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Bugging Out - Evacuating a City During Social Unrest

2/17/2016

14 Comments

 
By Dennis Diaz
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​Society can be fragile. There are some hot buttons that can spark tempers and erupt into serious outrage. The outrage among the people spreads like wildfire and before you know it, you have angry mobs tearing things up and making life dangerous. The government will send in police and military forces to try and control the uprising, but this typically makes things more dangerous for a short while. The rage blinds the people and they can no longer tell the difference between friendly, peaceful people and those who wish to take them down.
 
Just recently, I posted a video in our Facebook group (The Bugout Network) about an episode where violence broke out in central Athens, as tens of thousands marched to the Greek Parliament during a general strike. Locally we’ve also seen how easy events like these, can erupt and throw a whole city into chaos.
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If you happen to get caught in a city where social unrest is quickly escalating and it is no longer safe to be in the area, you have to bug out. The danger comes from all sides. The unruly mobs are a risk as are the military and police who are trying to control the situation. Your life is in danger and you have to get out. Evacuating the city without being noticed is going to be tricky. Getting noticed could be deadly.
 
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The following are some key tips that will help you quietly get out of the city relatively unscathed. 
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Be Inconspicuous
 
You need to get out of the city without anybody realizing what you are doing—on either side. It will be important you stay out of sight as much as possible. If you are with a large group of people, it is best to travel in a single file line. Always travel in the wee hours of the morning, between about 2 and 5. This is when it is likely to be the quietest. It also gives you the cover of night.
 
Stay in the shadows and up against buildings. The buildings will provide you with some cover and help conceal you. Wear dark clothing that blends in with the night. Obviously, being as quiet as possible will be a must. If you have young children, make sure they are well aware of the need to be quiet. Make it a game if that works better.
 
Never travel during the bewitching hours, which would be anywhere from dark until about 2 in the morning. Looters and rioters are going to take advantage of the cover of darkness.
 
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Go with the Flow
 
If you are caught up in a mob or there are large crowds brewing, you can use them as cover. Stay along the fringes of the crowd. Don't get caught up in the chanting or any other violent actions that may be happening. Keep your head down and avoid making eye contact with the participants if possible. When it is safe to do so, casually step away from the group.
 
If you are with a group of people, you don't want to all leave the mob at the same time. A few at a time who casually slink away will be less likely to be noticed. Move to the edge and pretend to tie a shoe or simply hide behind a car or building.
 
Avoid getting caught between a fence and the mob or a wall of any kind and the mob. You could easily become trapped and even smashed.
 

Avoid Commercial Areas
 
When you are planning your route out of the city, do what you can to stick to residential neighborhoods. Looters and rioters are going to be more concentrated in commercial areas where they can loot goods. Grocery stores are not going to be a top priority in the beginning, but eventually the looting will get there. Electronics stores, the mall, department stores and convenience stores are going to be the most at risk. Avoid those areas and you will likely avoid the majority of the crowds.
 

Hide
 
Know what buildings are empty and prepare to hide in them if a mob happens to form or make their way down your evacuation route. If you can avoid detection, you will be better off. Keep in mind; police are not going to be a lot of help if they happen to see you skulking about. They don't know who is a part of the angry mob and who isn't. They are more likely to attack first and ask questions later.
 

Avoid Crowded Areas
 
It only take a few people to start a riot. They will encourage others to stand with them and before you know it, a crowded shopping center or a busy street in the city has become a very dangerous place. Riots are more likely to break out in areas where there are a lot of people. If you have an idea things are tense, avoid those areas at all costs.
 
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Be Prepared
 
Because you never know when civil unrest may erupt, you should always be prepared. Have an evacuation plan in place. You don't want to take the most obvious routes out of the city. You want to stay off the beaten path as much as possible. Running into others who are fleeing the city could be dangerous. You never know if they share your same moral values and will not harm you or your group.
 
Part of being prepared means having bug out bags packed and ready to go at a moment's notice. A bug out bag should contain the supplies and gear you need to get out of the city and into a safe place that will not be effected by the unrest. Have a place in mind where you plan on seeking refuge. This can be a relative's home, a retreat or under the open stars in a safe place. Have at least two routes planned out of the city, just in case the first is blocked. You will also want to communicate plans to every member of your family. Have a place to meet up so you can all evacuate together.
 
When civil unrest begins to brew, that is the time to evacuate the city. Pay attention to what is happening in the city as well as across the country. Often times, riots can be predicted. If you hear or sense something isn't right, it is time to react. Don't wait until the city is literally going up in flames before you get out. 

Related:
Home Survival During Civil Unrest
Security Measures to Protect Your Home
Bugging Out with Disabilities

About the Author
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Dennis Diaz is the Chief Editor of Survival Ready Blog and host of the Prepper World Summit. He is passionate about learning and teaching survival and preparedness strategies. He is the author of the "The 12 Month Prepper & Survivalist Playbook" & Co-creator of many resources offered at Survival Ready Blog and The Bugout Network. He doesn't consider himself an expert, but a facilitator and he works hard to provide a platform to those with valuable expertise to share their knowledge with as many people as possible.  

