Toxic spills. Spice & I work as a volunteer on a regional emergency management committee, and the #1 thing we prep for around here is something I don’t hear anybody talking about… probably because it’s not sexy, doesn’t require guns or long-term storage and other fun and interesting stuff…
Our number one worry, even in this small rural county, is a chemical disaster.
Running through our area, we have a main line of a national railroad (think BNSF, CSX, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific) who have trains hauling God-only-knows what-all in them.
We have two highways that have trucks hauling God-only-knows what-all in them, plus we have chemical plants & fertilizer plants and ammonia storage facilities, etc. We also have several major pipelines just ripe for people to rupture by digging in the wrong place.
It’s not a matter of “if” there is a toxic spill, it’s a matter of WHEN. We’ve actually had one in the last 25 years that caused evacuation of an entire town for a couple of days…
Think it’s unlikely?
Look what just happened recently: Town evacuated after train derails, catches fire (Clicky)
From the article linked above: “At least 32 cars on the CSX freight train derailed about 5 a.m. in Hyndman, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh, said CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle. The train was traveling from Chicago to Selkirk, New York. At least one car containing liquid petroleum gas, and one containing molten sulfur leaked and caught fire, Doolittle said. A residential garage struck during the derailment also caught fire, officials said.”
The key to being prepped is to have proper respiratory and chemical protection that you can use during a bug-out…
This isn’t a long-term threat, it’s one of those where people who would normally be bug-in people will want to bug-out for a couple of days (which is why even bug-inners need a bug-out bag). If you are downwind of a chemical fire, that can be a very bad thing.
You should know where all active railroads are near you, and you should pay attention to dangerous intersections between road and tracks. If you live VERY close to tracks, then deeper preps are in order.
Railroad At Night
Just some grist for your mill.
