You fly before the hurricane gets there, and you fly away from the hurricane. This isn't rocket science. All you really need to do is get far enough to somewhere you can rent a car where the roads aren't jammed.
Coming from an aviation background and a country with regular hurricanes/cyclones - By the time it's sensible to evacuate, I can think of very few, if any pilots who would fly into that shitstorm in anything smaller than maybe, very maybe, one of the larger gulfstream jets - Which in that case, would be either gone, or the pilots remaining would be jacking their prices WAY up. I've got my pilot's licence, and I've flown in a storm - That shit is hairy, yo.
I've got my pilot's licence, and I've flown in a storm - That shit is hairy, yo.
I would definitely not fly IN the storm. I would only fly if it were away from the storm. If it's too late, and the roads are jammed. If it's that situation, money won't help and a bag wont' help.
I would definitely not fly IN the storm. I would only fly if it were away from the storm. If it's too late, and the roads are jammed. If it's that situation, money won't help and a bag wont' help.
Only in that very specific way. I've lived through multiple cyclones, and we didn't evacuate, but a well prepared bug-out bag did help, despite the lack of actual bugging out. Stores were not open, so money couldn't buy help on that front. Hospitals were absolutely full, and thus pretty useless unless things were really, really serious. Money would be of extremely limited help, but anyone who was prepared was at a large advantage, and I'm proud to say, most prepared people were helping others who were less prepared, and assisting those in trouble - but even if they didn't help anyone else, the preparations were extremely helpful. Even the government here heavily encourages you to either create or maintain your emergency preparations on a regular basis.
You can't always evacuate - Every place I could have gotten to From where I was During Cyclone Larry would have helped precisely fuck all. It was simply too large, and too nasty.
Also - what do you think Proceeds an actual cyclone most of the time? Storms. It's not like it's all blue skies, and it suddenly explodes into hell-weather. And I'm not talking piddly little rain on the winshield and a little thunder kinda storm, I mean serious business high-winds-thick-rain-and-thunder kinda storms.
Edit - I might add, I suppose I do live in a very hostile environment. Fire, Flood, tropical storms and cyclones are all somewhat unfortunately common.
Having flown hurricane evac professionally for a gulf of mexico helicopter company I can say there is a pretty well established limit for the amount of wind I (or any sensible pilot) will fly in. The evacs are done quite a while before the storm hits because of this. 40 knots is the accepted max wind condition to land and make an offshore pickup in a helicopter. Of course fixed wing aircraft can fly in alot higher winds, but for me, no amount of cash is gonna get me to fly in anything 40 knots or higher. I'd rather just hunker down and wait the storm out, I have alot of silver, on the theory that silver and gold will hold its value longer than paper cash.
My loadout is simple: wallet, keys, cellphone, passport, and about $500 cash. In the apartment, I usually have provisions for several weeks if need be. If I know at all ahead of time of some coming trouble, I'd get a few thousand dollars in cash and at least one cashier's check for ten grand or so as emergency money.
That should cover me in most situations where I had a chance in the first place. 99% of "disasters" that are even remotely likely to hit NYC, I could wait out in my apartment with ease. I have plenty of food in the building, which itself is surprisingly secure, and a decent water supply. There is little that could dislodge me, and most of what could would be localized enough to where, once I made it out of the city, my money would again take care of me. I only have to survive long enough for things to calm down enough for me to get out to a non-affected area (or for help to get in). Once I do that, all my monetary resources are again available to me (spread across multiple banks and investments and eminently safe).
If there were some widespread disaster where I had to actually evacuate (along with the entire city) in some timely fashion, I imagine I would ignore any evac plan and quite literally leave on my bike. Traffic means nothing to a bike, and I could be well upstate in half-a-day with a good deal of provisions in my backpack. If it were really bad, I could just as easily get a Kayak and make my way up the Hudson. If the situation were so emergent that 4 hours were too long to get away, I was fucked anyway, or else I would have left long before.
Now, if this disaster affected the entire range of personal non-powered travel I have at my disposal, and would last for more than a week or two, then what the fuck is going on? This is already some world-changing epic shit. I'd have to play it by ear: no point in preparing for the unlikely and unavoidable. If all transit is dead, and I have to travel more than a few hundred miles entirely on my own, in an emergent situation, there's no point in preparing for that. That's the threshold at which I loot and make my way on my own terms or die trying.
