Do You Have a Plan?

[Morgan101]

I thought of this while watching one of those survival movies. I know they are Hollywood, and have very little value, but I try to find a nugget somewhere. In this case it raised a serious question for me,

If you are away from home and separated from family or significant other when an SHTF event happens, do you have a plan for where to meet, or how to get together?

If one of you is home, and one of you is away will the one at home go out and look for the other to assist? If you have children in school do you have a plan for who will get them?

The other wrench thrown into these gears is that communication will be severly limited if not nonexixtent. No cell phones.

I will admit we only have half a plan. If my wife is home she will stay there, and I will find my way home. If I am home and she is gone, I asked her if she wanted me to come to help her, and she was undecided. Part of her decision was how far she was from home, but we still didn't come up with an answer.

Do you have a plan?

 

[lonewolf]

usually wife and I are together, if she is at home when TSHTF she will stay there and I will get there as soon as I can, I have a full fuel tank (I keep it topped up) and a GHB.
if the wife is away, visiting family say, she will return to where she started from until it is safe to come home.
usually we are within 25 miles of home and we just find an alternative route (back country roads) instead of the main highway.

 

[Morgan101]

usually wife and I are together, if she is at home when TSHTF she will stay there and I will get there as soon as I can, I have a full fuel tank (I keep it topped up) and a GHB.
if the wife is away, visiting family say, she will return to where she started from until it is safe to come home.
usually we are within 25 miles of home and we just find an alternative route (back country roads) instead of the main highway.

Good to see you posting again. I hope all is well.

 

[lonewolf]

Good to see you posting again. I hope all is well.

all is well my friend thank you for asking.

 

[snappy1]

Due to DH's medical conditions, he won't be able to come to me. I would make my way home. If I am home, I would stay there due to our animals. I will trust God to send him in the right direction for help if he is away from home.

 

[Sourdough]

A related part of this is code words for communicating.

 

[Pearl]

Whoever is home stays home. It's just the two of us so that makes it easier!

 

[dademoss]

Yes. Along with Duress and Confirm codes.

 

[Bacpacker]

Wife will stay home, or where she works if there until something else can be determined.
If I'm at work or away, I'm in similar mode as Lonewolf, full fuel tank and well stock GHB, with other goodies to select from in the vehicle. Comes will be for listen only for us.
Good point on code and duress words. That is something we need to work on

 

[backlash]

My wife and I are together most of the time however if I was away from home she would stay there and if she was gone she would try to get home if she is unable then I would try to go to her. If she happened to be at our son's house we would both just stay where we were until it was safe to move around.

 

[angie_nrs]

It's interesting that you posted this. I had this conversation not very long ago with hubby. If either (or both) of us are not home when IT happens, then we will both make our way home. I may have no idea where he is or vise versa, so the chances of finding each other would be slim anyways. We usually have a decent idea of where each other is, but we do not always know precisely where or at what time b/c we don't keep tight tabs on each other as we both can be very busy with our jobs. We both know our way home and that would be the goal. If one of us is already home, then they would start making preparations to stay put for the long haul.

I now have a foldable bike to put in my trunk if I am alone and more than 30 miles away from home. If an EMP hit and my car no longer worked, I'd load up the bike with gear and start coming home. I think it'd be pretty evident right from the start if that were the case. If it was during the night or evening time, I'd spend the night where I was and then leave first thing in the morning.

 

[UrbanHunter]

When I am working in the office it is a 22 mile hike back to where my vehicle would be. To that effect I have a map, compass, flashlight, a pair of walking shoes, 4 liters of water, and stable trail foods in a back pack under my desk. I have a lock blade knife for making sandwiches with. There is also a rain jacket and lightweight jacket and gloves along with a hand full of N95 masks. The wife knows the routes that I most likely would take and my planned alternates (there is a copy of my map at home, with routes mapped). She knows that under my normal walking stride it is about 8 hours to the house....

If I am on work travel all bets are off, most of my domestic trips are at least 500 miles from home (I would have to improvise, still aiming to get home). If I am on international travel there's no telling if I would ever get home....

