# One of the most critical steps...



## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

The best preparedness step is to avoid being where there is trouble.

A good prepper either doesn't live in a hurricane area or else has extensive preps and plans. 

A good prepper isn't going to go to a bad area of town unncessarily. 

A good prepper doesn't need to run out to a convenience store in the middle of the night to get something.


Even among non preppers, some activities are common sense.

Would you go jet skiing on the Mexican side of a lake where it's known that 'pirates' are taking people's stuff and shooting them and those pirates are part of a vicious drug cartel?


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

SurviveNthrive said:


> "...Would you go jet skiing on the Mexican side of a lake where it's known that 'pirates' are taking people's stuff and shooting them and those pirates are part of a vicious drug cartel?


Trolling for Pirates? I know people who would think that a good sport!


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

SurviveNthrive said:


> The best preparedness step is to avoid being where there is trouble.
> 
> A good prepper either doesn't live in a hurricane area or else has extensive preps and plans.


I understand what you are saying but when it comes to Mother Nature ... I think you will be hard pressed to find a place that when she wants ... she can unload.

When it comes to hurricanes you must also look at inland flooding.- It is a fact that inland flooding causes more deaths than the actual hurricane storms. On an average, 5-10 inch rainfall is common.

We also get a lot of Ice Storms :gaah: ... Like I said ... when It comes to Mother Nature ... She can unload anything ... anywhere ...

preps and plans - That's the way to go. :2thumb:


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

Some places are worse than others...

A friend of mine lives in Mississippi...he told me that almost every year, people rush out and buy plywood at inflated prices. Then they ditch the plywood after hurricane season. Then they go rush out the next year or so and frantically buy plywood.

He gathered and stacked the sheets...had good preps, got hit hard by Katrina and MOVED. He felt silly for being there when it actually hit, and he was damn certain he'd not be a fool for a second round.

My favorite indicator that there are some folks out there with poor decision making skills is the big flood story on TV. You'll hear a TV interview during a flood like this:

"Well, let's see, we got hit back in '67, '72 was pretty bad, but not as bad as '84, lost the barn on that one. Well, '95 took my brother and his family, but this one has higher water and it's still rising..."

I'm sorry, but that's an idiot. It ought to be enough to be told you're living on what's called the 'flood plain', but if you see it repeatedly in your life time and it's personally devestating, what are you thinking?

One of my employees was telling me stories about the misfortunes of some of her relatives. Then I heard about them being flooded out, just after they changed the carpet, redid the walls, and bought new furniture, all things required because of the previous flood! They were _surprised_ it happened again. They began the rennovation when it was already a fall with record rains.

Sometimes things happen. Sometimes they don't need to happen.

You'll hear the same thing about tornados.

From the book, *Shoestring Survivalism*:

*The short course on site threat awareness*:

_
#4. If anyone living in your immediate vicinity can relate personal local experience with a devestating flood, wildfire, or other natural calamity, get new neighbors.

#5. Live 20 feet above the highest watermarks on the oldest buildings...preferably in a different town set on higher ground._


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

mosquitomountainman said:


> Trolling for Pirates? I know people who would think that a good sport!


I hear they taste like spicy chicken!! les go fetch us so oh them gritz MMM...


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

I know! I know! We'll need some bait. I know where there's lots of stinky live bait we could use for pirate trolling. Capitol Hill and the White House.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Some places are worse than others... - ...

So if you can give me a 'place' where Mother Nature or Morth Earth can not unload ... please tell me ...

Sorry ... When it comes to Mother Nature ... You are not going to be able to stop her... That is just the way it is... BE PREPPRED ... Is all you can hope for.

#4. If anyone living in your immediate vicinity can relate personal local experience with a devestating flood, wildfire, or other natural calamity, get new neighbors.

Please name the place ... that is all I ask.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

*Andi said:


> ...
> 
> So if you can give me a 'place' where Mother Nature or Morth Earth can not unload ... please tell me ...
> 
> Please name the place ... that is all I ask.


Funny you should ask... 

Where to hide from Mother Nature. - By Brendan I. Koerner - Slate Magazine


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

horseman09 said:


> I know! I know! We'll need some bait. I know where there's lots of stinky live bait we could use for pirate trolling. Capitol Hill and the White House.


