Should be able to make it to a fall back point...just have to figure out where that point is! lol

I don't think Suburbia NOVA is the best place to be during any type of disaster. In anycase, I have a kit in the truck, the house is good to go, and most importantly, knowledge of survival to go with it.

lol jgrubb, I live in suburban NOVA and yeah I agree. Probably not the best place to be in bad time. I've got enough to last for a few days. After that.....*shrug*.......

lol yeah, I'm banking on the fact that:

1) Most of the population ISN'T ready so resources are available

2) Crops and Wildlife aren't effected (Transferrable virus, radiation)

3) It isn't while I'm asleep lol

I have no problem bugging in. We live in a fairly close knit neighborhood and crime is almost non-existent here in good ol' Bedford, VA. I'm not saying that in the event of societal upheaval, everything will be golden, but I am confident bugging in for an extended period of time. Plenty of water, first aid, and food. Could use more diapers for the babies.

I have a decent network of family and friends who are like-minded and physically and mentally prepared for bad times. Most of them are no more than a block or two away. I have a gut feeling that a lot of forum members will be glad they don't live in Richmond or NOVA.

It may suck when it comes to the deals, but when it comes to SHTF, I'm good where I am.

I just moved from a 1/2 acre lot to 2.5 acres in an agricultural area. I have more room for growing my own food but only have a small garden established right now. I have some woods and wildlife behind me too.

I probably have enough food to last the three of us a couple of weeks. I've been sampling some dehydrated meals kits and I'm about to make a purchase for about a month supply.

I need to stock up on water too, incase I lose power (I have well water).

Sounds to me like you've got most of it squared away!

I would like to have a garden again, but we rent and I'm not sure how well that would go over with the landlord. I'd also like to have a freshwater pond stocked with fish, and about 15,000 more rounds of AK food, but I can only do so much.

I have a stocked pond and a large garden.

Trouble is suburbia has surrounded me and defense of the property would be difficult if everyone was looking for food.

Long term would need another location.

If I had a well I'd look into alternate means of getting the water out - hand crank, windmill (depending upon depth). Unless you have room inside to pop the cap and drop a bucket ...

(check Youtube)

Or more buddies !

A combination of buddies, booby traps, and massive amounts of ammo might work!

Been here for a couple of months. Moved here from Oregon. I had a great plan there with a piece of land about 60 acres. Then work moved me here and my fall back plan went to hello without the "O". Did a dry run with my food/H20/guns/gear/fuel and if I hit the road soon enough can now make it back to the west without having to stop for anything.

The population on here in VA (and everywhere East of the Mississippi) makes me a little worried. The population per square mile is so dense that the hoards are going to be mad style.

Just getting on here to see what ideas others have and what plans they have to compare.

If it does hit the fan good luck to all and see you on the flip side.

where in oregon are you from? my wife grew up there.

and welcome to the site

I was in Oregon City.

Thanks

My family and I would be OK for a while right where we are at here in Floyd, even though we are renting I hope we can stay put for a while.

-Bold creek for water, I'll just boil it I guess
-plenty of firewood for heat and cooking (already our primary heat source)
-big garden (just started kale, cabbage, and broccoli plants in flats, I'll transplant them out around the end of august)
-lots of dried beans and grains, all I need is heat source and water
-lots of places to forage for wild food (right now lambs quarter, nettle, pig weed, black berries, wine berries...)
-decent amount of deer, not sure how long that would last though

There is so much more I want to do, but time and money constrain.
I think also about the mental stress of a SHTF scenario, and try to practice thinking about my reactions.

Personally, I want to live comfortably without electricity and gas for a while if I have to. I'm not quite there, for example I don't have a good way to cut wood without my chainsaw. Or drag logs around (draft animals?).

Many more thoughts on the subject, I'll stop here though.

Take care.

unfortunately in NOVA and I rent so there's no hope of a garden, etc. for now. I've been looking to move further out, but with the cost of gas I couldn't afford to commute and I'm having no luck finding a job away from the cities. I have a few days worth of food if SHTF, after that I would either have to roll down to my hunt camp or hope that I could find enough small animals around here to live on for awhile. Most likely if it lasted longer than a month I'd be toast...

I guess it depends where I was working that day, I work around DC mostly and if there where a disaster I would get home faster walking then in my car on 66 or 95, as for the house, food supplies for a month or so, fortunately I live in the relative country. So I guess I would have to hunt for food, but how do you store leftover deer without power? How long would it really be good for in the summer.

Back in the day they kept meat from spoiling (for the most part) by drying it, smoking it, salting it, brining it or a combination thereof. In the winter you have more options for cold storage without electricity.

One thing most wild game has going for it when it comes to curing is the lack of fat. Fat spoils first.

I could hold up for a month or two if need be but depending on what happens I would more than likely go mobile.

forgot to mention above I have enough food for myself/wife and 3 other people for about 2 years (depending on work conditions). Learning to pack your own dry goods and buying in bulk (500 lbs as a min and I always try to get one other person in on it) helps out a ton when keeping cost down.

The thing is just to get started. When I started out I was getting a 25 lb bag at a time and just plugging away. It adds up pretty fast. Like I said it is just about getting going and something is better than nothing.

Good luck to all

SHTF=SOL in about 2-3 months. My sweetie thinks there are other things to worry about...
I grab an extra couple of bags of rice at Costco and a little more ammo than I use at Walmart, but my main efforts are focused on medical training.
I do have a good sized wine cellar and a German Shepherd but after I finish that I'll most likely head for shortstow80's place...
Just kidding, really.

I have 6 cans of beans and 50 rounds of .22, so I'm good for a month or 2......

yeah, but how big is them there cans ?

PEZ, SPAM and ICIE Pops.... I'm set for SHTF. I'll just wait for my FEMA aid pack. I'll be good with that.