Addendum Bags for Mandatory Pedestrian Evacuation to Shelter

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From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

This thread is categorized under Back-Up Plans & Bugging Out

A thread on the main TimeBomb2000 Forum about hurricane Floyd reminds me of some additional items one might pack for the Mandatory Evac situation. I'm assuming that in this case one might wish to cart their entire bugout bag, since your house might be ransacked while you're under protective custody. The Shelter Kit addendum items are mostly things that are too bulky to carry a long distance, but worthwhile for someone who specifically knows they're going to a shelter and/or that it is not a long trek.

Pajamas, for example, might not be worth carrying if you were bugging out to wilderness, but a good addition for sleeping in a room with 1000's of others. If normally you would have been leaving water behind because of there being plenty available in snow or streams, you would need to add this for shelter living, since they probably won't let you out to fetch water and also won't distribute generous quantities.

Most of your bunk mates won't have come prepared and so may be lacking sanitation supplies. It would be in the best interests of your sanity to bring extra for those who are near enough to smell.

I imagine that sleeping in a shelter would be much like trying to sleep in a hospital, only worse. Canadians from last year's snow storm disaster report that some uncouth elements of society seem to be unable to postpone having full out intercourse until a more appropriate moment. Having once tried to sleep in a cheap motel with thin walls, I can attest that this is very distracting. You may wish to have some equipment for blocking sensory input on hand, especially for your children. Everyone should practice trying to sleep with these on.

If the quality of the water provided (or whatever turns up) is questionable, your bugout bag would be prepared to handle that situation. But in the shelter situation, you must also concern yourself with the health of the unprepared, since they are living in such close proximity to you, and can easily spread disease to you (not to mention make it harder to sleep).

Some way to pass the time may be needed. In the wilderness you can easily find plenty to do, but in a shelter you can do nothing to improve your situation. A book can provide an escape, or teach newly needed skills. Are there any good books on how to escape from prison?

You'll not want to bring any obvious weapons, since these will probably be confiscated and never returned. You might consider having something on hand that wouldn't be normally thought of as a weapon, that could serve as one, if needed.

You might also wish to have some tools at hand that could help you to assume leadership or escape. I've just realized that an official looking outfit could give you an opportunity to go either way, especially if you have obtained some training in that regard. However, one could easily thereby become the target of violence, so some careful thought would need to preceed the use of such disguises.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), September 16, 1999

Answers

Children so often are separated from their parents in times of calamity, that it might also make some sense to have a way to tether them to you, particularly while you sleep. There can be some dangers in this. One that comes to mind is trampling. It's hard to say whether being teathered would improve or decrease a child's chance in case of a stampeed. There may also be times when you would need to temporarily to deal with some emergency. There should be some non-obvious quick release. Realistic looking toy handcuffs might be a good alternative, especially if the child does not know how they operate. Those "airport" harnesses also come to mind.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), September 16, 1999.

You take the shelter, I'll take my chances.

-- A. Hambley (a.hambley@usa.net), September 17, 1999.

And some condoms well lubricated with Ben-Gay for your noisy neighbors...but they you wouldn't be able to sleep due to their screaming.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 17, 1999.

Dancr, thanks for the good ideas. Not all of us can choose where or when we might have to go to a shelter. I'd tell anyone who asks that we'd NEVER go to a shelter, but if it was the difference between that and having our child separate from us... maybe we would go.

I'm fond of telling my husby that we don't need 'bug-out' bags, because the only way we'll abandon our homestead is in body bags. Easy to say from the ol' armchair, but when the time comes....?

I'm beginning to see that my ideas about preparedness haven't really encompassed as many possibilities as I'd thought.

Thanks, Dancr!!!

-- Arewyn (isitthatlate@lready.com), September 20, 1999.


We'll NEVER go to a shelter. Period. If my children are KIDNAPPED by the gov't (to coerce me into doing so), I will consider that an attack upon my family. I will respond with deadly force at that point.

I will NOT submit to government tyranny, EVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF MY LIFE, AND THE LIVES OF MY FAMILY.

LIVE FREE OR DIE. Those are the stakes. You get the government you "settle" for. Just ask the Jews from Hitler's time. (Of course, there aren't many left...)

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), September 20, 1999.



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