Paddling in an Apocalypse

[memaquay]

If there's an Apocalypse, I wouldn't go north into a short growing season and freeze-to-death climate.

That's a good plan, but you have forgotten the most important Apocalypse belief......Zombies can't survive the extreme cold, even mild temperatures will slow them down enough double tap them with ease. South America will be knee deep in Zombies.

 

[Penns Woods]

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Mike Tyson

Stay home.

I have to agree with Robin. I have everything I need right here at home, and if I need help, I trust my neighbors of 50 years more then moving somewhere and dealing with strangers.

 

[Punkinhead]

I get a kick out of the suburban peppers who are going to grab their bug out bags, hop in their "overlanding" rigs, and head into the hills. It may be different out west where there are vast expanses of public land, but east of the Rockies those hills and woods are owned by locals who've lived there for generations, know every inch of their land, and don't take kindly to trespassers. A suburban midwesterner trying to move into the hills of West Virginia is going to be squealing like a pig in short order.

 

[Black_Fly]

Property rights mean nothing in a legit apocalypse. Only ammunition matters.

Going south does make good sense if you can beat the run on plane tickets or make it across the border with a fuel truck.

My son lives on the coast of SC, has a sailboat. He has sailed to the Bahamas many times. That would be a good plan. Contagions wouldn’t be an issue at sea. Watching the world fry in war from a beach wouldn’t be as bad as some fates.

 

[Punkinhead]

Property rights mean nothing in a legit apocalypse. Only ammunition matters.

A local's knowledge of the land and family/neighbor relationships matter and the folks I know in rural areas aren't hurting in the ammo department. A Rambo wannabe from the burbs isn't going to fare well.

 

[billconner]

Just saw this. Not sure an apocalypse today would be survivable anywhere but I feel a little better being a mile portage to St Lawrence or 10 mile drive bridge to Canada.

 

[GeoBoy]

Nobody is going to be driving anywhere if this Apocalypse involves EMP’s.

 

[Alan Gage]

I feel a little better being a mile portage to St Lawrence or 10 mile drive bridge to Canada.

I'm sure all those Canadians will be welcoming us with open arms.

Alan

 

[Gamma1214]

Nobody is going to be driving anywhere if this Apocalypse involves EMP’s.

Actually...

I currently have at my disposal a '51 Chevy Pickup and a '79 CJ5. The CJ was built with electronic ignition but I can swap a points distributor into it in 20 minutes, the Chevy won't be affected at all (OK, maybe the radio won't work but how would I know... all the stations would be down). Like Mad Max, I could refuel from all of the dead cars along my route but, realistically, my route isn't likely to be very long.

I'd stick pretty close to home and help others deal with whatever the issue might be for as long as I was able. Much of that might depend upon the nature of the apocalypse...

In the event of nuclear war, my home's proximity to Pittsburgh might make it a pretty quick end. In a world-wide disease scenario, my immune system proved more than adequate in the last round; I feel pretty good about my chances.

Given my skill sets and the means at my disposal, I would likely thrive in a world reduced to the stone age by an EMP and, of course, if the Yellowstone caldera blows, most of the projections I've seen forecast a very bleak future for anyone North of New Zealand (and good luck getting there after the fact)

Bottom line is that it's not worth worrying about. One day at a time and none of us are guaranteed tomorrow anyway.

(Oh, BTW, property rights always matter to those who own the property.

Almost everyone around here would help anyone that came gently and asked for help. Come armed for battle & acting as if property rights don't matter and I guarantee you that you did not bring enough ammo. This IS Appalachia, after all. We have a reputation to uphold.)

 

[PaddlingPika]

I'm not prepared to live off the land in some remote place even if I could get there and if there was an apocalyptic event I probably wouldn't know enough about what was going on in surrounding areas to know where to go even if I had the means.

Shorter term evacuation, however, is something that we are told to be prepared for here each hurricane season. Lafayette hasn't had any general call for evacuation in the decades I've lived here, but it could happen if a cat 5 storm headed directly towards us so each year public service announcements say to have an evacuation plan just in case (though that applies more to people in mobile homes or in particularly flood-prone areas). I used to think I'd pack up my camping gear and head north to go hang out in a national forest in Arkansas if I needed to evacuate. Then several years ago I heard the TV weathermen saying that the remnants of a hurricane that had hit here were crossing into Arkansas and would likely spawn tornadoes there. Heading to Arkansas to camp for a few days doesn't sound so good if there are likely to be tornadoes in the area! So now I don't really have an evacuation plan.