If all transit is dead, and I have to travel more than a few hundred miles entirely on my own, in an emergent situation, there's no point in preparing for that.
I disagree, to a point. I consider learning particular skills as being preparation for that sort of situation, as well as simply having some basic preparations. Another vital skill, you are sorta enacting - which is knowing what is appropriate preparation. You prepare as the situation demands.
To give you an example, as you said, You live in NYC, and you say there is likely few things which could dislodge you or seriously threaten you. But having a very basic emergency kit wouldn't go astray - some clothes(you already have, obviously), a first aid kit of some sort, some method of providing light(Flashlight or two, Batteries, maybe a cheap lighter or matches and some candles, whatever), some duct tape, and a good knife or two, and some cash, just in case. I assume you can tie a few knots, know basic first aid, know the area well enough to plan routes out if you need to, and the intelligence and knowledge to assess the situation that you find yourself in. That's damn near all you need - the only problem I see is that if it's a wide-scale disaster - Like, for example, Cyclone Larry - Nowhere you could get within a reasonable period of time would help. We're talking a tropical storm that travelled more than a thousand kilometers over land, causing damage the whole way in a roughly 200 kilometre wide band.
But, Like you said, in that situation, you're pretty fucked anyway. But that's where the bag comes in handy - You're fucked, but you're less fucked than you would be without it. When you're at the point where you need it, it's a situation where these things can mean the difference between life or death, and that's the point of the thing.
That doesn't, however, invalidate preparing as your situation makes useful. I'm absolutely confident that given a few hours to prepare, I can survive damn near anywhere on earth that I might find myself, From Jungle, to most deserts, to the tundra or savannah, to any urban environment. It's served me well more than once.
I love how some people prepare for (practically) the end of civilization as we know it, and then make fun of Zombie Apocalypse survival plans.
I'm not saying some plans aren't going to be helpful, and I'm not going to take the "money can solve everything" tact Scott has, but Massachusetts basically has two disasters to prepare for: a hurricane every decade, and a really big snowstorm. And not particularly strong hurricanes, either. I can not conceive of a situation (short of Terrorist attack on Gillette Stadium or my house burning down) that would put me in a situation where the food and water in my house would not be sufficient for the term. Short of the Blizzard of '78 happening again, most stores stay open, even in pretty nasty weather, and I'm within walking distance of pretty much everything I'd need after the storm. And like Rym said, any situation (at least here) that's going to be major enough that I can't get to a store at least every 24 hours is going to be so emergent that any plans will be meaningless within a few hours.
Honestly, the only situation I can see a "bug-out bag" working for is an earthquake. Or I guess if you drive in the snow or other dangerous conditions a lot. Neither of those are likely to effect me, living in Massachusetts and not driving.
ITT: Apreche & Rym putting all their bets on Schrödinger's money. If you're going to fucking to the "SNOBSNOBSNOB I HAS MONEY!" route, then at least have the fucking money on hand otherwise your entire plan is as useful as the dirt you walk on. It's the same with saying "I'll just grab my supplies"-NO. You're wasting your time.
leave on my bike. Traffic means nothing to a bike, and I could be well upstate in half-a-day with a good deal of provisions in my backpack.
What provisions in what backpack? The backpack you fill during the emergency? WASTING MORE TIME. If your plan is "I'll grab my bike and go" then your BUB is prepared to get out of fuck with your bike. The entire concept of a BUB is to prepare beforehand instead of during an emergency. The latter wasting your time and resulting in you being more likely to forget important shit.
Also, I'll laugh my ass off when you get hindered by traffic on your bike because people are morons who will rage at you riding a bike past them.
EDIT:
I love how some people prepare for (practically) the end of civilization as we know it, and then make fun of Zombie Apocalypse survival plans.
Zombie Apocalypse survival plans are jokes. A BUB is actually useful and serious. Okay, those people are still idiots, but they're being serious and don't want to be mocked by your zombie plan. Also, the end of civilization as we know it is only one emergency away (in a small area for a small timeframe).
Also, I'll laugh my ass off when you get hindered by traffic on your bike because people are morons who will rage at you riding a bike past them.
Also, upon further thought, the bike plan doesn't account for pedestrian traffic, for example, people hopping out of their cars in the massive traffic jam and just hoofing it, or people who don't own cars figuring they'll just run for it, and secure transport outside the city.
