Emergency Evacuation

Where are you going?

stokell said:

Where are you going?

Most cases of severe natural disaster are limited to small enough area that one could more easily ride a bike out of town than a car.
Not always is the case.

During floods in New Orleans countless folk packed up all they had and did all they could to get out of town, high ground was not that far, however sitting in traffic emptied the fuel tank on many diesel pickup.

One would be traveling any route they could find, burrow pit or side streets via side walk or trail. I am not sure, thats why I am asking.

That all depends on where your current situation (single, married, kids, etc.), where you live, what the disaster is, the evacuation points/routes, weather/climate, etc.

I would be responsible for my family, so my bike would probably be one of the last things I packed up, though I would seriously consider taking it (you never know, it may be easier to ride than walk). Of course, if you have a boat, that might be more important, depending on the situation.

Contact your local Red Cross/Crescent and your local town/city/state/province/etc. government and see what the evacuation plans are for where you live. There should be contingency plans in place for emergencies and emergency routes, relocation centers, etc. should all be in made accessible to the local population. (At least I would hope so!)

🙂 Well avmanansala, your situation is different than mine, My closest family is my daughter & Grandson who I could most easily access by bike, 8 miles.

Back to my original post, I think I will tell folks who ask, bicycle can't hall enough stuff, and the folks at the bike forum don't recomend it. 72 hours of water is heavy too. 🙁
Still for me, if, bike looked like my option, all including spare clothes & 72 hrs of food would fit.

Not all disasters are what folks think, most only affect one house hold or one neighborhood, fire or many other things could force you out.
I spoke with folks in St George Utah found MTB the way to escape flooding from rains, and to access property afterwords, they could also carry the bike through the water when needed.
My buddy Danno's wife got the cops to kick him out of his own house, he comes riding up on his Canondale with a Shwinn trailer with his fishing pole and rifle sticking out the top, and stinky dirty socks hanging out the back. 🙄 Some day I will have a digital camera.

My first post inquiring about what kind of disaster is important in that a bird flu pandemic may have a much different response than a forest fire. In the latter you are actually fleeing something. With the former you might be better off having a plan for self reliance.

This is a touring forum, and I find that self reliance is one thing most forum members are very good at. If the North Koreans attacked (not a natural disaster) for instance, I could probably wait them out in the hills drinking rain water and eating fiddleheads and racoon. Their supply line would be much longer than mine.

For a flu pandemic I'd probably stay put. I've already got the Tamaflu, the masks, gloves, the sanitizers and about a months worth of food and water.

Don't panic; have a plan.