How Safe Florida If Only Some SHTF?

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My family would have loved to get out of Florida before the rollover. We live in Miami. We had considered New Mexico (away from Los Alamos and Sandia, of course), but it looks as though that dream is gone. Now we are thinking that the best we will be able to do is a small town about an hour and a half above Orlando in the middle of the state near the state forest.

Will this really afford us any more safety from starving mobs, nuclear accidents, terrorist acts, what have you? Or is there no safe place in a state as populous as Florida? Has anyone really thought through how society will react if things get fairly bad, I mean other than sweeping generalizations that fall under the heading of "civil unrest?"

Will different states see different responses from citizens based on the social dynamic in operation within them? Is there any way we can break down probable responses according to areas of the country, for example, the Southeast, the Northeast, Pacific Coast, etc.?



-- I (havent@clue.com), September 17, 1999

Answers

I have lived in Huntington Beach,California, St.Simon Island,Georgia, Lakeland,Florida, Dallas,Texas, Cape May,New Jersey and now I am back in rural Arkansas where I was raised. I think any rural area would be better than staying in or around a large city no matter what state it is.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), September 17, 1999.

Taz,

It looks like you may have many a new neighbor soon...

Definitely, the Orlando area is not the place to migrate to.

NORTH Florida, that's the ticket! Better yet, Georgia. Even better, South Carolina.

Central Florida is the Armpit of the South! We have dreaded diseases here. In fact, I just heard a rumor: an Ebola outbreak was recently discovered (and cleverly covered up) in my very neighborhood!

Keep moving along, folks. Nothing to see here. Keep it moving...

-- Spindoc' (spindoc_99_2000@yahoo.com), September 18, 1999.


--I,

Seriously, if your are looking for a rural area of Florida, I would suggest the "elbow", and points north and west, as far as Tallahassee. Nothing but endless miles of pine forests and farms. Of course, if TSHTF, a lot of Jacksonville may try to come through there...and why do we assume migrations only go WEST?

No place is truly safe, if entire populations start to migrate.

-- Spindoc' (spindoc_99_2000@yahoo.com), September 18, 1999.


I don't know where in Miami you are, but if you can get out, I think it's best. It's hardly the safest, nicest place in the best of times. I grew up on Miami Beach and my sister just left Miami. We're going to be in Vero, on the beach side.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 18, 1999.

Interesting question.

I think you'll see a multitude of different reactions, anywhere you go, same as in any crisis. The one thing that is constant, during any period of general rioting, is that people have a curious tendency to attack their own neighborhood. That means, to me anyway, that you are best off in an area where you have some knowledge of who is around you, unless you have already figured out that everyone where you live is likely to be a problem. At this late date, I would only move if I had clear reason to feel I was in danger.

The other problem, if you move now, is that you will still be the "alien", when rollover hits. Your new neighbors won't have time to figure out if you can be trusted, or not. I had a personal experience that drove this point home with me, in a major way, 26 years ago. The only real beating, I've ever taken (and I mean a serious, out-of-no-where, blood-all-over-my-clothes beating), was when I was visiting relatives, in a small Mayberryish in-the-middle-of-nowhere town. This happened, because this guy and his buddies thought that I, being the only stranger around, was the one who had tried to break into his car. I have never had anything remotely close to this happen to me in the city. If you move into a new area, and things get bad, who do you think is going to be the PRIME suspect, when farmer Brown gets his chicken coup raided - One of their own they have known for eons, or that "new guy" in town? Keep in mind that my experience happened in a town where just about every fifth person is kin (If my cousin hadn't shown up in time, there's no telling how bad things would have got). Just imagine such a situation, where no one knows you. Something to keep in mind, before you take off.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), September 18, 1999.



Bonk

YOU ARE CORRECT SIR!

Clueless

If you were going to move, you should be writing us from your new ISP. Of course if your neighbors are exceedingly assholish, go anyhow, flee! If you live near cretins now the odds favor you, should you move. What are the chances of living next to two Bubba ass rippers in a row?

Slim I think.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 18, 1999.


new in town? find a good[GOD & PEOPLE LOVING] CHURCH.it,s a family-thing.

-- safe-house. (dogs@zianet.com), September 18, 1999.

the only truly SAFE place, in near future=will be in GODS HANDS. [no-place to run--no place to hide]*the final battle has begun* the whole world--is fixin to come unglued.

-- COMING SOON, (dogs@zianet.com), September 18, 1999.

Al-d,

Thank you for those insightful comments. Where do you live now? We ask only so that we may give you a wide berth. Preferably up-wind.

Cheers,

Spindoc'

-- Spindoc' (spindoc_99_2000@yahoo.com), September 18, 1999.


