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+--- Thread: Urban Bug In (/showthread.php?tid=6745)
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Urban Bug In - SlyUrbanFox - 8 April 2014
So I plan to bug in initially after an event. I live in a victorian terrace close to the centre of town (100k+locals) My street is off one of the main arteries into town.
I have a steel front door (and frame) and 175 micron balistic film on all windows. CCTV covers out front, out back and inside and I have access to it from anywhere as long as my broadband's working. The house alarm rings my mobile when triggered and I just log in to see what's up. If the broadband is down I can still access via wifi within 100m of the house. I could extend this range with an exterior wifi antenna.
The garden has no access other than from the house (there is no alleyway) I am overlooked back and front so all preps bar the waterbutt are in the cellar out of view.
The plan is to keep people away from the front door by barricading the street. The street is 200m long with an exit either end. It would be easy to secure each end of the street with the help of neighbours. (it would be in their interests to keep the madding crowd out) Rioters would be after the easiest targets and so the idea is to move them on.(think London kebab shop owners who successfully kept rioters at bay where the Police couldn't/wouldn't)
Manning the barricades would be a full time job and probably only likely whilst the neighbours were fed and watered. Once they're hungry too then things change. Could I realistically stay put with 3 months of supplies and repell all invaders? Bugging out means having somewhere to bug out to. A small scale or local event could be survived this way but the big one?
Any thoughts greatly received, it's why I signed up.
RE: Urban Bug In - NorthernRaider - 8 April 2014
Victorian houses often have a space up to 4 ft deep under the floor or even cellars in some places, in our old house in Teesside we fitted a hatch in the floor at the bottom of the stairs and stored supplies in sealed wide mouth plastic barrels down there.
Also with just the removal of four bricks I could reasonably access the under floor areas of three or four of my neighbours properties ( could have bugged out via n empty neighbours house if necessary.
Similar story in the loft, it would and could have let me easily knock through into neighbours lofts to allow me to bug out if necessary.
We also took advantage of the old property and opened up and cleaned one of the chimneys so we could burn coal and wood on a grate.
Those barred front door grills one sees in London that open outover look handy ???
We also closed off the letter box in the front door and fitted a locked metal mailbox to the wall outside, it stopped the annual deposits of fire works and burning paper on bonfire night, it may stop arsonists.
Back wall was topped with broken glass cemented ontop of wall.
You could in theory easily last 6 months if you prep right and the bastards dont burn you out.
RE: Urban Bug In - Midnitemo - 8 April 2014
sounds very secure...my only concern is escape route, sealed rear garden good for security bad for escaping , loft spaces are a good way out of a house into nextdoor(good way in too!!!!)did you fit the anti shatter film yourself?
has the cellar got a coal grid out ont the street?
RE: Urban Bug In - Lightspeed - 8 April 2014
Welcome SUF, and thanks for sharing your situation.
That;s a good strong house you're in. I lived in one in almost exactly the same position as you describe.
Thoughts on your plans:
Sounds like you have security well covered.
We’re installing a CCTV system like yours at the moment and already have a GSM controlled alarm system. The alarm and wi-fi rigged up to our emergency 12v PV batteries. The CCTV will follow suite. Batteries are currently on permanent trickle charge from the mains, but have connectors and charge controllers already installed to take PV Panels which I keep in the cellar. This system should allow us to keep observation of access points using wi-fi connected tablets/ smartphones, even in grid down conditions. If your systems are grid tied, look at doing this. Its very simple and very effective.
As your house is Victorian and has a cellar, chances are that there’s a coal hole somewhere in the front garden. This is worth looking for, both to secure it so no one can get in that way, but also so that if necessary you could use it as an emergency get away route.
You’ll also have whopping big chimneys, so worthwhile having multi-fuel burners to take advantage of these.
As long as you have enough water and food, 3 months will be doable there.
What are you going to do with toilet waste?
Your biggest asset and your biggest liability is the rest of the neighbours in your street.