However, on the flipside, I assume Rym knows the area he lives in far better than I do - enough to select some shortcuts or alternative routes that wouldn't be clogged with a seething huddled mass of humanity, yearning to breathe free, or really, just to continue breathing in general. I mean, there's plenty of ways out of Manhattan, and not all of them can be entirely clogged.
I would defiantly stock up on some antibiotics, painkillers, anti-diarrhea pills and potassium iodide pills (just like real life RadAway!) for my bag, but it would be the same as yours Hungry Joe. Seeing as I like jerky and energy bars, I can't wait for the apocalypse! Also a hard as nails cell phone might be worth it, try a low end Nokia.
While I don't actively keep a bag at my house, I've got a gun safe with enough ammo to reenact Rambo III. I do keep the equivalent in my car: Road flares, basic car tool kit, gloves, jumper cables, knives, hoodie, cash, an MRE, 2-3 bottles of water, 5HR Energy shot, Maglite, blanket, bottle-wine-can opener, mixed bottle of pills (Ibuprofen, allergy, & green tea) and a book.
What provisions in what backpack? The backpack you fill during the emergency? WASTING MORE TIME. If your plan is "I'll grab my bike and go" then your BUB is prepared to get out of fuck with your bike. The entire concept of a BUB is to prepare beforehand instead of during an emergency. The latter wasting your time and resulting in you being more likely to forget important shit.
There is no way out of the City fast enough in an emergent situation where the time it would take me to fill a backpack with provisions would affect my chance of survival, so there's no point in having one.
Also, I spend much of my time at work. There, I have a disaster kit which includes a gas mask, oxygen supply, flashlight, rappelling kit, rape whistle, and other assorted goodies.
Also, I'll laugh my ass off when you get hindered by traffic on your bike because people are morons who will rage at you riding a bike past them.
I actually would expect to walk my bike over any bridges or through any tunnels I would have to traverse. The bike would be primarily for travel once I get beyond the borders of the city. Even then, anything requiring the evacuation of New York is already world-changing and crazy. No point in preparing anything particular.
However, on the flipside, I assume Rym knows the area he lives in far better than I do - enough to select some shortcuts or alternative routes that wouldn't be clogged with a seething huddled mass of humanity, yearning to breathe free, or really, just to continue breathing in general. I mean, there's plenty of ways out of Manhattan, and not all of them can be entirely clogged.
In the event of a true, full evacuation, I'd probably be better off staying in the city until it calmed down. Even in the case of a massive earthquake, it wouldn't be difficult to escape: my primary danger would be the immediate aftermath (fire/collapse of whatever building I happened to be in at the time). I have a surprisingly large number of escape options, and in no case would I have to travel very far to find normalcy.
In the event of a true, full evacuation, I'd probably be better off staying in the city until it calmed down.
It's good to spend a few minutes to calm yourself and listen to any emergency broadcast before you run around in a panic. Your planned escape route may now be on fire.
My brother has a 9mm Kel Tec rifle. It is not a good rifle. Low caliber, bad grouping and short barrel with a shit range. The thing basically lobs bullets instead of firing them, but it folds in half for easy storage and transport. I'm considering getting one for overnight hiking.
Also, I spend much of my time at work. There, I have a disaster kit which includes a gas mask, oxygen supply, flashlight, rappelling kit, rape whistle, and other assorted goodies.
That's to get out of one building. And you already told that on the show.
I NYC is ever under full evacuation, I should definitely consider going over to one of the local marinas and commissioning a boat to fill up with people. I will gladly accept your stacks of cash. That being said if NYC is under full evacuation, I'm probably getting my ass out of Jersey as well.
I think what Churba was saying earlier is probably the best advice. Basic skills are at least equal to if not more valuable than basic supplies. My wife was learning how to sew the other day and I hung around and looked over her shoulder a bit, just cause you know, my knowledge of mending things up to that point was "thread goes in, thread goes, out". Now when we have to repopulate the earth, I am confident knowing out children will have PROPERLY HEMMED PANTS!
There is only one piece of emergency gear anyone ever needs; a scary looking gun. You don't bother packing a bag, you point the gun at somebody who has a bag, and you take it. You don't bother packing food, you point a gun at a person with food, and you take it. You need money, you point the gun at Scott, and you take his money. And if somebody tries to do the same to you, you use the gun to defend yourself. When order has broken down, force is the only thing that matters.
