SHTF

[Garufa]

We hear constant talk around here about preparing for SHTF.

What is that situation in which you would need to leave everything you own, your entire life, etc., etc. and flee to some other "safe" place?

Define SHTF.

[willis68]

2012 if Obama is re elected:)

[Raoul]

The armed forces in the streets to "keep the peace". Loss of civil liberties. Disarming of the citizenry. Kinda like nawlins after Katrina.

[Rightwinger]

economic collapse, the urban areas run out of food in days when transportation networks shut down. The locusts of the inner city flow outward seeking food and safer places to live. Thankfully they will be eliminating some of themselves along the way but many will reach what most consider "out there" like my little vista on the hill. I don't want to be here when they come here as a home on a street is almost indefensible. I'll be monitoring what's going on, and planning the move elsewhere. Elsewhere being many miles from this major metro area of Nashville. The key is the route around Nashvegas. The rest has been described ad nauseum in other posts and sites. I'm no where as near prepared as I would like or need but most of us have the advantage of at least starting out armed. Many will seek you out as potential sources for a weapon or transportation so if you live in the urban nest, you have to move the quickest.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Well, there is "bugging out" or "bugging in" (hunkering down).

In Hamilton county, one worst-case bug-out situation would be a serious nuclear accident (or terrorist attack) at TVA Sequoyah Nuclear Plant involving containment breaching and mass radioactivity release. I'm pro-nuclear, and like having nukes out there, but even low-probability things have non-nil probability. Just sayin. Sh*t happens. That scenario could mean a rapid and permanent evacuation.

[Jasongar8]

A natural disaster where there is a mass migration of people. I think this kind of situation is far more likely than UN troops invading or any other "Red Dawn" type of situation.

[gregintenn]

If I can't make it here, I doubt I can make it anywhere. I'm staying put no matter what. Seriously, the only reasons I can imagine where I'd be forced to leave my home would be localized in nature; a tornado, earthquake, fire, etc. Otherwise I'm as well off here as anywhere I can think of.

[gregintenn]

We hear constant talk around here about preparing for SHTF.

A man could always just unplug the fan.

[G27]

Economic collapse or massive earthquake are the two most probable for the west part of the state, imo.

Economic collapse or prolonged depression is almost inevitable at this point, imo. I suspect in the next 3-5 years things will get *really* bad in many of the metro areas.

[DaveTN]

I don’t think many of us are going to go running off as long as our homes are standing.

If a natural disaster destroys my home; I’ll go stay with friends or relatives until the insurance takes care of things.

So SHTF would have to be a Tornado, fire, earthquake, etc.

[Rightwinger]

I don’t think many of us are going to go running off as long as our homes are standing.

If a natural disaster destroys my home; I’ll go stay with friends or relatives until the insurance takes care of things.

So SHTF would have to be a Tornado, fire, earthquake, etc.

Just asking, so all you guys ready to stay in your homes, if they are not well off the beaten path, are you prepared with manpower to maintain a watch 24/7 ? The ones that make it to Westmoreland and Lafayette (using me and Greg, insert burbs around any metro like Maynardville, Tazwell, Bolivar etc) will be for lack of a better word "veterans" the strongest to make it out of the cities. They should be fairly well armed and will have noted to wait for darkness before attempting to take a house. Nothing here worth defending to me as far as property and no way to maintain it should it continue for weeks/months/years. Where I'm going might be just as bad as the folks there are already pretty rough and know the area. But it's secluded enough that it will be just the locals or the really desperate that make it out there. Plus its more defensible and has fall back areas to go to (caves).

Please discuss.

[Guest Jcochran88]

I am pretty close to a network of like minded armed friends. I think We would Probably gather as a "colony" type deal if it got that bad.

[willis68]

In all seriousness I am networked pretty well, should the need arise myself and a few neighbors should be able to take care of our own I think there are a lot of people around here with that very same mindset

[Guest 70below]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the d*mned Zombies yet!!

[Murgatroy]

If I can't make it here, I doubt I can make it anywhere. I'm staying put no matter what. Seriously, the only reasons I can imagine where I'd be forced to leave my home would be localized in nature; a tornado, earthquake, fire, etc. Otherwise I'm as well off here as anywhere I can think of.

Agreed. I see no point to leave where I have food, ammo and shelter. Trying to make it out on the street with my family would be futile. Add in the fact that everyone else will be migrating as well... I am staying put. Bugging in.

If the scenario lasts more than a few weeks, and supplies get thin, I might venture out solo.

As for what it would take for me to believe it is a SHTF scenario, well, I don't know. And until I do know it is occurring, I will continue on in my life as normal. As there are those that are claiming the SHTF already.

Now, in an EOTWAWKI scenario, I do have a plan for that. I will not discuss it, but survival of my family is foremost. While zombies are at the forefront of my thought process, I honestly believe it will be a total socioeconomic collapse which would lead to widespread rioting and looting. Our standing army will be turned inwards. That is not something I think my beloved country could survive.

