Do you know what is in your area?

[Bmyers]

The large explosion in Beirut brings up the topic of do you know what is store in your area? At this point it is early in the investigation, but the 2,700 TONS of ammonia nitrate that they had stored there could explain the BIG boom (think of Texas City 1947).

Depending on where you live, you may have a lot of these 'hidden' dangers. In our area in a 10 mile radius, we have lots of different things that can go boom or release nasty things into the area. Learning your area should be part of your preparedness plan and knowing where and when you should bug out from an industrial disaster is important.

Along with making sure you have the supplies and skills to be your own first responder. If you watch videos from Beirut, you can see injured people walking around trying to get help and others being carried on pallets towards, what I assume, the hospital.

[bdcochran]

I live near the coast. I am aware that in the 1840s a tsunami went through the area (population probably under 500 where a couple million now live). I studied the maps/hills and concluded that it happened in 2040, my house would escape damage by less than 100 feet.

[David]

The large explosion in Beirut brings up the topic of do you know what is store in your area? At this point it is early in the investigation, but the 2,700 TONS of ammonia nitrate that they had stored there could explain the BIG boom (think of Texas City 1947).

Depending on where you live, you may have a lot of these 'hidden' dangers. In our area in a 10 mile radius, we have lots of different things that can go boom or release nasty things into the area. Learning your area should be part of your preparedness plan and knowing where and when you should bug out from an industrial disaster is important.

Along with making sure you have the supplies and skills to be your own first responder. If you watch videos from Beirut, you can see injured people walking around trying to get help and others being carried on pallets towards, what I assume, the hospital.

In my area of the state we have several military bases and a nuclear power plant. Any of which could be a potential target and the plant a potential accident. We also have the port of Tampa with who-knows-what that comes through there?

[David]

As a side note, where we're moving to early next year is going to be farther removed from Tampa than we currently are in our present location. When we originally moved here the place was pretty rural. We were surrounded by pastures and cattle. In the last 20 years that has all changed significantly. Where still not 'in' Tampa but we have a lot more 'civilization' around us now.

Our new location is very similar to what the old one looked like as far as areas that still have sprawling fields and lots of woodland in and surrounding the area. Very much looking forward to the move. Things will be a bit farther away than we have now as currently within a 10 minute drive we have three Walmarts, two Publix, Costco, Aldi, Sprouts, Lowes, Home Depot, one mall and two movie theaters. It really is a prime location but of course traffic has followed suit. I'll take having to drive a few extra minutes to get farther away.

[Mac66]

Just about every community has major roads and railroad tracks running through them. Hazardous materials are carried by trains and trucks everyday. So there's always that to consider.

[David]

Just about every community has major roads and railroad tracks running through them. Hazardous materials are carried by trains and trucks everyday. So there's always that to consider.

I hadn't even considered that but your right. I remember in a training class they had a trooper responding to an overturned truck. The truck was hauling chlorine or something similar and there was a haze around the crash site. The driver had collapsed in the middle of the road so the trooper ran to help him. The trooper unfortunately succumbed to the fumes as well and died in the road. The whole event was caught on dash cam. So yeah, derailed train, semi trucks hauling hazardess material and even if you have a port nearby. We all saw what happened overseas last month!

[Mac66]

Just about every community has major roads and railroad tracks running through them. Hazardous materials are carried by trains and trucks everyday. So there's always that to consider.

I hadn't even considered that but your right. I remember in a training class they had a trooper responding to an overturned truck. The truck was hauling chlorine or something similar and there was a haze around the crash site. The driver had collapsed in the middle of the road so the trooper ran to help him. The trooper unfortunately succumbed to the fumes as well and died in the road. The whole event was caught on dash cam. So yeah, derailed train, semi trucks hauling hazardess material and even if you have a port nearby. We all saw what happened overseas last month!

Firefighters call cops "blue canaries". They say "When the cops start dropping you know you're too close."

