Bugging out in the UK

[Frnc]

Bit more on the chemical emergency.

https://www.cdc.gov/chemicalemergencies ... e-how.html

How will you know if you need to evacuate?

"You will hear to evacuate from your police, fire, or other local officials on the radio, television, your mobile news app, or by text alerts on the emergency alert service.

You may need to evacuate for a few hours, possibly a few days, or longer.

If you hear or get a text message code red alert code or severe terror alert, pay attention to the radio, television, or your mobile news app to know if you need to evacuate.
You will hear from your police, fire, or other local officials over the emergency alert system to evacuate or stay put and seal off your space. Always follow the instructions of your police, fire, or other local officials."

"How do you get ready to evacuate?

Make a plan to keep you and your loved ones safe if you must evacuate from your home.

Follow these 6 steps to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Plan how you would leave and where you would go to get away from the chemical release. Think of several different routes in case one is blocked.
Always follow the instructions of your police, fire, or other local officials. They will identify local shelters and give directions.
Find a place that will take pets but also have a plan to leave a pet with someone else if needed.
Make an emergency plan to stay in contact if you and your children or loved ones are separated. You may need to relay messages through texts or social media.
Practice so everyone knows what to do.
Put together Ready to Go bags for you and one for your pet. You may want 2 bags – one for home and one for your car, truck, or other vehicle.

Ready to Go bag

A Ready to Go bag contains basic supplies and important papers you may need if you evacuate.

First aid kit.
Flash light, battery-powered or crank radio, and extra batteries for both.
Charging cables for cell phones.
Bottled water. Get 1 gallon of water per person in plastic bottles or jugs.
Food. Buy ready to eat foods that do not need a refrigerator.
Personal care items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, and skin wipes.
Medications and medication list.
Papers such as insurance cards, immunization records, or other health information in a waterproof bag.
Dust mask.
Multipurpose tool that includes a knife, can opener, bottle opener, and screw driver.
A supply of large and small trash bags and several pairs of disposable gloves."

Pet ready to go bag, see link

[Frnc]

Here is the bioterrorism page
https://emergency.cdc.gov/bioterrorism/index.asp

I couldn't see anything about evacuation in this section.

Nor in the pandemic section, as you would expect. Some people did evacuate in Covid actually - foreigners in the Wuhan area were evacuated by their embassies. Of course China had a massive lockdown policy very early, but has now abandoned due to public dissatisfaction.

[Frnc]

Please note that the cdc info is US government, not UK, so it's general. Details might be different here. Eg one bit says transport will be laid on for those without it, if evacuating from an area with radiation. We might not have that.

[Frnc]

The UK government links to local resilience groups. I've already posted links to the Cheshire Resilience, who have useful charts of emergency type, likelihood and impact severity.

Here is the Manchester one
https://www.gmemergencyplanning.org.uk/risks/

[Frnc]

I am NOT taking the mickey about your issuing of government information- that is the truth.

I will take the mick of the above if people think it’s easy to cart that lot above to run away! I guess it is get it in home,stay in home. Anyone still got the booklet ‘Go in,Stay in, Tune in’ ? Yes, Stay In is what is really wanted by govt. and I don’t blame them really. Nearly 70 million folks wandering around blowing their ‘emergency whistles’ ain’t gonna do a lot of good. I still have our original ‘Protect And Survive’ booklet too from 1980. That too was about ‘staying home’. http://www.atomica.co.uk/main.htm

In fact ,on St George’s Day , Sunday 23 April, all of us smart - phoners will get an alarm sent from government. Here is the most dramatic link from The Sun but it says the same as all - I am taking the mick of that too .https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/21798955/ ... alerts-uk/.

My wife has turned both our phones off from it!

In a roundabout way,such things point towards what has been mentioned here ; a nuclear threat.

Back in 1980 when I was in the services we had to do NBC training- Nuclear,Biological,Chemical- and even then,as a bunch of Boys ( and we were boys ) ,we all concluded that a strike from our Cold War Enemy at that time was The End. As a Corporal said to us ,and I’ll never forget, “if that happens,you may as well kiss your ar*es goodbye “.

Having *kit* for an emergency is a GOOD THING ,and basically it’s what you use everyday. Eating, drinking,washing,and heating. Indeed,if you get a nuclear *dose* - i.e. radiation sickness,then you won’t need food anyway!

I am currently having radiotherapy on my head ,in order to ‘Nuke’ the tumour on my brain. That radiation ( intense dose in a small area) makes me feel SICK! Eat? No! Tired like you can’t believe. Etc etc. Get a dose from a bomb,then trust me, you won’t care about emergency whistles and the latest tent - nor will you care about food!

