Bugging in dangers?

[sethorly]

Has anyone done a list/analysis of the dangers of bugging in? I can't find one online. Not the more obvious rain-collection / food storage / warmth / cooking / protection angles.

For instance, a little nugget of advice I've come across is that you'll need to block up your toilets as the sewage system pumps will stop and sewage will back-up up the system and spill out into our homes. But this might only apply to certain cities - I'm uncertain.

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edit// List of bugging in dangers from taken this thread (to be updated):

THE OBVIOUS
- water/rain collection
- food storage
- warmth
- cooking
- protection (including op sec "being noticed" - keeping preps private eg. smoke from fire / smells from cooking)

LESS OBVIOUS
- sewage may fail, leading to sewage coming up out of drains and toilets.
- house / neighbourhood fires.
- disposal of waste / urine / faeces, leading to hygiene loss and diseases.
- boredom - possibly leading to drug dependency (incl. alcohol).
- ice / frozen pipes / maintenance-over-time.
- increased risk of household tasks given less available medical help should things go wrong.
- carbon monoxide if cooking/heating indoors.
- stressed neighbourhood relationships.
- gangs roving to siphon car fuel + other easy pickings (potentially your trees/fences for firewood).

KEEP THE IDEAS FLOWING PLEASE

[Plymtom]

There are a good few scenarios where bugging in is completely futile indeed one's home may be where TS has HTF by fire, flood, and the like, the sewage back up thing for instance when you think about it can happen but blocking your toilet will just make it come out elsewhere I would lift the lid on the drains in the yard if there was a threat of it, but to imagine all the other places downhill it would have been spilling out, the shitiation would be dire, entire neighborhoods would be swimming in certain places, here it would take a combined sea level rise for it to get even up the small hill I am on, because it would flow down the streets and into the rivers and creeks first....ewwww the very thought, I am saying it's not just your toilet the sewers and the excess rainwater all go down the same drains usually so if you live where it's a problem you could be in the sh1t one way or another.

What you do with any waste is going to be a big issue if a crisis extends beyond a week or two, having enough plastic bags will help there, plus the facility to burn what you can.

For some of us bugging in can only be temporary, certain things we would run out of, lifesaving drugs, water, food, fuel, are finite, so whilst we aren't completely helpless there does come a point that if the ship is sinking, so are we doesn't mean we can't prepare, simply that anyone can only do so much, it's a house not a bunker, there's only so much room, and money.

[grenfell]

A simple analysis probably isn't possible as such. There are a lot of variables as I see it , nature of the event , location , geography , time of year and age , fitness and numbers of people in a household. Those variables are then balanced against the bugging out alternatives.
Fire is probably something that would concern me . There could foreseeably be a reduction in services and just as easily gas taps left open or electric devices left on if people leave their homes after an extended blackout. Fire also seems to be a weapon of choice for rioters the world over igniting both buildings and vehicles.

[ukpreppergrrl]

You can get one-way valves on your sewer pipes that allow your sewage out but nothing back in. Or more correctly: if the valve is pushed shut by sewage trying to get in, then your sewage can't get out! But until sewage tries to get in, then the valve allows your sewage out! However, if you're at the bottom of the hill, and you have the lowest manhole cover, then you will have it coming out in your garden...I have a friend whose property, sadly, is that location. It is a regular occurrence when the sewage pipes block from nappies etc.. More reasons to look for property on top of the hill!

[Mortblanc]

If you have not seen discussions of the dangers of bugging in/bugging out then you did ot get into the prepping activity until recently. It was once a big point of discussion. If you want to get a good argument started just ask someone that has a 30 kilo BOB complete with a seed bank and solar panels where he intends to go? Nothing worse than the thoughts of all those ninja Boy Scouts roaming the countryside looking for Never Never Land.

From my own experiences I can agree that location of the bug in and nature of the situation must be considered in each and every case.

In case of wild fire, rising water or flood then bug out is the only logical decision. Many times that can be a planned movement to a predetermined location in advance of the disaster. Sometimes it will be emergency evacuation to a community shelter. Being a refugee is bad, being dead is worse.

