Bugging out with nowhere to go...

[u_not_i]

Good info above. My son-in-law is active duty. He is assuming he will be called in. His plan is to take my daughter and the kids on base with him. His thinking is they will be safer on base. As far as what he keeps at home it is basic. A few cases of MRE'S, water and alternative energy sources is about it.
My wife and I are 3 hours away over a major choke point. (Bay Bridge/Tunnel) Our plan here is to hook up with a like-minded friend and my brother at my location.(Water source here) We stay here if we can. If we can't stay here we all head for a location one hour away which is even more isolated. This serves also as the default meet-up spot if we can't get together initially. We have to go through a populated area to get there but its perfect there. Depending on the emergency, of course I wouldn't want to leave home without the other two guys to travel with unless I had to. I think hooking up with other capable folks if you have to travel will multiply your chances on the road by a huge margin.
Total breakdown.... my son-law, daughter and the kids head for the back-up location when and how he can get there.
AD people are in a complicated situation under such circumstances and I wish you well.

[Mozart]

1) store enough gasoline to make it to a for-sure safe destination. (I.e country livin family). Use Sta-Bil and store for about a year, use it up and refill the cans annually.

2) have some bug out packs that have frames, that can hold a good amount of volume/weight. Strap in a sleeping bag/ground pad/ tarp/ rope. Just in case you have to move on foot. You'd need a good water filter and dried food too obviously .

[walkin' trails]

I think any bug out plan needs to take into consideration routes, traffic congestion, and unfriendly encounters along the way. A map Qwest alone won't answers those questions. I live in the Midwest burbs, and have seen traffic start piling up on the out-of-town direction that I would travel to get to a family residence about 200 miles away. There are back roads, but you have to consider what you might run into along those alternate routes, to include fuel availability and any impromptu "toll booths" set up by locals who know the area better than you. My SUV will make it on the main route with about a half a tank of gas normally, but add a 100 or so miles by taking the back roads. GPSs in rural areas aren't always accurate and don't always take into account a washed out bridge.

I played Army in the reserves 20 years ago when we had to have alert rosters and strip maps to residences just in case. There were not always the best and brightest making the mobilization plans back then, and I don't imagine much has changed. Ideally you could park your family on base and they'd be safe. Realistically..... Remember how well the military likes to see guns in the hands of it's personnel during domestic ops. It us always good to have a well-thought back up plan, and I'd consider getting with other military families to come up with one.

[HeliPilot]

Valid points regarding active duty benefits and limitations. I have to assume that the military has a plan set up in case of a widespread high risk scenario, that being said I have yet to receive an training or attend a single brief regarding this issue. For now I will focus on my family and myself and make sure that we can be self reliant and highly mobile. I doubt I would be in a position to just bugout and leave anyways, article 85 or 86 right there.

Thanks for the info and advice,

[dash1]

I've sheltered on base for a major hurricane.

The way it worked was the unit prepared for the hurricane a few days before its expected landfall, when all tasks were completed, most people were allowed either to evacuate, shelter on base, or stay in their homes for the duration of the storm and aftermath. In any case you had to provide an evacuation plan to your chain of command. Certain groups of service members had to stay on duty and/or evacuate equipment inland, such as aviators had to fly aircraft out of state. Some service members and civilian workers were TDY at the time of the event and couldn't return until after the storm.

Back then the local civilians were allowed to come to our shelter. The first thing out of the commanders mouth to all that gathered, including family members and the local civilians, was "you are now under military control, no one is authorized to possess weapons or alcohol". The shelter was a 300 man open bay barracks with your typical no privacy latrine and showers. People brought their property and pets, some people had allergic reactions to some animals. The shelter was probably a little better than an off post shelter though. Local shelters don't provide much privacy either.

All the active duty guys were put on details, such as helping those living on base secure their outdoor property at their quarters and then help them clean up around their quarters after the storm. Some guys delivered MREs and water to the guys that stayed in their off base homes. Rank didn't get anyone out of the details.

No one was allowed to leave until the all clear was given, which didn't come for about two or three days after the hurricane made landfall. The county was put on curfew by the National Guard at least once after a storm.

If you plan on sheltering on base, you might be able to find out where/what the shelter and amenities and rules are before you decide to take your family there. If you are a single soldier, well you know what's in store for you already. You should already know if you are designated as mission essential. Mission essential personnel (active duty or civilian) will have to play Army. Have a plan that your family can execute without you as you may be deployed.

[wilson1911]

What skills could you bring to a group ? Since a bol is going to be harder for you. I think skill sets would be a sure winner if you need to "get in" a group.

Of course this means changing your view of the world. Or mindset. Have you tried traveling the back roads to your location ?
Have a bit of stores there as well ?

Investing in something that may never happen is hard to do. I am still working on my father on this. He is all for it until you tell him he has to spend money on it.

I am 5 hours away from him and I could go somewhere else, but I need to be there to take care of my father foremost. I also work in the oilfield and drive on back roads all the time. There are a possible of 3 routes besides the interstate I can travel on. I have just moved some supplies to there and will be taking more in the weeks to come.

