# Scenario #4: Bad Timing



## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

They've declared martial law because of all the riots and lootings. You hear second-hand news from your neighbor as they pack their van to move out to the country, that looters are not limited to commercial establishments, that some military personnel are committing atrocities against civilians. It's like war-zone erupting in some parts of the country. You see black smokes in the distance on several locations. Your street is seeing a lot of movement from neighbors moving out.

You're well-prepared with your stockpile. Except for this. The timing....

When the SHTF, your wife (or child) is in the hospital. How do you go about this?


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## Meangreen (Dec 6, 2012)

What I want to do is go get my wife and child but realistically this won't be possible. With the roads locked down and if my wife and child in the hospital, I suspect it is because they require care that I cannot give. I have gone over this with my wife before because she is a nurse and more than likely she will be at the hospital treating people in a WTSHTF situation. I would have to hold the fort down because I will be no good stuck in a traffic jam or letting our stockpile of preps get looted and our house destroyed. I would try and communicate with my family and hope they can make their way back. If they need help I would go but I would think that a hospital would be a safe place to be until things simmer down.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

My situation is not too much different. My wife works 35 miles from home and would be on the other side, or in, the area of a riot or other such situation. She has several options of how to get home. There will be nothing I can do to help her and my wife doesn't like guns. She is pretty timid.


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

Scenario seemed pretty easy right up to that last line. With me, it would have to be the 11-year-old daughter in the hospital. I've been divorced for more than half a decade. I live in very back of the subdivision, that last cul-de-sac. While that doesn't stop beer-do-wells from hitting my home, it just means that they have to survive hitting a bunch more houses before getting to mine. The neighborhood is called "Squirrel Hollow". There could be a few armed ******** about. 

I think that the hospital would be a prime target for looters so I'd be heading that direction. A lot would depend upon my daughter's condition. If she could move, we'd head for our bug out location in the North Georgia Mountains. If she couldn't then we'd have to hunker down at the hospital. Hopefully, I could organize some other individuals so that we could defend it.


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## Rigged for Quiet (Mar 3, 2013)

Meangreen said:


> What I want to do is go get my wife and child but realistically this won't be possible. With the roads locked down and if my wife and child in the hospital, I suspect it is because they require care that I cannot give. I have gone over this with my wife before because she is a nurse and more than likely she will be at the hospital treating people in a WTSHTF situation. I would have to hold the fort down because I will be no good stuck in a traffic jam or letting our stockpile of preps get looted and our house destroyed. I would try and communicate with my family and hope they can make their way back. If they need help I would go but I would think that a hospital would be a safe place to be until things simmer down.


Same here with Ms Rigged stuck at a major medical center in a metropolitan area. Some recent good news is a guy who happens to live a couple of streets over works with her now. I need to do some vetting, but it's possible I may have an asset with a mutually beneficial goal.

And of course, her hospital is 15 miles in the opposite direction of our GTFO plan if it came to that....


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

It's most likely that there'll be chaos in the hospital due to all injured from the riots.

If I go the hospital, I have to consider that there is the possibility that our vehicle will get vandalized by looters, or even stolen (if left unattended). Then that leaves us with no transportation. If my husband can walk and meet me outside (assuming I managed to reach him by phone), then perhaps all will be well. 
But if I have to go in the hospital to get him....that will mean leaving the car. 
Neighbors won't probably be able to help me since they're also busy scurrying to get out of there.

I will have to assume that I'll have to leave the car and get my husband, therefore we may lose our car.
I'll make sure I bring a big bag full of our supplies, and will take that with me when I go in the hospital. At least we've got something.

PS

Before I leave our house, I'll hide as much supplies as I can and leave some out as decoy..... May also try to "stage" the house like as if it's already been looted.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

OOOPS! I got carried away with the hypotheticality - the solution I gave above is *IF* I drive (hypothetically).

I can't drive.

I will have to talk this scenario with my husband and see what's the best solution for us. Also talk about if the situation were reversed - that I am the one at the hospital. I'm stumped with this scenario. I simply don't know what to do.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

I would get my wife if it wouldn't put her in more danger than staying at the hospital. We have a nurse in the family so there is that.
You have to understand that the hospital is in a town of about 15000 people and it would be easy to get her and get out. The city and county cops work together so there would be a level of security that bigger cities don't have. Getting back to the homestead is fairly straight forward with three different routes none of which are highways. Once home the family would assemble and begin the process of settling in and getting ready for whatever comes.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

It's questions and scenarios like this that should remind us to make emergency plans and openly discuss them with 
family members. And try and figure as many scenarios as possible.
nice post


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Man, that last sentence is a kicker. Never thought of that. In that case we'd probably stand at the house for as long as we could then move to the BOL which is 8 miles away but can have zero access and is defendable. We'd wait there until she could leave the hospital. Although I'd want to visit I think that would be dangerous on a number of levels. Hopefully mobile phones worked and we could stay in touch that way. All of the presupposes an illness where she can't leave the hospital due to the required care. 