Took quite a few HAZMAT classes when I was Public Safety/Emergency Management Director at a large college. I was also on a FEMA regional EM committee. It was almost unbelievable the amount of HAZMAT that travels over our roads and rails and/or is in manufacturing/industrial parks in every city and town.

[David]

I'd like to expand this topic a bit. In addition to being aware of the dangers that may be in your area, it's also prudent to know where there are opportunities as well. Some examples (for more serious scenarios);

• The obvious would be hospitals, those ER clinics that keep popping up and drug stores like CVS/Walgreens. The hospitals and CVS/Walgreens would get hit first if there were a mad rush on medical supplies and drugs. I wonder how many would think of those ER clinics and even Veterinarian clinics? Each of those would have lots of medical supplies on hand.

• Police stations and Sheriff's office sub-stations may well have ammunition, firearms and even emergency supplies. Same with Fire Stations as far as emergency equipment and supplies.

• Jails and prison (just like in TWD) may very well have ample medical supplies, firearms and ammunition. Our county jail had a massive amount of medial supplies and drugs. Three armories with handguns, shotguns and ammunition. And the supply building on site which supplied the whole department had over 500k rounds of various ammunition. The jail is also going to have literally a ton of food on hand, depending on the size of the jail/prison. At least the opportunity may exist. Of course it is often just as hard getting into a jail/prison as it is getting out of one.

• For those that know what a silcock key is you can get water from any commercial building like a bank or store.

Just a few examples off the top of my head.

[bdcochran]

t's also prudent to know where there are opportunities as well. Some examples (for more serious scenarios);

ER clinics and even Veterinarian clinics? Each of those would have lots of medical supplies on hand.

Not in my area. 1. Alan's Aquarium is the only major distributor of animal antibiotics and everyone knows that. 2. I took a survey of the medical supplies at a 3 doctor satellite area to which I formerly was assigned. I have more medical supplies.

Police stations and Sheriff's office sub-stations may well have ammunition, firearms and even emergency supplies.
1. Not in my area at all. I asked at the police dept. They keep no arms or ammunition or it would disappear. 2. I toured the local FBI arms room one time. 2 1936 pump rifles, donated .38 specials from retired agents. 3. There are no food supplies - I did volunteer communications work.

For those that know what a silcock key is you can get water from any commercial building like a bank or store.
One in the car and one in the garage.

Opportunities:
1. I know what the neighbors do and own. They know nothing about me.
2. I routinely take different routes, go through alleys. Note who has tools, motorcycles, bikes, fruit trees.

You have to remember the following about going places when things get very serious:
1. everyone has the same ideas;
2. you have to get there and home safely;
3. you and only you are the one who has to carry everything under stress.

I give bottles of drinking alcohol as presents. I have gallons of booze at home. It is 8 pounds per gallon and some containers are bulky. How many bottles can you carry at one time? How long can you be hauling bottles out of a liquor store after shtf and you are under stress?

You just noticed good old Costco. Yeah there appear to be bales and bales of toilet paper. However, when everyone gets the same idea, there isn't any. I can't imagine walking the 1.2 miles to Costco, picking up a bale, and carrying it home. With most people driving around on near empty and an interruption of power at a gas station . . . and you or someone else who drives on empty is going to carry the case of toilet paper and walk.

The foregoing is why I note who has the swimming pool, the animal traps, the skills, the garage full of tools, the motor bikes, the bicycles.

[Mac66]

I've often thought that in a TEOTWAWKI situation I wouldn't go to the stores, I would go to the distribution warehouses that supply the stores. There are some massive complexes nearby which supply grocery store chains, Costco etc. There is even one gun distributor nearby though I would expect that to be protected.

And think about this, there is even a chicken ranch/farm/egg factory in my state that has 10 million chickens laying eggs. They deliver 7 million eggs a day. That's over 2.5 billion eggs a year.

More info about that chicken ranch....It is the 10th largest chicken farm in the country which means there are 10 more that have more than 10 million chickens in one place. They also produce tons of chicken manure every year which they sell as fertilizer. The largest egg producer in the country has 45 million hens.