 

[Neb]

When I am working in the office it is a 22 mile hike back to where my vehicle would be. To that effect I have a map, compass, flashlight, a pair of walking shoes, 4 liters of water, and stable trail foods in a back pack under my desk. I have a lock blade knife for making sandwiches with. There is also a rain jacket and lightweight jacket and gloves along with a hand full of N95 masks. The wife knows the routes that I most likely would take and my planned alternates (there is a copy of my map at home, with routes mapped). She knows that under my normal walking stride it is about 8 hours to the house....

If I am on work travel all bets are off, most of my domestic trips are at least 500 miles from home (I would have to improvise, still aiming to get home). If I am on international travel there's no telling if I would ever get home....

That was my story before I retired.

The Princess will work her way home. About 8 miles up and down hills could take her a day or more. The kids will get her when they can. I trek to the game preserve and cut the chains to let the buffalo free then return home, wait and watch.

Ben

 

[Hooch]

While only my critters await my return, I have roughly a 30 mile hike home. Fortunately, if for some reason I cant utilize the main roads, there is a trail that passes by my workplace that skirts most of the way home minus about 5 or 6 miles.
This year, I plan on either repairing if I can my trail bike or get a new one n keeping it in the back of my truck. It will cut getting home time in half.
If it's really hitting the fan n neither of those work..there are backcountry mountain roads I can take. That will increase my get home time alot..but I will get home.
Hopefully..I can just drive home.

 

[Amish Heart]

We'll be at home. But I have a few cousins that are 15 miles away that will need a horse and buggy pickup if we have an EMP and the cars don't work. Mom, too. If tractors work, it'd be a piece of cake with the horse trailer attached. That's the current mode of transportation around here anyway.

 

[Sourdough]

If either (or both) of us are not home when IT happens, then we will both make our way home. I may have no idea where he is or vise versa, so the chances of finding each other would be slim anyways. We usually have a decent idea of where each other is, but we do not always know precisely where or at what time b/c we don't keep tight tabs on each other as we both can be very busy with our jobs.

Be good to have a second "meet" location if home is not an option to return to. Ideally a public place open long hours, or a church, or police station. Just some "agreed" default back-up meet location. Joe's Pizza palace 47'th & Maple St.

 

[Tommyice]

If I’m at work, it’s not a problem. I walk 1/4 mile home.

If i’m traveling to or from the cabin it’s a bit more complicated. North of Amsterdam NY, I work my way back the, at most, 150 miles north to my family. If I’m south of Amsterdam, I work my way at most 150 miles south. Either way will be with a dog and an 88 year old man. It’s gonna suck.

 

[Morgan101]

Be good to have a second "meet" location if home is not an option to return to. Ideally a public place open long hours, or a church, or police station. Just some "agreed" default back-up meet location. Joe's Pizza palace 47'th & Maple St.

That is the flip side of this record ( I'm sure dating myself using that analogy). What is the plan if you can't get home? Fire, Flood, Earthquake, Tornado, Blizzard, what if they knock out roads and bridges? Do you have a plan to meet somewhere? You may not be able to get home.

Continueing with the record theme I have to share this story, and my hand to God it is the truth. My wife taught Kindergarten for many years. On occasion she would play old vinyl records for the class. One day she was putting an LP on the record player, and one of the kids said "That is the biggest CD I have ever seen in my life." Out of the mouthes of babes. True story.

 

[angie_nrs]

Be good to have a second "meet" location if home is not an option to return to. Ideally a public place open long hours, or a church, or police station. Just some "agreed" default back-up meet location. Joe's Pizza palace 47'th & Maple St.

We have another piece of property about 10 miles away. That'd be our #2 if for some really weird reason we couldn't meet at home.

If it was an EMP......home it is.

 

[BBLife]

Ever since I bought property that is where I'd want to be in a situation I have had a plan. Wife's instructions were to stay put on location until I could get to her. We kept each other informed of our location at all times so that I'd know where to head. If travel was at all possible for her and we could still communicate, she was to go home and wait.

I had mapped out a path to home if I had to walk as straight as possible (taking me off-road).

Now that she is at the property full time and retired I have much less to worry about. If SHTF and communication is down and driving is not an option I have a pack already set with food and supplies for 7 days plus survival gear if that 7 days gets extended for any reason. I have a path through published trails to get the 120 miles to the property. My average hike level ground is 20+ miles with pack and in mountains 12+ which is where I calculated the 7 days to get there. I would not hike alongside any highway or major road because my pack would be a very valuable asset hanging on my back.