Dear Hugh,
In regards to the final run concept, I have to add my contrarian view and say, don’t do it! I have witnessed first hand the competitive spirit of people at a Walmart prior to a weakened hurricane making landfall. It made Black Friday look calm. Any perceived event that would be seen as significant enough for the general population to panic and flock to stores will be extremely dangerous. Why risk physical danger to the “runner”, damage to that person’s vehicle, exposure to any illness being carried by members of the general population, (which could be the reason for the panic in the first place), the risk of gangs drawn to such areas full of easy prey, the risk of being detained by police as order breaks down, the risk of not being able to get home or to one’s bugout location due to road closures by county, state, or federal officials, or how about something as simple as maintenance issues. The last runner will likely be a well-trained leader of a group or family. Can you afford to lose that person? Do you have task lists prepared, understood, and trained on by the next man or woman who will replace this individual when they cannot get back? No, I think those first few hours are more important getting people focused on the initial tasks that will need to be accomplished by a group or family. Get your preps squared away now. Plan what your group needs to accomplish in the first hours of an event. You might use Army Field Manuals that contain checklists concerning occupation of the defense to build custom checklists that can be used for training, refinement, and execution. The first hours of the event that triggers your group or family to execute your occupation plan will be stressful. It will be made more stressful by the absence or delayed arrival of a key leader going shopping. Skip it, make due, prep ahead, get your plan in motion. – An old paratrooper