We have most of the goods needed for the bug out bag, but I have to assemble them in one place. After that earthquake and now this hurricane, me and Jed are realizing we need to be prepared more.
We have most of the goods needed for the bug out bag, but I have to assemble them in one place. After that earthquake and now this hurricane, me and Jed are realizing we need to be prepared more.
Put the bag under your coat hanger. Which in turn is always next to your front door. Which in turn is the first door outside for the majority of places in the house (pretty much everything on the non-ground floor if you don't have an escape ladder or something).
There is only one piece of emergency gear anyone ever needs; a scary looking gun. You don't bother packing a bag, you point the gun at somebody who has a bag, and you take it. You don't bother packing food, you point a gun at a person with food, and you take it. You need money, you point the gun at Scott, and you take his money. And if somebody tries to do the same to you, you use the gun to defend yourself. When order has broken down, force is the only thing that matters.
I think I've added, if you encounter Open_Sketchbook shoot him first or at least take him out as quickly as possible, he is not a team player.
There is only one piece of emergency gear anyone ever needs; a scary looking gun. You don't bother packing a bag, you point the gun at somebody who has a bag, and you take it. You don't bother packing food, you point a gun at a person with food, and you take it. You need money, you point the gun at Scott, and you take his money. And if somebody tries to do the same to you, you use the gun to defend yourself. When order has broken down, force is the only thing that matters.
I think I've added, if you encounter Open_Sketchbook shoot him first or at least take him out as quickly as possible, he is not a team player.
There is only one piece of emergency gear anyone ever needs; a scary looking gun. You don't bother packing a bag, you point the gun at somebody who has a bag, and you take it. You don't bother packing food, you point a gun at a person with food, and you take it. You need money, you point the gun at Scott, and you take his money. And if somebody tries to do the same to you, you use the gun to defend yourself. When order has broken down, force is the only thing that matters.
I think I've added, if you encounter Open_Sketchbook shoot him first or at least take him out as quickly as possible, he is not a team player.
Some people defect in the Prisoner's Dilemma. I pay a third prisoner to shank the other guy in the shower.
Comments
You can't always evacuate - Every place I could have gotten to From where I was During Cyclone Larry would have helped precisely fuck all. It was simply too large, and too nasty.
Also - what do you think Proceeds an actual cyclone most of the time? Storms. It's not like it's all blue skies, and it suddenly explodes into hell-weather. And I'm not talking piddly little rain on the winshield and a little thunder kinda storm, I mean serious business high-winds-thick-rain-and-thunder kinda storms.
Edit - I might add, I suppose I do live in a very hostile environment. Fire, Flood, tropical storms and cyclones are all somewhat unfortunately common.
That should cover me in most situations where I had a chance in the first place. 99% of "disasters" that are even remotely likely to hit NYC, I could wait out in my apartment with ease. I have plenty of food in the building, which itself is surprisingly secure, and a decent water supply. There is little that could dislodge me, and most of what could would be localized enough to where, once I made it out of the city, my money would again take care of me. I only have to survive long enough for things to calm down enough for me to get out to a non-affected area (or for help to get in). Once I do that, all my monetary resources are again available to me (spread across multiple banks and investments and eminently safe).
If there were some widespread disaster where I had to actually evacuate (along with the entire city) in some timely fashion, I imagine I would ignore any evac plan and quite literally leave on my bike. Traffic means nothing to a bike, and I could be well upstate in half-a-day with a good deal of provisions in my backpack. If it were really bad, I could just as easily get a Kayak and make my way up the Hudson. If the situation were so emergent that 4 hours were too long to get away, I was fucked anyway, or else I would have left long before.
Now, if this disaster affected the entire range of personal non-powered travel I have at my disposal, and would last for more than a week or two, then what the fuck is going on? This is already some world-changing epic shit. I'd have to play it by ear: no point in preparing for the unlikely and unavoidable. If all transit is dead, and I have to travel more than a few hundred miles entirely on my own, in an emergent situation, there's no point in preparing for that. That's the threshold at which I loot and make my way on my own terms or die trying.