I thought about how long it wold take me to pack up and realized it's far too long. Maybe most of us will wait a bit long to try and go anywhere, as most things, its after it has happened that we decide to do things. Being proactive is hard when we would rather be doing other things with our time and money.

My kit for having to run is

500 rounds of ammo rifle
200 pistol
mountain house packets
2 changes of clothes
and all the water I can carry

If I have to go on foot, this will be cut in half. If there is time to pack up, then I can bring the kitchen sink and take a fresh shower in 1 hour. Having everything already boxed up at all times helps.

I guess what I am trying to say and let the situation dictate how you approach it. Then test it out and see where you fail. I would try a BOL and BUG IN. You never know what circumstances will arise. What if you had setup to bug in and had to bug out just 20 miles with no car ? Murphy is out there.

2 Rifle
2 Pistol
2 weeks of food
2 med kit
2 changes of clothes
how much ammo/water you can carry/store is your choice.

[TXBK]

Make friends and join a group, because there is strength and security in numbers. Be very careful venturing into uncharted territory on your own. If you stumble upon me, I may protect my family from you before I get a chance to find out your intentions.

[FloridaWoodsman]

...should I attempt to make it to Texas, across two states of almost nothing but expansive barren desert, or should I get the map out and find a location closer to where I am and attempt to go there?

This last option is what my wife proposed, and to be honest this sounds reckless and an extreme last resort. My solution would be to stay put and only leave if absolutely necessary. What are y'alls opinions, anyone else in a similar dilemma?

I wouldn't plan on going farther than where you can go with what gas you have. If the gas stations are open, you don't have enough of a problem to bug out. If the gas stations are closed, you may as well stay home.

[JusticeM4]

Then it would be good to have a better Plan B, if you really, really have to bug out. I don't understand why bugging out seems to be at the top of so many prepper's list of responses. To me that means they are living in risky areas already and should change THAT, now. For people in suburbs and rural I think bugging in makes the most sense unless the situation involves severe property damage from storm, earthquake, chemical spill, etc. If you are forced to bug out I think you want to pick some place to you can get to without having to drive through any cities. Maybe 30-300 miles away depending on your terrain and routes and the primary threats you plan for.

If you don't have a safe place to bug out to, then bugging in usually is a far better choice. Just be careful and not be totally dependent on a single plan. Nature and Mr Murphy have a way of messing with our "one and only plan."

These are good points. To me, bugging out should be Plan B. Bugging in should be Plan A, and a smart prepper should already be in his bugging in location to begin with. You do not want to travel when the SHTF. Like you see in tv and movies, as soon as everyone tries to leave, all roads will be congested. This in itself possess a great danger/threat to you and your family. Better to bug in for the short duration unless you had no other choice.

I'm in the same position as you, except i'm single. No bug-out spot so I plan to stay put. I live just outside the city so I can travel if I need to, but most of my supples (what meager supplies I have) are all at home so there's no sense in leaving unless the situation calls for it.

A few things I would advice to consider for your bug-in plans if you haven't already done so:
- buy a generator and keep a supply of gas
- Have a source/supply of water
- store enough medical supplies including meds, and of course food
- guns/ammo obviously a must, but don't forget other tools like Communication (CB radios, Sat phones, etc)

I've sheltered on base for a major hurricane.

The way it worked was the unit prepared for the hurricane a few days before its expected landfall, when all tasks were completed, most people were allowed either to evacuate, shelter on base, or stay in their homes for the duration of the storm and aftermath. In any case you had to provide an evacuation plan to your chain of command. Certain groups of service members had to stay on duty and/or evacuate equipment inland, such as aviators had to fly aircraft out of state. Some service members and civilian workers were TDY at the time of the event and couldn't return until after the storm.

Back then the local civilians were allowed to come to our shelter. The first thing out of the commanders mouth to all that gathered, including family members and the local civilians, was "you are now under military control, no one is authorized to possess weapons or alcohol". The shelter was a 300 man open bay barracks with your typical no privacy latrine and showers. People brought their property and pets, some people had allergic reactions to some animals. The shelter was probably a little better than an off post shelter though. Local shelters don't provide much privacy either.

All the active duty guys were put on details, such as helping those living on base secure their outdoor property at their quarters and then help them clean up around their quarters after the storm. Some guys delivered MREs and water to the guys that stayed in their off base homes. Rank didn't get anyone out of the details.

No one was allowed to leave until the all clear was given, which didn't come for about two or three days after the hurricane made landfall. The county was put on curfew by the National Guard at least once after a storm.

If you plan on sheltering on base, you might be able to find out where/what the shelter and amenities and rules are before you decide to take your family there. If you are a single soldier, well you know what's in store for you already. You should already know if you are designated as mission essential. Mission essential personnel (active duty or civilian) will have to play Army. Have a plan that your family can execute without you as you may be deployed.

That is some very good info, esp for the rest of us who are civilians. Thanks for sharing.

[The_War_Wagon]

DON'T become a "refugee." NOTHING GOOD ever befalls refugees, and having no plan on where to go, no certainty you'll be welcome when you get there, & insufficient lead time to beat your FELLOW refugees, is a GUARANTEE, that LIFE will end badly for you & yours upon the road.