How far to Navigate to your BOL?

[Reality Jones]

Ok. So you've got your bug out location sorted and the TSHTF.
All your plans run well and you arrive at your location with limited hassle and find it is unoccupied by anyone else.
TSHTF really quickly and you were unable to contact the rest of your family who live in Bristol, you live in Reading and your wifes family live in Norfolk.
After a week in your new location just south of Reading your wife says she wants you both to try and get to norfolk to see if her family are ok, all communications are down and you have growing concerns about the safety of your own family in Bristol.

What do you do? Stay put and let your families try to save themselves? Or head out? If you head out who's family do you try to save first, yours or your wifes?

[Brian]

Reality Jones,
This an interesting dilemma you pose and quite plausible too.
Personally, I'de try to make contact with the Bristol family first to hopefully build mass and then with some security in numbers to protect the family I'd try to strike-out for Norfolk on my own using a vehicle. I'd travel undercover of night, slowly and carefully, laying-up in a wood or disused building during the day if necessary. If the a vehicle wasn't an option for whatever reason I'd not try to make contact with the Norfolk folk.
Brian

[grumpy old man]

personally i would wait longer till it was more safer or stable then go to my family first the her's
but just after a week, the risk would be too high.

[Reality Jones]

(23 September 2011, 10:48)grumpy old man Wrote: personally i would wait longer till it was more safer or stable then go to my family first the her's
but just after a week, the risk would be too high.

I know a week is very little time, but what do you do? If the situation in the outside world is deteriorating, the longer you leave it the more likely you are to be too late to save anyone.
what are your reasons for going to yr family first Grumpy?

I have to say that if I was faced with this dilema I'd probably stay at the new location, I don't think I'd risk my own life or my wifes in what could turn out to be a fools errand.

[Skvez]

If you had your extended family in your plans they should be making their way to you.
If you didn't then you shouldn't be trying to get to them now as you're not set up to support them.

[Reality Jones]

Skvez, Would you really be able to turn to your wife and say 'Tuff luck love, they should have listened when I told 'em that one day TSWHTF. there on their own now, no room for 'em in my plans.
Would she then blame you every day for abandoning them?
I've mentioned to my extended family and even close friends that they should take the threat of a possible EOTWAWKI scenario happening and they look at me like I'm mad. Some have even told me to stop banging on about it (including my wife). Should I just say F##k 'EM?
I couldn't.
For me the reality of the situation would be far different.

[Skean Dhude]

@Reality

I had a wife and a girlfriend like that. They gave away my supplies, medical stuff and tools until in the end I had nothing.

In that situation you only have a few choices.

1) When the SHTF you bump your wife off and hide. Otherwise your stores will go to your extended family. You won't have a say.
2) You prepare for the whole lot of them.
3) Put aside everything you can towards 2) but split the load so that only you know where certain stores are. Feed the extended family for as long as possible until the food runs out. By then they may just leave.
4) Give up now. live the high life now and buy a few bottles of strong booze and go out in an alcoholic stupor.

I'm trying 3) but my OPSEC is different.

You really need to think about and sort this issue. It really is life or death.

[Kenneth Eames]

This is a very serious situation. There will be so many unprepared, many will panic and try to make it to there own families. If many have very little motor fuel they will break down, roads will soon be congested and gridlock will ensue. How will you reach your family? I have three sisters, one is 91, the second is 89, the third 76 and I am 400 miles away! I cannot even drive, I never learned. There is no solution to my problem! Kenneth Eames.

[JD1]

It's a problem I struggle with as well, although there is only my side of the family to worry about. I live about 150 miles from elderly parents and a disabled sister. They all live in a fairly high population density area and it is in the opposite direction to which I will be buggng out if I have to.

I haven't really reached an answer that works for me because if it was a total breakdown etc then I just don't think it would be possible to reach them but depending on the situation I may have to try. Best case scenario is that there is some warning in which case I can get them to make their way to here.

Back on the original question of how far to a bug out location, I am quite fortunate to live in an area with many options depending on how far we need to go ranging from about 1 mile to 25 miles (with quite a few inbetween) all of which being walkable as a last resort but most reachable in my campervan.

[Skean Dhude]

(24 September 2011, 06:49)Kenneth Eames Wrote: There is no solution to my problem!

Ken,

There is always a solution for a single issue. You have just not considered it or you are not willing to accept it.

For example;
1) Move closer now whilst you can and plan for an evacuation from their homes.
2) Get them to move to you.
3) Move to a nice remote retirement area and prep up there.

@JD1,

Consider preparing for them and when the situation gets hot having them move to stay with you till it is over.

You need to think over all your options and as each are unique to you both, who can drive, who is in town etc. you can plan it out. Of course this creates different issues and together these issues may be unsolvable.

At the bottom line though, if they don't want to move and you cannot move to them for another reason or see a way to plan anything then you may have to accept the situation.