Move to South Dakota. It has been said that crime rates rise and fall with the temperature, and it gets mighty cold up here in January. You can still buy generators at Sam's or Bomgaars or other farm/ranch stores. Neighbors are usually friendly and helpful, especially during times of crisis. Get involved with the local school and you're in like Flynn. Game is plentiful if you like pheasant, goose and deer. Of course you must develop a taste for chislic (deep-fried lamb on a stick) and tomato beer (tap beer with tomato juice added, with olives or pickled green beans). I've never been able to get used to tomato beer. Most of my friends are DGI, but they are pretty much prepared anyway due to the constant threat of blizzards (at least out here in the country-in town they are just like city people everywhere else). The bulk of our electricity comes from a power plant with its own coal mine on-site; the other plants in the system have coal mines near-by. Not that this guarantees uninterupted power but it does improve the odds a bit. We even have "black helicopters" buzzing farmyards at night and scaring the livestock. I've never seen one myself, so I can't verify the stories, but it does make for lively debate in bar after the ballgames.......

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), September 18, 1999.


Clue...ya'all come on up to the forest. I have met more nice people here than anywhere I have lived. Its a nice mix of natives and imports from the north. In my particular neighborhood Michigan raines and a lot of these retirees were not city people to begin with. We have had no problem with acceptance. We feel safe here and you certainly can get further out into the forest than we are, if you wish. I just can't imagine a riot in Salt Springs or Ft McCoy or Eureka. Just stay well out in the forest as the masses of people are over west of I75. They are scared to come to the forest now, when nothing is going on. The people in town act like the boogie man is going to get them if they come out in the forest. But then it wasn't too many years ago that the area had a lot of stills, etc. so that is where it got its reputation. We think its great here. And the woods are so thick that if one had to, you could melt into them and never be found. And you won't freeze to death here. Taz PS: If you are in Salt Springs you will always have pure water to carry home in a jug. The springs are so clear out here that you can see bottom at 100ft and you would swear it was no more than 4 ft. They are incredible. And our wells are on that same source.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), September 18, 1999.


I live in the panhandle area of Fl. 25 miles from the nearest town. Moved here 22 months ago. When the SHTF there will be 3 other families coming to stay with us. They all live by a large city in another state. Remember, rural is better.

-- Mr. Pinochle (pinochledd@aol.com), September 18, 1999.

The Florida panhandle has some sparsely populated areas, but once you get west of say Panama City you get into heavy military areas, such as Eglin AFB near Ft. Walton Beach/Destin (a couple hundred square miles of base and reserve), and Pensacola NAS in Pensacola. And the dozens of little bases (like Hurlburt AFB and Duke Field near Eglin AFB) throughout and around the area. Whether it's a wise idea or not to be too close to such seriously large/important bases come the rollover remains to be seen. (Eglin houses the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing and some of the more important military R&D is carried out there, and Pensacola NAS is one of the US' major military training facilities for all branches.)

If you're looking for distance from major settlements, between Talahassee and Panama City might be good, as could be between Talahassee and Jacksonville toward the swamplands of Okeefenokee.

OddOne, who lives not far from Eglin AFB and wishes he didn't... Darn planes make too much noise...

-- OddOne (mocklamer_1999@yahoo.com), September 18, 1999.


I would have to recommend North Florida near the Georgia State border where I currently reside.Mild temperatures during the winter and lots of lakes and farms.No problem with being a new person in a town, the population has been steadly growing for years, we are use to new people moving in.The summers are downright unpleasant though,I sure hope power is back up by summer of 2000.

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), September 18, 1999.

Good info, everyone. Thank you! After reading some of the responses, we have considered that the town we had picked out a little above Leesburg may not be that great after all. We started to remember the large number of pawnshops, check cashing stores and other signs there of a community where a lot of the population is living on the edge financially. These people are going to have even less chance to prepare than we are.

Taz, the panhandle sounds really nice. We had thought about it, too, initially, and then discarded the idea because of the proximity to the air bases, but I guess no place is perfect. I was also a little concerned about that nuke plant just up over the border in AL, but if you think about Crystal River being only 47 miles from Leesburg, what's the dif?

So. GA also sounds good. Maybe Bainbridge.



-- I (havent@clue.com), September 18, 1999.


Bokonon, could it have been that the rubes who thumped you were just good judges of character? besides a good asskicking sometimes builds character. just jiving pardner.

-- jethro Bodine (shitkicker@r5ubebegone.com), September 18, 1999.

Did you know Florida is wider than it is long? True.

-- Spidey (in@jam.orange), September 20, 1999.

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