To give you an example, as you said, You live in NYC, and you say there is likely few things which could dislodge you or seriously threaten you. But having a very basic emergency kit wouldn't go astray - some clothes(you already have, obviously), a first aid kit of some sort, some method of providing light(Flashlight or two, Batteries, maybe a cheap lighter or matches and some candles, whatever), some duct tape, and a good knife or two, and some cash, just in case. I assume you can tie a few knots, know basic first aid, know the area well enough to plan routes out if you need to, and the intelligence and knowledge to assess the situation that you find yourself in. That's damn near all you need - the only problem I see is that if it's a wide-scale disaster - Like, for example, Cyclone Larry - Nowhere you could get within a reasonable period of time would help. We're talking a tropical storm that travelled more than a thousand kilometers over land, causing damage the whole way in a roughly 200 kilometre wide band.
But, Like you said, in that situation, you're pretty fucked anyway. But that's where the bag comes in handy - You're fucked, but you're less fucked than you would be without it. When you're at the point where you need it, it's a situation where these things can mean the difference between life or death, and that's the point of the thing.
That doesn't, however, invalidate preparing as your situation makes useful. I'm absolutely confident that given a few hours to prepare, I can survive damn near anywhere on earth that I might find myself, From Jungle, to most deserts, to the tundra or savannah, to any urban environment. It's served me well more than once.
I'm not saying some plans aren't going to be helpful, and I'm not going to take the "money can solve everything" tact Scott has, but Massachusetts basically has two disasters to prepare for: a hurricane every decade, and a really big snowstorm. And not particularly strong hurricanes, either. I can not conceive of a situation (short of Terrorist attack on Gillette Stadium or my house burning down) that would put me in a situation where the food and water in my house would not be sufficient for the term. Short of the Blizzard of '78 happening again, most stores stay open, even in pretty nasty weather, and I'm within walking distance of pretty much everything I'd need after the storm. And like Rym said, any situation (at least here) that's going to be major enough that I can't get to a store at least every 24 hours is going to be so emergent that any plans will be meaningless within a few hours.
Honestly, the only situation I can see a "bug-out bag" working for is an earthquake. Or I guess if you drive in the snow or other dangerous conditions a lot. Neither of those are likely to effect me, living in Massachusetts and not driving.
Also, I'll laugh my ass off when you get hindered by traffic on your bike because people are morons who will rage at you riding a bike past them.
EDIT:Zombie Apocalypse survival plans are jokes. A BUB is actually useful and serious. Okay, those people are still idiots, but they're being serious and don't want to be mocked by your zombie plan. Also, the end of civilization as we know it is only one emergency away (in a small area for a small timeframe).
However, on the flipside, I assume Rym knows the area he lives in far better than I do - enough to select some shortcuts or alternative routes that wouldn't be clogged with a seething huddled mass of humanity, yearning to breathe free, or really, just to continue breathing in general. I mean, there's plenty of ways out of Manhattan, and not all of them can be entirely clogged.
Also, I spend much of my time at work. There, I have a disaster kit which includes a gas mask, oxygen supply, flashlight, rappelling kit, rape whistle, and other assorted goodies. I actually would expect to walk my bike over any bridges or through any tunnels I would have to traverse. The bike would be primarily for travel once I get beyond the borders of the city. Even then, anything requiring the evacuation of New York is already world-changing and crazy. No point in preparing anything particular. In the event of a true, full evacuation, I'd probably be better off staying in the city until it calmed down. Even in the case of a massive earthquake, it wouldn't be difficult to escape: my primary danger would be the immediate aftermath (fire/collapse of whatever building I happened to be in at the time). I have a surprisingly large number of escape options, and in no case would I have to travel very far to find normalcy.
My brother has a 9mm Kel Tec rifle. It is not a good rifle. Low caliber, bad grouping and short barrel with a shit range. The thing basically lobs bullets instead of firing them, but it folds in half for easy storage and transport. I'm considering getting one for overnight hiking.
I NYC is ever under full evacuation, I should definitely consider going over to one of the local marinas and commissioning a boat to fill up with people. I will gladly accept your stacks of cash. That being said if NYC is under full evacuation, I'm probably getting my ass out of Jersey as well.
I think what Churba was saying earlier is probably the best advice. Basic skills are at least equal to if not more valuable than basic supplies. My wife was learning how to sew the other day and I hung around and looked over her shoulder a bit, just cause you know, my knowledge of mending things up to that point was "thread goes in, thread goes, out". Now when we have to repopulate the earth, I am confident knowing out children will have PROPERLY HEMMED PANTS!
Oh hells yeah.
I normally carry a load of bumf around with me that would be useful. Then again I live in England so we don't get many natural disasters.