What would there be to come back to?

[lonewolf]

bugging out with out having a pre organised BOL is not bugging out.......its being a refugee. I have never subscribed to the "golden hordes" evacuating from the cities(maybe in America but not the UK), most people will wait for the govt to come to the rescue and will leave it too late before they realise their on their own.

[prepperG]

Planning for a return is an interesting question. Most senario are temp for example a large flood, after the water level has dropped you return home and have the joy of a damp house that has been stripped of pipes and wires and a very long wait for an insurance payout if any.
So to prep you will prob need:
a pump
space heaters
tools/ biulding materials
savings
the bug out location would have to be good enough to live in for a year whilst you re biuld, i would expect rental/hotel to be very expensive or not available if a large area were effected.
Locally a tower block had a fire after which the council had some people living in hotel rooms for up to 2 years.

[Malthouse]

People are very bad at leaving their homes, even when directed to evacuate by Police or Fire. I suspect Lonewolf is right, that most UK residents would stay put and hope to be rescued. Those who were inclined to maraud would stay close to their home area.

Probably.

[cpslashm]

why would marauders or whoever be so interested in burning down every property they visit, it makes no sense. After all they may need to go back and take more or even make use of it for any number of reasons.

What does sense have to do it? If those who remain are expecting the government to sort it out, they are herd people who may riot if nothing happens. The crowd may grab what matters to the crowd at the time and take out their frustration on what doesn't seem to matter any more. Or torch what's left to cover the bodies.

Preppers may be seen as nutters, AKA independent thinkers. Crowds without guidance often become unthinking mobs.


When there is no petrol, what good is a car to a crowd that has no idea about wood gas?

[Devonian]

What does sense have to do it? If those who remain are expecting the government to sort it out, they are herd people who may riot if nothing happens. The crowd may grab what matters to the crowd at the time and take out their frustration on what doesn't seem to matter any more. Or torch what's left to cover the bodies.

Following a total collapse, yes there are likely to be riots, and certain areas (city/town centres??) would certainly be badly hit. But if you take any city, say Bristol as an example, then the riots would always generally be around the retail/commercial areas as people congregate around such areas, I don't believe that there will then be systematic riots that spread around the city.

Also there is likely to be widespread looting and vandalism within any lawless society, but I believe that a lot of this, especially as time goes on will be done covertly, and a lot of it could even be done by preppers! But again they are not necessarily going to razed the properties to the ground once they have taken what they want.

[Malthouse]

Some people may well burn their homes if they feel they are leaving for good.

[mallie99]

Some people may well burn their homes if they feel they are leaving for good.

Would I burn my home? Probably not. It may mean shelter for another lost soul on their way through. On the other hand, if I was creating a safe zone, and was fortifying any location (assuming a non-guerilla situation), I'd evaluate what was around and would make my surroundings more secure by removing obstructions to line of sight. This may mean flattening houses or buildings nearby and removing trees and such.

[Malthouse]

Would I burn my home? Probably not.

Me neither, but it is common enough for people to take the view "if I can't have it, no one can".

[cpslashm]

Would I burn my home? Probably not.

Me neither, but it is common enough for people to take the view "if I can't have it, no one can".

Agree but then it's a short hop from burning your own home to burning other empty houses.

Bonfires save on fuel bills.

[yorkshire lad]

Personally if i thought the situation was bad enough to leave my home, (wrol situation) I wouldn't be returning and wouldn't really care if my microwave ect was stolen.
You couldn't expect much to be left in your home when you returned and as someone else said there would probably be squatters (refugees), there could even be a new mini society or something similar that aren't very welcoming and most likely wont be the original residents.
Then you have your return journey which could be as, if not more perilous than the bug out. With six in my family + two dogs it's not an option to return once we've decided to leave.
I wouldn't burn my house down either, it may help another family or friends that stayed behind.
peoples empty houses would be the new BnQ or Jewsons