The Eclipse of 2017, in a sense, was a mini-SHTF mass-movement run through. No, there were no major problems, but we did see mass movements of people into areas of the country that do not have the infrastructure to handle those movements. Traffic jams where normally few cars travel, store shelves emptied, motel/hotel housing unavailable to travelers, all of these things are similar to what would happen in a SHTF scenario.
Photo by Salty
Nxtmerman, a poster on PrepperForums.net, wrote the following and I asked permission to publish it here because he makes some excellent points:
Things I learned during the Eclipse of 2017
My family took a trip to experience the totality of the Eclipse of 2017. I learned a few things that will affect my preparation plans. These are in no particular order.
1) If I am unable to bug-out before the masses, I will need to be prepared to bug-in.
2) In a mass exodus, the roads will be blocked. Roads without signal lights will be more passable. Smaller highways that have occasional signal lights at every small town will have traffic jams that literally extend for miles. If you intend to pass that obstacle, you better be prepared to go off road.
3) I cannot keep my toddler quiet. Being in a situation where I have to remain hidden will be impossible.
4) I can get by with very little. You don’t really need as much as you think you do. (I left town for a week with a TSA compliant carry-on Swiss Gear backpack, and that’s it.)
5) I really don’t know how to prepare for my toddler. I can guess about what she will need, and do my best, but I won’t think of everything. That will be my biggest challenge.
6) I need to increase my entertainment / diversions during down time. A Bible isn’t enough to occupy my mind. With a toddler, this requirement may increase significantly.
7) In an unfamiliar situation without the usual resources, being quiet for any period of time will be impossible if necessary or needed at a particular moment due to my toddler.
8) I need to focus more on medicine than gear.
9) I can turn a trek / hike / relocation into an adventure to lessen the impact on my toddler.
10) If it is something I depend upon, I better have a backup.
I hope this information helps someone.
To read the entire thread on PrepperForums.net, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Traffic tends to get screwed up easily (points 1 and 2). Road systems and other transportation infrastructure is designed for normal day to day flows, which are easily overwhelmed and attempts by TPTB to deal with it are generally counterproductive. Have you ever seen a cop attempting to direct traffic under a working traffic light, and thought to yourself the best thing he could do is get out of the road and let the light work?
TVl news advised locals to gas up several days before the expected influx of people to Central Oregon. On the thurs. before the Monday eclipse, my crew reported several gas stations on Hwy 97 were out of fuel by afternoon. This was largely locals topping off their tanks. A REAL emergency event would likely strand folks all over the highway corridor.
Good point. I’ve always felt that range was an underappreciated feature for not only BOVs, but cars in general. The typical car has about a 300 mile range before needing refueling. That isn’t enough if there is any stress on the system.
One of our biggest takeaways from the event was the value of paper maps. That let us leave the backed-up interstate and any route the GPS would have suggested to one that was only ten miles longer and had no traffic to speak of.
This is a great observation. We experienced the same in Wyoming, getting great value out of our paper maps. We made great time on side roads, dirt roads, and farm roads getting us home in about 5 hours vs. the 8-12 hours some people spent on “the main routes.”