[Guest mosinon]

When the economy collapsed in Argentina entire neighborhoods banded together (I am told). People made makeshift gates and so forth to keep other people out. Admittedly my source for this was a middle class Argentinan so I don't know what happened in the slums or whatever. Robbery, apparently, was rampant and he went everywhere armed. The stories I heard, and I won't vouch for the accuracy, were tales of answering your front door from an upstairs window with a rifle and shooting blindly when you were chased in the streets. The idea, according to him, was not to hit the people trying to rob you but just to make them go after someone else. His trips to the market to get food and so forth were interesting. Going in wasn't a problem, the market functioned. Getting out was trouble because people would watch and they'd know if you had stuff.

But the guy may have jerking my chain, I couldn't say for sure.

[G27]

FerFAL has lived through the economic collapse in Argentina and has some decent insight, though Argentina never had a large portion of society relying on government handouts. I suspect things will be much worse here when the balloon goes up...

[Murgatroy]

FerFAL has lived through the economic collapse in Argentina and has some decent insight, though Argentina never had a large portion of society relying on government handouts. I suspect things will be much worse here when the balloon goes up...

I have followed a lot of his posts on Glocktalk, I just recently discovered his blog. He has a lot of insight that I find useful when planning for this type of thing.

[Guest mosinon]

I'm interested, how many people rely on government handouts? I'm thinking welfare here, not social security, unemployment or the military. I'm having trouble finding decent numbers on this but it is of interest.

[monkeylizard]

I just recently discovered his blog.

Link please?

As for welfare, that's kind of a nebulous term in this country. It encompasses stuff such as WIC, food stamps, free or reduced daycare, and free or reduced school lunches. Qualifying for those usually requires someone to be working or trying to work (at least in theory). Other welfare is stuff like HUD homes or Sec. 8 housing. I really don't know the working requirements on those. Then you have just plain old welfare kings/queens who don't produce anything but kids and collect checks. In theory, there is no program that provides this kind of "support". In reality, they just game an existing system meant to help people in the earlier categories.

I've heard the number of around 5 million people tossed around, but I don't know if that's just the deadbeats, or if it includes the working poor who are getting assistance, but not a free ride. Either way, I suspect that number has increased over the past couple of years.

Edited August 26, 2010 by monkeylizard

[Murgatroy]

Link please?

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA

[Rightwinger]

you all do realize that there is only two to three days worth of food in the Nashville area right now. If trucks stop rolling, people get hungry real quick. Not to mention coal for power plants and other vital materials. I only hope that many will do what they did in Katrina though and just sit down and wait for help to come to them not realizing its over and they are then to weak to come out to the country side. Some will, many won't survive getting out of Davidson Co. It will be a quick and dirty session of Darwinism.

[Guest mosinon]

Link please?

As for welfare, that's kind of a nebulous term in this country. It encompasses stuff such as WIC, food stamps, free or reduced daycare, and free or reduced school lunches. Qualifying for those usually requires someone to be working or trying to work (at least in theory). Other welfare is stuff like HUD homes or Sec. 8 housing. I really don't know the working requirements on those. Then you have just plain old welfare kings/queens who don't produce anything but kids and collect checks. In theory, there is no program that provides this kind of "support". In reality, they just game an existing system meant to help people in the earlier categories.

I've heard the number of around 5 million people tossed around, but I don't know if that's just the deadbeats, or if it includes the working poor who are getting assistance, but not a free ride. Either way, I suspect that number has increased over the past couple of years.

That's the same problem I have when looking up the numbers. It is a hard number to actually find.

[Punisher84]

I think alot of people that think about and plan for this stuff OVERPLAN and OVERTHINK it. I agree with DaveTN, unless my home is pretty much destroyed I'm not leaving it. I don't live in a metro area anymore necessarily. Yea I'm close to Memphis, but I'm pretty suburban now. I'm also not near anything that would draw mass people.

The whole "We'd be out of food in the city in 3-4 days" comment also has to be rationalized. Just by what is in the average pantry and fridge no one is starving for at least a couple weeks. I have everything I need at my house and I'm not going running off unless I absolutely have to GTFOOD.

[Kenstaroni]

IRAN fueling thier Nuclear Reactor, then testing an un-manned aircraft capable of delivering long range weapons a day later......They have ignored sactions, etc. and Russia is helping them....not exactly our good buddies. Not to be a paranoid person, but lots of my research has pointed towards a potential WW3 in the not too distant future. A lot of the chess pieces are falling into place....much faster than many had thought unfortunately.

I am going on with my life and remaining as prepared as my finances allow. I have some local friends who have suitable places to flee too, and I have 115 acres in TN that is livable if I hunt deer, turkey, etc. frequently. There's a creek that flows year round and a few natural springs.

No matter where you bug to, doing it alone is going to be tough. You're best bet is to band together in manageable groups of common minded people who can compile resources and manpower for food, shelter, and protection. Urban areas are going to be the worst places to be. I'd feel sorry for people in large cities like Atlanta, NY, LA (especially...lol), etc.

Just my $0.02 without going overboard on details.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Kenstaroni