Mr. Rawles,
I realize you are busy, and appreciate any response you can supply. I am residing about 20 miles out of St. Louis, Missouri. I realize my close proximity to such a large urban area is far from ideal, but I do not have the financial security to quit the job and move out to a less populated area. Now, my question is not in regard to my specific area. Rather, my question is regarding the rest of Missouri. I have friends owning land in central Missouri in a small community that have extended an offer to allow me to bunk with them if worst comes to worst. I do not see Missouri on your Top 19 list, and I wonder how it ranks up in your personal opinion? I can certainly research my state’s ranking as compared to other states, but any opinion you could share on Missouri would be appreciated. Thanks! – B.J.
JWR Replies: As mentioned in previous posts, I don’t consider anything in that portion of the country to be survivable if and when things get truly Schumeresque. (Too much population density and is downwind of too many nuke targets.) Read my posts from early August, 2005 in the Archives for details.
I am not familiar enough with Missouri to make any specific locale recommendations. All that I can say with relatiive certainty is that its population density makes it marginal for a grid down situation. Some rural parts of the state might pull through in a grid up situation. But once the grid goes down, all bets are off. With that much population you would have devote all your manpower to security. Then who is going to handle the gardening?
Perhaps someone who reads the blog who also lives in a rural portion of Missouri will send me an e-mail and enlighten us.