Pandemic or Bioterror -- The Evacuation Fantasy

Sub_Umbra

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Mar 6, 2004
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la bonne vie en Amérique
I can't help but read the BOB (Bug Out Bag) threads that appear here from time to time. While I'll admit that there are many situations where the evac option is the best course, I'm also often amazed and mystified at some of the types of events people talk about trying to run from.

I know that the flight response is very ingrained in all of us but we need to look in a more realistic way at the situations where evacuating would probably put our loved ones in more danger than if we had just made preparations ahead of time so that we would have the option of staying put. History shows us that cities or regions that are perceived to be a contagious threat to their neighbors are often forcefully contained by roadblocks. The same would be true for trains and airplanes trying to leave the area. The motivation to enact these restrictions will come from all levels -- possibly the President or Governor of a neighboring state, but it won't stop there -- local Sheriffs will get into the act whether they have orders or not. Ordinary citizens will want to play, too. (Frankenstein's scenes of villagers with torches and pitch forks come to mind.)

Their basic urge to confine a threat is every bit as powerful as your's is to escape it, but there are many more of them and they are playing on their home turf.

I ran across a really interesting article this afternoon that addresses this and other issues. It's a little long in the tooth but human behaviour doesn't change very quickly and I thought that it may be of interest to others here.
 

cobb

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Sep 26, 2004
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After seeing the crisis in the gulf, not sure I would want a bug out bag full of neat, expensive items in the mobs, violence and 11 ft of water to deal with. Id rather have a vest, pocketed pants to wear my items and conseal them. Maybe a camel water pouch under my shirt.
 

Ras_Thavas

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Nov 4, 2005
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Virginia
Depending on the city we are talking about it would be very hard to contain the population, especially if a lot of people on foot wanted out of the area.
 
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