If it is simply a grid down thing that one is prepared for, such as blizzard, isolation from storm damage, riots in the built up urban areas some distance away then you might be in a location that is safe and "bugging out" would add to the overall problem.

As for grid support going down, that is dependent on the area and age of the utilities. It is also dependent on how well you have prepared and how much gear you have.

I live in a rural area but I have public utilities. That is common over here. I am 25 miles out in the woods and I have electrical grid, water service and sewer system.

I have a new sewer utility and everything is protected by valves, two at each house. Nothing comes in, everything goes out. No man holes to back up and the sealed system has a pumping station on each end with a pump at each home. I have a 250 gallon holding tank and I can switch the pump to generator power if necessary.

A few years back I was brushed by a tornado that traveled across country for 500 miles, destroyed thousands of homes and killed more then 20 people. When it crossed my area it went directly through a housing development several miles away. More then 500 houses in that tract and not a single one escaped damage.

The electricity to the area was TURNED OFF to prevent fires, the gas, water and sewer were all TURNED OFF to prevent backup and damage to the systems or feeding the possible fires. Cell phone service was TURNED OFF and diverted to emergency workers only. I sat in my car with a dead phone while the police were talking on theirs right beside me. Nothing worked for 5 days to prevent fires and allow rescue services to function.

I could have bugged out to a friends home or a motel, but i stayed at home. I was comfortable and safe and all my gear was there, no need to panic.

It is the same for our other weather disasters. Every year ice breaks down the power lines, snow closes the roads, utilities are off completely for weeks. We deal with it every year and do not consider "grid down" being a reason to leave the house.

Each situation will differ and it is up to the individual to make some of the decisions. Unfortunately that decision will be based on the preparations and intelligence level of the individual, which is also different in each situation.

[sethorly]

If you have not seen discussions of the dangers of bugging in/bugging out then you did ot get into the prepping activity until recently.

Correct! I'm only a few months in.

I'm pretty happy with my thoughts of bugging out - the risk of hypothermia kinda puts an end to that option for me except where absolutely necessary.

I get the basic dangers I listed in the original post. I'm after the other dangers like the sewage one (to reduce flooding risk, ukpreppergrrl, I bought my family home on top of a hill so now I know that reduces the sewage problem too - thanks). grenfell mentioned fire and Plympton waste, which are other good ones I hadn't thought of (ta chaps).

[Yorkshire Andy]

Has anyone done a list/analysis of the dangers of bugging in? I can't find one online. Not the more obvious rain-collection / food storage / warmth / cooking / protection angles.

For instance, a little nugget of advice I've come across is that you'll need to block up your toilets as the sewage system pumps will stop and sewage will back-up up the system and spill out into our homes. But this might only apply to certain cities - I'm uncertain.

Start simple....

Slips trips and falls......

be it Icy outside You fall over in the dark and crack your head / break your wrist / you fall off a ladder/ displaced manhole covers

Fire, ... Well candles / protable stoves / gas lights.


Carbon monoxide .. Well many will be cooking using things like BBQ's inside


lack of sanitation...... be it blocked up sewers or no running water.. how you going to keep clean? and conserve precious clean water

The Mother in law ..... They will visit as your obviously not coping and try to offer "assistance" and drain the sideboard of spirits....


The neighbours think it was jansman who had next door burn their house down with candles....

Or they will not be happy seeing you so happy and settled,, or they smell what ever your cooking and decide to invite themselves to share your dinner. as it smells good...

Someone i know was blaming their neigbours for water damage to their house dispite it been their gutters that were blocked not the accused... imagine tensions flaring SHTF time that a roof tiles blown off and damaged their car for example...



Local scrotes..... out looking for pickings be it the generator or camping stove you leave out to cool down... or break in and pinch what they can be it your TV (they are welcome to that ) or food out your pantry...


People pinching petrol / diesel from your car.... Black market fuel will soon go on the up

[Deeps]

Has anyone done a list/analysis of the dangers of bugging in? I can't find one online. Not the more obvious rain-collection / food storage / warmth / cooking / protection angles.