So for us in our home, any threat of a nuclear war, power cut, food shortage, cold,heat, high winds,heavy rain,snow, BSE, Foot and Mouth diseases, COVID 23, drought, financial collapse, etc. we won’t be running away to … well, where? Our hotel bag is ready in case of fire ,flood or losing the roof in a gale,but that’s about it. That is covered by insurance! I’m not saying “No” to emergency equipment. I had ‘get home’ kit in my car when working so far away. Our daughters do too ,especially the eldest,as she travels up and down to Yorkshire regularly.

I must say that I agree with Arzosah and grenfell,who have both commented that society is *slowly* declining. Grenfell has also said that financial prepping is still the most useful type of ‘kit’. Tragedy and emergency takes many forms,and had I not thought of financial issues,we would now be in a mess. Indeed,our personal world could have collapsed.

However,one of my’practical jobs’ today is to sort out emergency lighting and power at home ,that is easy for my wife to access quickly. Also emergency water.We had a powercut this week,but not for long I am pleased to say. However,as we live on a steep hill,water has to be pumped up. That takes power. In the past,we had a five day power cut,and that meant water too! Without that we are dead.

Anyhow,that’s my two bob’s worth. All be good with your personal prepping and planning.

Yes, you need to be able to carry all your stuff if you have to evacuate. This is why you need to pack it all now, to see if it will fit in your bag, and not be too heavy. A spreadsheet makes it very easy to calculate the weight as it can add everything up.

Personally I have camping gear packed as well, and I know it will all go in my rucksack if necessary, and not be too heavy. I would have a few days food, 1-2 litres water minimum plus filters and tabs, and several empty collasible water containers.

[grenfell]

I tend to see it as a failing that this country has no civil defence force nowadays. Some sort of organisation geared to large scale natural or man made disasters. We had one at one time and it acted as a kind of super prepper keeping stocks of tents , blankets , vehicles and all sorts of supplies including rotated food and medicine stocks . It also had people trained in first aid and the organisation to deal with potentially tens of thousands of evacuees. The government plans are lauable and make sense . Unfortunately it's not feasible to practice a large scale evacuation involving tens of thousands of people and I can see a fair few either ignoring orders to move or panicking and running round like headless chickens. As individuals we can practice to a degree but if , for example , the quickest route would be to walk down a motorway ( generally flat and straight) that aspect we can't practice althlugh of course we should look at what would be the most probable direction we would be sent. I live north of Birmingham and would assume I'd probably be sent either west or north.
Edit
We have camping gear and the like , not quite ready by the front door ready to be picked up for a running start hollywood style. It's in the loft or garage and could be put together quickly but I know what mrsG would say if I suggested it by the door . Probably somethi g along the lines of there being enough s### lying around as it is.

[Frnc]

I tend to see it as a failing that this country has no civil defence force nowadays. Some sort of organisation geared to large scale natural or man made disasters. We had one at one time and it acted as a kind of super prepper keeping stocks of tents , blankets , vehicles and all sorts of supplies including rotated food and medicine stocks . It also had people trained in first aid and the organisation to deal with potentially tens of thousands of evacuees. The government plans are lauable and make sense . Unfortunately it's not feasible to practice a large scale evacuation involving tens of thousands of people and I can see a fair few either ignoring orders to move or panicking and running round like headless chickens. As individuals we can practice to a degree but if , for example , the quickest route would be to walk down a motorway ( generally flat and straight) that aspect we can't practice althlugh of course we should look at what would be the most probable direction we would be sent. I live north of Birmingham and would assume I'd probably be sent either west or north.

I live in south west Manchester so I would guess the most likely direction would be south west. I've not really considered motorways. I've mainly thought about getting out of urban areas, which for me is a mile north west, then south west. But there are some main roads and motorways nearby. M56 is only 4km away and that heads south west, crossing the M6. Also there is a canal nearby which heads out of Manchester.

[grenfell]

I think the thing that makes me think of motorways , dual carrigeways and roads in general as routes even for those on foot is historical. The Romans built roads and looking at film from conflicts like the second world war we tend to see people walking along roads often with small carts , bikes or prams. Hopefully without a strafing plane overhead though...

[Frnc]

I think the thing that makes me think of motorways , dual carrigeways and roads in general as routes even for those on foot is historical. The Romans built roads and looking at film from conflicts like the second world war we tend to see people walking along roads often with small carts , bikes or prams. Hopefully without a strafing plane overhead though...

Or if there's no road just form a line anyway. I suppose it is safer. You probably get to know people walking with you. Or are they walking next to a road? Maybe it's too busy to walk on.

[Frnc]

I think the thing that makes me think of motorways , dual carrigeways and roads in general as routes even for those on foot is historical. The Romans built roads and looking at film from conflicts like the second world war we tend to see people walking along roads often with small carts , bikes or prams. Hopefully without a strafing plane overhead though...

Or if there's no road just form a line anyway. I suppose it is safer. You probably get to know people walking with you. Or are they walking next to a road? Maybe it's too busy to walk on.

Ah, this is the kind of thing we're thinking of.