Aww man come on, would you really eat something that came to bait like that?? how about we use some welfare checks for bait..... well that was bad... damn I should feel bad about that,,


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

gypsysue said:


> Funny you should ask...
> 
> Where to hide from Mother Nature. - By Brendan I. Koerner - Slate Magazine


 But even the town they pick ... does have its share of dangerous ice storms. Which is my point ... You can't hide from Mother Nature. 

After much debate, then, we settled on Slate's "America's Best Place to Avoid Death Due to Natural Disaster": the area in and around Storrs, Conn., home to the University of Connecticut. It lies in Tolland County, which was not part of the 1999 federal disaster declaration for Tropical Storm Floyd. It's a safe 50 miles from the sound and not close to any rivers. It also has relatively easy access to a major city (Hartford) in the event an evacuation or hospitalization becomes necessary.*

This conclusion is by no means scientific, nor can safety ever be completely guaranteed; as moviegoers and Rick Moody fans are already aware, Connecticut does have its share of dangerous ice storms. And we're open to suggestions about other candidates for the title. If you want to make a case for your hometown, please drop us a line. In the meantime, the parents of UConn students can sleep a little easier tonight


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

*Andi said:


> But even the town they pick ... does have its share of dangerous ice storms. Which is my point ... You can't hide from Mother Nature.


Yeah, I know, and you couldn't pay me enough to make me move to Connecticutt or any place that close to major populace, even in "peace time"! I couldn't handle the traffic and all the people around all the time!

I ran a google search on "Where in the US is the least risk of natural disasters" and that is one of the results it popped out!

We haven't had any natural disasters for so many years I can't even think when the last one would have been. However, we're supposedly at rish of an earthquake some day. Wildfires could move through the area, though large parts of the valleys wouldn't be at risk. We happen to be 'up' in the mountains in the forest, so fire is a possibility.

Incredibly deep snow could happen but I don't see that as a disaster. We're off grid, but even so, the power lines in the area are buried, so snow-laden limbs wouldn't pose much threat for most people on the grid. The funny part is the MAIN transmission lines coming in are above ground, and if they go down, everyone loses power!

We don't get tornadoes (haven't, anyway), hurricanes, or floods. The river through the valley is about 20' wide and has such steep banks it would take a real miracle to flood anything, and even then just about everything (houses, town) are well above even those most wildly-imagined flood level, short of Noah II.

I guess what most people dislike here is the long winters. It's not unusually cold in Western Montana, though the East half of the state gets very cold, and windy. We're sheltered by the mountains and forest, so the winters are more moderate, and snowy. They're just long. We normally have snow cover for 5 months, as in, we don't see the ground. The snow doesn't melt between storms, it packs down and accumulates. Some people love it. There's a lot to do in the winter: Ice fishing, skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, ice skating, snow mobiling. Or curling up near the woodstove with a good book, watch a movie, do some sewing, bake something interesting, read more books, watch more movies, do crafts...

Sometimes I wish I could move to a warmer place. Somewhere with a palm tree in the yard would be nice. But no matter where I search, there's something that would be a problem. Too hot, too humid, too cold, too dry, too cloudy, too rainy, too windy, too something. And that's just climate. There's also population density and natural disasters. I guess I'll just stay put.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

SurviveNthrive said:


> #4. If anyone living in your immediate vicinity can relate personal local experience with a devestating flood, wildfire, or other natural calamity, get new neighbors.
> 
> #5. Live 20 feet above the highest watermarks on the oldest buildings...preferably in a different town set on higher ground.


Looking at your location as being Seattle I have to ask about the earthquakes and tsunami that are very possible on the west-coast. How about Mt. St. Helens being under a 4hr drive from Seattle - would that not cause you a little concern?

I live in Canada. To many people who live in California, the idea of ice-n-snow lasting 8 months a year is a disaster-in-waiting - and to a Canadian, an earthquake is a disaster in waiting. A snow-day for me means that an overnight snow-fall of greater than 12" can make me a little late for work. A snow-day for someone in Texas means that white-stuff is falling and there might be enough to make a couple of snowballs before it melts away. I am comfortable in the snow - don't put me in Texas in the summer-time - I would melt away like the wicked-witch from Wizard-of-Oz ...

What I am trying to get at is that it doesn't matter what area of the world you live in, there is always a disaster-in-waiting. Fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, snow, heat ... and the lists go on-n-on. Where could a person live without Zeus hurlin' his thunderbolts? I don't believe there is such a place anywhere on this little blue planet.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Don't tempt fate by being in a place where you are not comfortable. 
Gypsysue, I love Montana, lived there for a few years in my other life. Cried when I had to leave. If I could afford to I would move back.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Clarice said:


> Don't tempt fate by being in a place where you are not comfortable.
> Gypsysue, I love Montana, lived there for a few years in my other life. Cried when I had to leave. If I could afford to I would move back.