As you say, at first a number of them will join together for mutual defence. But when food stocks start running low, that’s when they’ll start to become a liability. This is your biggest challenge.
If you are too strong and look too healthy, they’ll know you have supplies.
If you lock down and pretend there’s no one at home, sooner or later your house will get broken into on the off-chance of something of value in there.
Clearly you need to find a middle ground, and that my friend is going to be a delicate balance…
Good luck.
RE: Urban Bug In - Rush2112 - 8 April 2014
Like you Fox, we have nowhere to bug out to, so we plan to stay put. If things are going downhill fast, we have planned on places to put caches of food and esssentials within walking distance. We already have the containers (10) ready. Also, we have mapped out 6 potential shelter spots. Its not ideal, but better than having no plan and running out of the house only with what you can carry.
You asked:"Could I realistically stay put with 3 months of supplies and repell all invaders?" I believe you know the answer. I asked myself the same question and faced the reality- I dont want my family to go out in a blaze of glory fighting for a building. Theres plenty of buildings. Our plan is to disappear as much as possible and live another day hopefully.
RE: Urban Bug In - SlyUrbanFox - 8 April 2014
Thanks for all the constructive replies.
The front bedroom has an open grate and the living room could easily be converted back too. The missus has always fancied a trendy log burning stove.
The crawl space is barely 6 inches. It is just dirt under there so I could excavate a bigger space. I'd love to excavate another cellar, only a little bit of underpinning required.
I have thought about another exit and I do have a roof light giving access to my roof and therefore everyone elses roof. I can travel the length of my street and the street parallel, 400m in all. I can set up an OP over the arterial route or the other end of the street.
The victorian sewer flows 30m downhill under gravity so it would have to back up a fair way to reach us. If it does there is always the 40 gallon plastic drum and sawdust.
The house is right on the pavement, no front garden. there is a small, obscured window into the cellar but not big enough for even a child to get through.
I have a 3 yr old so always look knackered. I'd obviously try to eek supplies out so shouldn't look too healthy compared to everyone else.
I have thought of getting those metal sheets you see over boarded up houses. I'd put them up to look like I was securing the place before leaving and the access the house via the roof and stay put. Obviously no log burner when I'm not suposed to be there.
I have looked at a 120w portable PV panel that I could fold up and take with me if needed. Need to look at more off grid solutions.
The thing I worry about most is my exit routes from the street. I'm at least a mile and a half from the nearest open countryside. It would be a torturous route which ever way I went. I have my eye on 200 acres of woodland 10 miles away which is doable in a night before sunrise even in summer. Plan to set up a hammock 30 foot up as an OP to scout it out.
RE: Urban Bug In - NorthernRaider - 9 April 2014
Perhaps consider renting a lock up or storage unit away from home to keep extra gear and supplies in?
RE: Urban Bug In - SlyUrbanFox - 9 April 2014
A 20ft container would be great if I could find somewhere to site it. It would be mobile too should I need to move location (B4 SHTF not after) Makes a great improvised shelter too, better than a tent.
RE: Urban Bug In - NorthernRaider - 9 April 2014
Expensive to buy and site and maintain, I was actually thinking more along the lines of a garage someplace no infested with chavs, or one of the 24 hour access U-Store facilities where you can rent various sized spaces?
RE: Urban Bug In - SlyUrbanFox - 10 April 2014
A club I'm a member of has a cottage in Wales where they sited a 20ft container in the car park. It was to securely store bikes, canoes, climbing gear etc. It was way cheaper than a steel shed (£800 inc delivery) way bigger and more secure. It has never been broken into (it can have £12k of MTBs in there) and has only been painted once in 6 years.
I have also rented one of those 24hr access U-store facilities which was £700 a year for 8x12ft. Despite 24hr access, if you turn up at 3am they do ask lots of questions. In a post SHTF situation either they won't let you in or someone's already got in and your stuff's gone.
If I could find a site somewhere out of the way, ie in the sticks, the container would definitely be my prefered option.