It would need to be pretty bad to hit my subdivision but you never know.


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

My long term BOL is 118 miles from my home. While I know that isn't ideal it is far enough away from Atlanta and secluded enough to be easily defended. It's also a great weekend getaway spot. This does present some problems. I know that it can be biked in about 10 - 11 hours. I've done it, once. Walking? Probably about 30 hours. The problem is my child. I do have a tandem bicycle. We'd have to travel light but that isn't an issue, BOL is stocked with what we need.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

I kill everything that gets in my way, retrieve my family then go home. We listen to the short wave radio and eat, drink and sleep just fine. Except for those on watch and patrol.


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

In the initial days after a SHTF scenario, I'm going to be hesitant to kill anything that doesn't present an immediate and direct threat to me or mine. I'd sure hate to go through a trial afterward.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

Thank gawd it's my wife in the hospital, and not me. Had it been me in the hospital and my wife was the one still at home, my best friend would probably have gone and found her only to tell her I was dead, taking her on the road with Carl and the rest of the ragtag bunch they meet a long the way, finally making a semi permanent camp near some reservoir a few miles outside of Atlanta. Waking up weeks later it's anybodies guess if I'll ever find them again, and if I do what will she and my best friend have done while I was gone?


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

Try to reverse the situation. 

You're the one in the hospital....does your spouse or children know what to do? I'm still stumped. Haven't had the chance to bring this up and discuss seriously with my husband.

This is a hard scenario, but it is very possible to happen. It may not have to be a hospital. Let's say your husband or eldest son is in the local jailhouse for minor infractions. Or at the jobsite (he has responsibilities he couldn't abandon at this time). One of the poster's wife is a nurse....so she can't just leave.
At least it gives some kind of consolation when you know that your family will know what to do.


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## longrider (Mar 25, 2013)

Hospitals don't have firearms. Well, mine has a lockbox with I think a taser in it. I don't know for sure. We do have ONE security gaurd at night. What kind of weapon could you find to defend a hospital? Scalpels imply close-up hand to hand. How bad would it be to squirrel in an airsoft gun or something similar? I know that an employee would not only get fired on the spot if discovered, but then there are the legal repercussions. I'm in the county seat, so there is a lot of local and county mounties. But they are all family men....


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Meangreen said:


> What I want to do is go get my wife and child but realistically this won't be possible. With the roads locked down and if my wife and child in the hospital, I suspect it is because they require care that I cannot give. I have gone over this with my wife before because she is a nurse and more than likely she will be at the hospital treating people in a WTSHTF situation. I would have to hold the fort down because I will be no good stuck in a traffic jam or letting our stockpile of preps get looted and our house destroyed. I would try and communicate with my family and hope they can make their way back. If they need help I would go but I would think that a hospital would be a safe place to be until things simmer down.


I agree hospitals are one of the first places that the government stocks and would probably be one of the most well protected, plus your wife being a nurse and would be in the hospital I think the child's care would just have to be delegated to her. Just wish there could be some communications set up. Maybe hand held radios but I am not even sure if that would be much use as they have a limited number of frequencies and thousands of them will be taken out of storage and being used.
Probably in a SHTF situation knowing what to delegate and to who may be one of the hardest and most important decisions.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

My only child is 33, . . . and he and his wife know that our house is the gathering point, . . . command central so to speak.

If my wife is in either of the 3 closest hospitals, . . . it would be almost impossible to get her out with marshall law having been declared, . . . it would all be determined by her "problem" that put her in there. If there was a chance to go get her, . . . I'd try, . . . but if it looks really bad, . . . she is probably safer there for a while, . . . and she'll call me as soon as she deems it good for me to come get her.

My main goal in this scenario is to get the hacienda under control, . . . and keep it that way. Then my wife and son have a place to which to come.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Southern Dad (Nov 26, 2012)

We see how that turned out for him. His "partner" left him to be lunchmeat.


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## longrider (Mar 25, 2013)

If the daughter is in hospital, she obviously shouldn't be taken out. I would smuggle in firearms. How else are you gonna keep looters from taking all the food and drugs? Then get the heck out A.S.A.P. I would have my other group members gather all the stores in my horse trailer, and head out. The little one and I will catch up.


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## Sinkhole (Nov 17, 2012)

We have no kids but my wife is not in any shape to be bugging out. I wouldn't leave her so my option is to bug in. If she is at work she should be able to make it home if she can get on the road soon enough. If she is in the hospital she will be staying there as there is no way I would be able to get to her, It's in the middle of the city, surrounded by not so nice neighborhoods, and about 5 miles away. I work just under 2 miles from home so even if I had to hoof it, it wont take long. If they come for my house they had better pack a lunch and bring the artillery, cause I'm prepared for a fight, and we are gonna be here a while.


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