Yeah...unfortunately Montana is the kind of place where you need to bring your job or money with you, or enjoy the 'financially challenged' lifestyle! 

Jobs are scarce. They tend to pay less than other parts of the country, too.


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## idahofreedom (Nov 3, 2008)

Every location seems to have it's issues. If mother nature isn't an issue in your area, my guess is you live in an overpopulated area. 

Proper and prudent preparations for the area in which you live is the best solution. Unless you live in a large city - then you need to move. Mother nature is WAY easier to deal with than hordes of people, marshal law, etc..

Over the past few years, I have talked to quite a few people who have moved out of overly populated areas because they were concerned about what may happen in the future. They did not follow jobs or friends or family - they simply felt compelled to "get out of dodge".

If you are one of those people still thinking about a move - I suggest you get serious really quick. It takes time to get settled in a new location - don't think you can just escape anytime you want to - just ask the jews that stuck around in Germany too long. The ones that were aware got out early.


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

No place is completely safe, but it's assine to use that as an excuse not to consider safety when one picks a place to leave or decides whether to move. Some places are just silly to dwell in, some places are better and we need to make decision based on many factors. There's always trade offs. I've taken in a lot of considerations in where I live and work because I've practiced in depth preparedness for years and I adhere strongly to the practices.

For example, in my area, (I don't live in Seattle, wouldn't live in Seattle, it's just a major metro area in my proximity.) there's two major threats, Mount St. Helens and Earthquakes. Well, both have happened. In the first case, the prevailling winds served me and mine well, the ash blew the other way. Although not so far away, we experienced less ash than an amount of a pollen dusting we normally receive, far less when Rainier pumped out incredible amounts that reached the midwest! The last earthquake we weathered extremely well in our house because stick frame homes without cripple walls do well. As for the person who wrote about Tsunami threat, that's just plain silly for where I live. I can walk around a hundred yards and see Puget Sound, but at my house it'd take a record seiche or tsunami of a sort that's never happened because to get us the geography is wrong for both. I won't spend much time in Tacoma, which is partially a cesspool with police force that goes through phases of corruption. My trade offs are statistically nominal, in my general area there is higher crime than in some areas, but in my neighborhood and were I work, it's much lower. Yes, I've made decisions based on a lot of factors. My short commute to work eliminates a lot of expenses and problems. I'm in close proximity to my home if something happens, even on the right side of the freeway. Our EMS and police are excellent. Demographically, in my area, the vast majority of households range from upper middle class to the majority of middle, middle class with some lower middle class. The unemployment in my specific area remains low. 

I'd never live in certain areas.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I prefer to avoid places where there might be trouble, where others are drawn to it. I would rather read about it or view from a safe distance. Then you have people who are just asking for trouble like those who are drawn to errupting volcanos. Some people ran to watch the world trade center buildings come down, I would have gotten more distance. I stay away from things I have no familiarity with.


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

Sailaway, excellent example!

For example, when on vacation we were in a club. I see rising tension, I can read the signals, the body language, we're out of there before the fight begins, and it's easy to get away at that point because some people are drawn toward the conflict while smart people get away. I remember moving my friend away to protect her and I and a young woman with an eager to see expression moving past us, staring and smiling in anticipation of seeing something. What are you going to do girl when this thing gets out of hand? Act like an astonished victim if one of them pulls a firearm and she gets hit? 

Never be a bystander if it's possible to avoid being there.


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## idahofreedom (Nov 3, 2008)

Check this out:

Millennium Ark: Top 120 Cities at Risk for an NBC Attack


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

SurviveNthrive said:


> Sailaway, excellent example!
> 
> For example, when on vacation we were in a club. I see rising tension, I can read the signals, the body language, we're out of there before the fight begins, and it's easy to get away at that point because some people are drawn toward the conflict while smart people get away. I remember moving my friend away to protect her and I and a young woman with an eager to see expression moving past us, staring and smiling in anticipation of seeing something. What are you going to do girl when this thing gets out of hand? Act like an astonished victim if one of them pulls a firearm and she gets hit?
> 
> Never be a bystander if it's possible to avoid being there.


While I agree with the club ... I do not agree with the weather.
So I guess ... we agree not to agree!!!


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