For instance, a little nugget of advice I've come across is that you'll need to block up your toilets as the sewage system pumps will stop and sewage will back-up up the system and spill out into our homes. But this might only apply to certain cities - I'm uncertain.

Start simple....

Slips trips and falls......

be it Icy outside You fall over in the dark and crack your head / break your wrist / you fall off a ladder/ displaced manhole covers

Fire, ... Well candles / protable stoves / gas lights.


Carbon monoxide .. Well many will be cooking using things like BBQ's inside


lack of sanitation...... be it blocked up sewers or no running water.. how you going to keep clean? and conserve precious clean water

The Mother in law ..... They will visit as your obviously not coping and try to offer "assistance" and drain the sideboard of spirits....


The neighbours think it was jansman who had next door burn their house down with candles....

Or they will not be happy seeing you so happy and settled,, or they smell what ever your cooking and decide to invite themselves to share your dinner. as it smells good...

Someone i know was blaming their neigbours for water damage to their house dispite it been their gutters that were blocked not the accused... imagine tensions flaring SHTF time that a roof tiles blown off and damaged their car for example...



Local scrotes..... out looking for pickings be it the generator or camping stove you leave out to cool down... or break in and pinch what they can be it your TV (they are welcome to that ) or food out your pantry...


People pinching petrol / diesel from your car.... Black market fuel will soon go on the up

This is where prepping being such a diverse subject kicks in. What one preps for might not be a priority for another, it might be completely irrelevant. Even if things do descend into the nightmare stuff our situations will vary. Another one to add to the list is all the people that 'don't know' that you're a prepper rock up on your doorstep because they actually think you're a prepper. I think a lot of us aren't as discrete as we think. I've had a wee reminder recently with my parents telling my brother (and I suspect their small circle of friends) how well prepared I am and given them a few examples of my preparedness. I can't really chastise them for it so I've played it down with my brother. Admittedly he lives hundreds of miles away and I only see him a couple of times a year but to an extent my secret is out. I've tried to encourage my folks to have more food in the house and given them a few examples of my situation rather than give them the full low down but turning up at theirs with a smally rucksack hasn't helped my cause. I should stress that I'm willing to share my stash with my folks, I'm not that harsh, just pointing out that if things do go a bit peculiar we might be facing some familiar faces chapping at the door.

[Plymtom]

Many of the people I interact with know we prep, we're not all together unusual a family with disabled members ( and i often forget this) is a SHTF situation, it's on going and will never end, so well stocked with supplies was where we were at to begin with In these worse cases we are contemplating on this thread I'd throw smells into the hat, the very smell of food wafting around a street could bring unwanted attention namely Andy's local scrotes.

Slightly off topic to say dwellings in the UK these days don't lend themselves to prepping at all, no chimneys, kitchen's you can touch all sides of with outstretched arms, no pantries, larders, or much storage space to stash any serious attempt at preparedness, even the century plus terraced houses with small yards and on street parking such as our own aren't up to much in terms of being a secure location, so I would say in a really bad situation the Scrotes and threats relating to them could be the largest issue in towns and cities, even in and extended period of power loss one can imagine things getting a little hairy with no lecky or internet to keep them entertained

So the biggest dangers? lumped into one short comment could be "being noticed"

[Djorn]

I like this thread, Mrs Djorn and I choose our house as a bug in location, the fact that we are rural also helps. We have spent many years prepping and have come up with a few good ideas with bug out locations, still have a few ideas just in case our location is compromised. We have a huge stock pile of supplies, probably enough to see us through the first year if we didn't look at supplementing it with fishing/hunting etc. Living off the land in Scotland is hard out growing season is shorter than the rest of the UK and certain things don't grow well with help.

I have recently re-found my love of canning so come the end of the week if it is still edible and in the fridge i try and can it and put it up. Currently looking into a few good butchery books. I hate the idea of having to kill a sheep for example and only eating it for one or two meals because I can't preserve it or butcher it properly.

I think dependent on where you live will largely push you towards in or out. In a city then I think you need to get out asap unless you can band together with like minded people. The problem with is, as preppers we don't wear a badge, we walk past each other everyday not knowing if that person is a sheepdog a sheep or a wolf !!