​He enjoys helping others prepare themselves for multiple dangerous scenarios, by coaching them on how develop their own customized survival & preparedness plans and develop their survival skills.  He promotes the core concept of making preparedness and survival knowledge part of their daily lives. 
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14 Comments
Arthur Peters
2/18/2016 11:13:45 am

This is a good concise description of what we should do if caught in a city when things go awry! Keep it coming.

Reply
Dennis
2/22/2016 02:44:26 am

Thank you Arthur!

Reply
Cyrus Douglas link
5/31/2016 10:42:15 am

I plan on staying in Bugging in. I have bought 1/2 inch plywood for the windows. They are marked as to what door or window An they are cut to size Being it is going to be me an my wife, , I have prepared some fake quarantine notices (Bubonic Plague ) to be placed at every enterence , including windows. I am also trying to get some yellow police tape or something that looks like it . I hope this will prevent any one from breaking in. Give them some second thoughts. If not , Then they will meet my friend Mr, Remington.

Reply
Mike link
5/31/2016 12:13:25 pm

The concept of bugging in is ok. A few questions. If you are boarding up your doors and windows how you getting out when the hoard of rabid animals(people) set fire to your house? The yellow tape is a good idea but the posters saying plague or some other disease could get you burned out too.

Reply
Dennis
5/31/2016 07:13:18 pm

Great point Mike!

Cyrus Douglas link
5/31/2016 08:26:14 pm

Brick house , Concrete shingles on roof . Rod iron screen an solid core doors Rod iron screen door will have the plywood. Also plywood will have slits cut into them so I can see out. Starting a fire will not be easy I am 75 years old an have nothing to lose, I also have hidden cameras on all four corners of the house, I have 2 solar generators to power my cameras an lap tops. Well water an septic tanks, Buried propane , Thorny bushes an rose bushes all around the house under each window. I have 6 acres of property, I can see people coming long before they are close.. Most of the neighbors around are also bugging in. They are not preppers , But don't plan on leaving if problems arise.

Sandy
5/31/2016 12:59:24 pm

Good point about researching and designing escape routes. Also, what might affect an urban area ore quickly that bubonic plague is cholera, another virulently fatal disease that appears when water and sewers systems collapse. One amazing gift of our biology is that we have the seeds for everything quietly flowing along in our inner ocean. While we maintain a healthy ecology, we are healthy. When our environment is no longer maintained, we have to become more personally responsible for our perfect health. Accounts of what US communities did to survive cholera epidemics of the mid 1800's are very instructive. While we are fighting for our lives in the next round, I pray for geniuses with integrity and ingenuity to show us the way to our next try at infrastructure or something better.

Reply
pj link
6/10/2016 01:38:06 pm

i can see lots of problems with this plan. i am just a little old grandma now bc i lived thru lots of things most people could not. 1. no one will believe the quarantine signs. even when they are true most people don't believe them.2 plywood does not stop bullets or fire or sledge hammers..etc...3 police tape will make them think the place is empty and they will more likely break in... have a safe place to go and educate yourself on the first signs of trouble so you can be one of the first to get out and GO...

Reply
Sandy
5/31/2016 01:08:09 pm

We live in a rural area and rarely travel into even the small towns nearby. If an urgent need arises to travel to a genuinely urban area, I wonder how to assess risk zones and route our way in and out in the event of a blow-up? Dennis, your interview in the Prep Summit with Jeff Anderson was an eye opener for us. We'll use those points, wonder if there is anything else to keep in mind, especially if we need to travel.

Reply
Rick link
5/31/2016 06:34:43 pm

Have to E&E 45 miles from city to bugout location. 72 hour bugout bag has to last 6-7 days. Hard to be inconspicuous with a ruck and an M4 with a basic load. Have reconed routes, vigilantes will determine which way to go. Will drive as far as I can go but will not be able to pass a check point. Back side of strip centers may be more passable than neighborhoods with dogs. Being in the open is a concern. Travel during the day makes you a target. Crossing freeways and water is an issue, bridges are too open, hard to hide. Moving with others who are fleeing will get you caught especially if they don't know how to move.

Reply
Tripp
8/15/2016 12:17:08 pm

How far out from a city or riot perimeter would be a stand bug out distance . I live about 30 to 35 min by vehicle from a major city where I work . My first priority would be get home . I am wondering if I secondary position from there

Reply
Dan
11/14/2016 03:29:04 pm

One of the comments suggested watch for the unrest signs. What would they be?

Reply
Bob
8/14/2017 10:50:47 am

We're all doomed, I tell you. Doomed.

Reply
HoundDogDave
10/7/2018 12:22:04 pm

If you plan to bugout(or even if you don't have a plan) go out today and pick up a paper county road map. GPS can be unreliable if there is heavy cloud cover and it will not show detail of dirt roads unless you zoom in causing you to loose the big picture. Try to limit your travel to 2 lane blacktop and dirt roads. Avoid the freeways as you will likely get trapped in traffc in short order. If you know where you plan to end up, be it 50 miles or 1000 miles away, try to obtain a map for every county you will have to cross to get there. Having a shoebox full of maps for quick access to an alternate route, should you run into difficulty, might just save your life.

Reply



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