little time left in this world as pleasant as possible.
 
As others have stated, I also believe it is prudent that we all prepare for surviving and protecting our respective families for a reasonable amount of time after some form of disaster.  There are plenty of real and possible man-made and natural threats to our families, state and country, some within our control and others beyond it and future generations will have a bigger challenge.  I strongly believe that it is important that we not live our lives in a state of perpetual paranoia, fear, dread or depression, due to thinking about "what bad things could possibly happen".  I realize that the odds of them happening anytime soon are quite small.  So, I just try to remind myself to be most thankful for what we have, including our health, family and what we have all worked hard to achieve and obtain.  I appreciate waking up every day realizing that it is another opportunity to learn and enjoy ourselves and others while we are alive and, if possible, contribute something that in some way is or will be beneficial to our society that will last once we are gone.
 
AVB-AMG

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just now, Scorpio64 said:

Go bags are fun to put together.  It's amazing how many essential items one needs for SHTF.

Yes, but it was also very easy to get rather carried away as one thinks of more and more possible situations you may encounter.....    That is what happened to me.:unsure:

AVB-AMG

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, AVB-AMG said:

Yes, but it was also very easy to get rather carried away

absolutely. i assembled a first aid kit that takes up half a backpack and could serve a small trauma center.  needless to say, i had to dial it back to a practical size..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
33 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

You brought up an interesting point.  My first generator was rated at 1800r/2000p.  Off that, after an ice storm, I was able to keep the furnace going, the fridge running, FiOS TV, Internet and telecom up, TV on and enough cfl bulbs going that we didn't break our necks at night. 

You brought up a good point too. That most people don't need a 5000 watt generator for the average house. Most of today's houses, specially if they have newer appliances, can be kept powered up on smaller generators that use a lot less fuel to run.

I remember a few neighbors during Sandy running 5000w gennys all day long to keep a few bulbs lit. I can imagine how much gas they burned through.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

as most of you are beginning to brush on, the efficiency chart of a generator is a curve, and you really don't want to run consistently at either end.  also keep in mind that the surge rating on a generator is never where you want to be operating at ever for any period of time.  I lucked out in that my genset purchase, which was done as an emergency (see aforementioned substation detonation,) turned out to fit my consumption needs perfectly.  While I can't kick start the central A/C, we are able to run any other appliance in the house, just not several at the same time, and still achieve what I consider to be acceptable fuel consumption/performance.

IIRC:
my unit rating is 5500/6500 and 12hr run time @ 50% load, and an 8 gallon tank
I have a well established average load of about 2000W in the house (that's over an entire year period, mind you, so it covers all usage.) 
as mentioned my fuel consumption is 5 gallons of gas over a 16.5hr period (which would suggest a 1666W load)
i'm definitely running in the sweet spot on my genset.
one of the things I've done in the past is study the load on each circuit, and try to balance the loading on each half of the phase.  that goes a long way to keeping your generator happy, and running efficiently.

I'd love to develop a miniature Australia/Tesla setup, with a genset to provide constant supply, and a battery "surge" add-on to it. :D 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...