On February 6th, 2023, an earthquake struck Turkey and western Syria. It was the second-strongest earthquake to ever hit Turkey.
The quake was felt as far away as Egypt. And in the following weeks, there were over 10,000 aftershocks.
At least 55,000 deaths have been confirmed from the earthquake.
And it’s estimated that 14 million people were affected by the earthquake, with about 1.5 million people left homeless.
But there was one town in Turkey that survived the earthquake relatively unaffected.
Erzin, Turkey is about 70 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake with a population of around 10,000 people.
But the city didn’t have any buildings fall and there were no deaths during the earthquake.
That’s because, for many years, the town has had stricter building codes compared to the rest of Turkey.
One of the town’s workers said, “We know we are in an earthquake area.”
And if any buildings are constructed without meeting codes, they were torn down.
People disliked the strict building codes, but the town mayor held firm, believing it was just a matter of time before the next earthquake – and he was proven right.
While the town of Erzin escaped the earthquake, the surrounding areas did not, and at least 20,000 people flocked to the town because it was unaffected.
Conversely, residents of Erzin had difficulty leaving the town because of the damage and destruction of the neighboring areas.
And the reality is that evacuating after a disaster is (clearly) very different from evacuating beforehand.
After a disaster there will likely be a lack of infrastructure and basic services such as police or fire.
It’s going to be more of an “everyone for themselves” situation, so you and your family will be on your own, with only your knowledge, training, and prepped items to survive.
So, here are a few ideas to help you survive and bug out after a disaster has occurred.
Before leaving:
Before leaving after a disaster, you need to prepare for being completely on your own.
Don’t expect gas stations to be working. If you don’t have enough fuel to get to your destination perhaps don’t go.
In addition, be ready to run into other people. Especially people that are stranded or might need help.
If you have a roof rack full of supplies, you might want to consider putting it inside your vehicle or hiding or camouflaging it – you don’t want to paint a target on your back.
Exit route:
Before you decide to leave, have a well-planned route, and at least a few backup routes figured in your plan in case your main route is blocked or shut down.
Also, you want to avoid city centers or more densely populated areas. These are more likely to be crowded and dangerous.
Make sure you are using paper maps. After a disaster, your GPS could be unreliable. It won’t know if a road is washed out or blocked.
Ideally, you want to stay away from any well-traveled roads. This is where you want to utilize back country roads that most people don’t know about or frequently use.
Prioritize gear:
The gear you pack in your car before a disaster and the gear you pack after a disaster will be different.
For instance, after the disaster, you might know that water is contaminated in a 100-mile radius.
This means you should pack more water in your car from storage than you likely planned.
Also, only take clothes that make sense. If you are leaving in the middle of summer, you can leave your winter coat at home.
Another thing to keep in mind is that your vehicle is your new “home.” You might reach a point when driving where you need to abandon the vehicle and walk.
For this reason, you should have your bug-out bag ready to go in your car, so you’re able to walk away in seconds if you’re in danger.
When you bug out after a disaster there is a chance you might not ever return. When packing your car, do it inside the garage.
Bottom line, evacuating a city that has been destroyed is difficult. There will be more challenges both physically and emotionally.
That’s why it is best to get prepared now with your gear and planning (and backup plans) so you will be ready in case of an emergency, not scrambling when it hits.
And there is one way to get ready for the biggest threats facing Americans today.
I’m talking about famines, droughts, sky-high inflation, civil collapse, rampant violence, and even all-out war.
Sadly, these days you need to be prepared for all of this – and you need to be prepared for them all to happen at the same time.
