Where You Don't Want To Be

much better map... the others completely missed Denver....

 

As far as Michigan goes Detroit is a given. The smaller area is Grand rapids which is quite a ways from us. I however dont believe this map is accurate at all. ANY CITY with 20 to 50 thousand people is going to be a problem ANYWHERE. I think Alaska will be no better off as they need fuel, diesel, food like the rest of us. No resupply? Its all bad everywhere. That is why we are working to do without it now. Heat with wood, grow most of your food and find a way to pump water long term. Do that and you are left with defense to concentrate on. There is no safety zone exempt from shtf. It will arrive everywhere at some point. KF

 

I work at a couple of remote location's in the swamp.
Both self supporting with freshwater well's and plenty of Nat.gas to run the generator's, Only access is by helicopter or boat.

Bring your rod's and reel's and a net or two, Should be able to hold out for several month's !

 

I'm about 40 minutes out of Grand Rapids and I completely agree. While we are rural, if sthf they will come out of the woodwork like locusts for food. Thankfully we are a little off the beaten path on a private road off a side road, but I don't think it will matter when the masses get hungry enough. We are pretty well set for an extended period of time on food and are in the middle of a wood fireplace installation so we aren't completely dependent on natural gas. We have a stream on our property and have both well and septic. Security would be by far my largest concern.

While we do grow food and the gardens expand each year, realistically it would be pretty tough to keep constant guard on your gardens while they grow. It would be a major plus to be in tight with your neighbors so everyone is watching out for one-another.

On the other hand, some people I've talked to say I'm nuts for even thinking about this because if it's 30-40 minutes by car they say it would take too long to get there on foot if gas is hard to come by. I don't see it that way because I know I would go to great lengths if my kids were starving... I imagine what it would be like if there were literally 1000's of "me" out there trying to feed their kids.

 

You're absolutely right. They'll come out on foot at some point. Even the slow pokes can make 40 miles in a couple of days. Imagine if they had a couple of weeks or more. Hopefully if that situation occurs, it will be in winter That'll slow em' down some.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking too- if something were to happen just as winter was setting in, a really brutal winter would actually "help" us a bit as most people are hardly prepared for it in normal times. I look around in the winter and see people out in long sleeve t-shirts running to their car, or into a store, or like my sister-in-law with a winter coat that looks "stylish" and has zero warmth to it while I'm in a Carhartt and think "what are they gonna do if the car breaks down and they have to walk home?". Thankfully my wife is on the same page and our little ones have extremely warm winter gear as well as full snow-suits. While I say all of this with a heavy heart, I think that first winter (at least up here in the north) would see an absolutely brutal number of people not survive due to the weather alone- while at the same time making people that much more desperate for not only your food, but your shelter/warmth as well.

 

I only know of one defense for that, and it's not very good. Have a big enough piece of property that they can't see the smoke. My neighbor and I have made comments to each other about how nice it is to be far enough apart that you can't even see each others chimney smoke.

 

Also, the sign is posted and the rule applies. "If you can read this sign, our snipers have been watching you for some time. "

 

The decreased smoke and economy of fuel is where the rocket stoves excel. Good for cooking, not so much for heating unless one built a radiant flue of some type.

 

I have thought long and hard on this topic. I went out and looked for my smoke. Cant see it from the road can't smell it either. I have to say this, If someone can smell your wood smoke they are all ready too close. My Plan is to never let anyone get close enough to see us. We are using two choke points one two miles from our house and one 1/2 mile away. The second fall back point is so well defended that without armored transport or air support NO ONE will advance. I cant stop a Bradly or a tank and an air craft would be able to shoot us up with little return fire from us. I dont think for one minute Ill be facing either of those threats. I am looking at raiders or vagrants scavenging or looking to take from others. They may have limited transportation like cars, trucks or even motor cycles. I can stop any of those vehicles real fast. The last place I WANT TO MAKE A STAND IS IN MY HOUSE!!!! Good God its made of vinyl siding, osb board and drywall. A .22 rimfire can shoot right through it.

We have a community here of men and women who are pretty savvy. Two ex military men and 4 out 6 families are preppers. The other two are retired elderly couples. They will most likely seek out government assistance and most likely not stay here. That leaves 4 families and our Kin. About 20 armed men in all and several women who can shoot as well. Only 5 young children. We are living on three sides of a private lake with only one road in. It is protected by swamps and some really nasty marsh lands. The choke points out away from the lake are the key to not being discovered. Bottom line is we can not allow anyone to pass those choke points. On foot in the woods they will find no way around us without boats or some form of water craft. They would have to carry these boats for miles up and down hills and through seemingly bottomless mud and still not be able to see what they looking for. Unless they have been here before? They will not know what is here.

I believe the best way to defend is to patrol. If you are not looking for intruders out away from your home you ARE Going to be over run. Trapped in my house I would be better to run then try and defend it. So I have three points away from the lake where I choose the ground, I use force multipliers, I attack not hide and I control the action not them. They will be ambushed, dispatched and buried. There will be warning signs posted and anyone attempting to continue will be dealt with. NO OUTSIDERS will be allowed to see the lake at all. It is all we can do. Then if things go for a long period of time we will have to send out a team to probe the outer perimeters looking listening and scavenging. This would be done mostly at night, during rains or storms without using lights or vehicles. KF

 

The third point I mentioned is a ridge out in front of the house where I make my last stand. You can not see the house from an intruders point of view. I have a ring of ground blinds that are made to look like deer blnds and we do hunt deer from them. This is where the force multipliers come in. The other two are a bridge and a culvert both have high ground looking down on them. In all three places we have the high ground, good cover and the enemy is out in the open with no real retreat.

 

Okay KF.. Now you're just showin' off But, you have made a couple of points there that I intend to borrow ideas from.

 

Lots more stats to base your move on. Neighbors/neighborhoods would be high on the list. Fallout zones from likely targets, water supply, wildlife availability, population density nearby, fishing potential, and defendability. Would never consider moving somewhere and be considered a refugee. Get to know your neighbors well--they may be your lifeline and you theirs.

 

My number one priority is to keep fire fights away from my wife and grand kids and the women of our lake association. It makes no sense at all to let an invading force get close enough to see what we have . This takes having enough men to work and defend an area. Not just a house but a perimeter out away from your position. Make them pay before they see your place . I cant stress this enough that a compound is a trap. You need to concentrate on intel out away from your dwelling. This takes boots on the ground, motion sensors, patrolling constantly and having fall back points where you suck the intruders into funnels and choke points so you can dispatch them. If you are not in control you will be controlled. The further away from your loved ones the better.

In a city there is no way to do this as house to house makes it impossible to patrol as snipers can be anywhere. The woods are far different as they(the invaders) are looking and moving. Your sentries pick them up and you move a force to intercept. At that time They are being hunted and do not know it. The entire point is to see them before they see you. Concentrate on doing this and you will live longer. Anyone with a county map would be able to see the lake and the road in and this worries me. Nothing I can do about that but maps don't show mud holes, swamps and choke points. I expect invaders to follow map based intel and have planned accordingly. Sentries are the life blood of protecting a perimeter. You MUST see the invaders before they know they have been spotted. Lots of ways to do this. Be creative.

 

Good thing you have listed all your defenses, here on a public forum....open to ....well anyone.