This is a supplement to Bug Out Threats, Traffic and Fuel, Part One. While traveling this week, it occurred to me I might have missed something in the original post. In fact it was brought to my attention by a buddy of mine as we were chatting about the possibility of having to Bug Out. The discussion was centered around traffic that may be stalled on the roads post EMP or post mass evacuation where fuel in vehicles might be an issue, wherein many vehicles run out of fuel while “on the road.” Should this happen there will be a plethora of vehicles on the highway(s) and the possibility of many stranded refugees. This could in fact, be an OPSEC nightmare if you didn’t bug out early enough. By that I mean, you waited a day or two to see how the emergency or situation unfolds only to find it may be worse than you suspected it would be and you make the late decision to bug out. This assumes your bug out plans are limited to major arteries that must be navigatedto get from point A — point B. This doesn’t include suburbs just outside a major city which provide their own OPSEC issues of traveling looters / locusts that are taking control of home after home looking for resources to consume.
The point here, is if there is an inordinate amount of traffic that is stalled and refugees milling around, and you come through in your bug out vehicle on the down the side of the highway, you may find your BOV being followed, addressed, attacked by tired, hungry, angry refugees in need of shelter, medical help, and more. The metaphor I would use would be zombies…
The point my buddy was trying to make was from a scene in the film War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. There was a scene where, he apparently changed a coil or part on a vehicle that was disabled via EMP to get it running. when he did, a mob of people went after him and the car because it was the only running vehicle that could escort (potentially) someone to safety. I personally do not remember the scene, but my buddy remembers it pretty well, apparently.