Surviving TEOTWAWKI with Infants and Toddlers, by M.A.

As parents of twin infants, we recognize that our situation is far less defensible, far less mobile, and far more vulnerable in general in the event of a societal breakdown. However, we love our boys and they will be extremely useful on the farm one day, so we’ve decided to keep them around anyway. Below are some steps we have taken to prepare ourselves as parents of infants, with their future state as toddlers and children in mind. 

Avoiding Separation

  • Being able to sufficiently care for your children is a requirement even in a Great Depression or hyperinflation period. Social services such as Child Protective Services (CPS) may not shut down even though your family is out of an income. Stocking up on basic requirements in many sizes such as shoes, and simple clothing staples can help combat questions of your suitability as parents even if you are in a bad place economically.  Many parents during the Great Depression were forced to send their children to live with other relatives or families.
  • Have your child’s documents (passport, birth certificate) in a secure place in your bug out bag. Photocopy these documents and keep those copies in a plastic pouch that can be worn by your child during a large-scale and/or hectic evacuation. Also place a family photo in this pouch as well as your name and you can add your general bug out location if time allows.
  • Keep an identical set of temporary tattoos in your bug out bag for your entire family plus an extra. In the event of a chaotic evacuation, have every person (children especially) put on their tattoo on their hand or wrist. This is a quick and easy way of identifying a child as your own. It is also a good way of describing your child if he or she is lost.  Without bathing, these can stay on for up to a week. The extra tattoo can be helpful in finding your lost child by showing it to people who may remember “the child with the flower on her hand” even once yours has faded. The identical marking can be helpful during a dispute about “whose child is this?” Emergency evacuations are very vulnerable times for families and opportunistic kidnappers know this.  Children are often kidnapped during these chaotic times. It is important to be prepared for this.
  • Know your rights when it comes to speaking with social workers about allegations. Desperate times cause people to act desperately. According to the HSLDA, Home schooling families are currently targeted by Child Protective Services.  This situation could be expected to get worse in heightened security “police state” situation.

Food

  • Consider buying formula even if you are exclusively breastfeeding. Formula can be purchased with a shelf life of a year or more. This should get the typical infant most of the way to solid foods. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying enough for exclusive formula feeding for a year if you are breastfeeding, but formula can be used as extra calories in place of milk as they are being weaned and we chose to consider worst-case scenarios such as temporary or permanent separation from the mother in the case of arrest, illness, or death. Also consider that poor nutrition and stress can interfere with a mother’s milk supply. There are many companies that will send free formula samples such as Similac’s Strong Moms campaign, which will send free formula samples to as many addresses as you sign up for.  Enfamil has similar programs, and generic formula can be bought relatively cheaply when coupons are used. 
  • Remember to buy bottles and sippy cups to accommodate your growing baby as he or she begins to drink things like water and juice as they are available.
  • A manual food grinder is handy to have as well, it will help wean your child onto adult food, which is extremely important.
  • Vitamins are the first component to degrade in stored food. Remember to keep liquid vitamins for you small child. Many vitamins last 2-3 years in the liquid form, so keep a rotating supply of vitamins. Remember to purchase vitamins that contain iron, such as poly-vi-sol with iron, or better, a supplement that contains minerals as well. Solid vitamins store longer, and can be dissolved and given to a child if necessary, but know the appropriate dose for your child’s age and weight so that you can eye-ball it at the very least.  Vitamins and minerals are particularly important to a growing child.

Clothing

  • Babies grow fast- consider buying sizes ahead of warm clothes, socks, undershirts…etc. An inexpensive way to do this would be to shop consignment stores after-season sales.  We recently purchased odd sized winter coats at Walmart’s winter clearance rack, enough to get them through elementary school.
  • Shoes are another clothing item to stock up on. While boots or sandals sizes cannot be predicted, rest assured, your child will go through every single sneaker size. One way to be prepared for hyperinflation or a societal collapse is stocking up on simple sneakers in all children’s sizes. If you buy them at an excellent sale you will certainly be saving money in the long run as this is also a good way to combat inflation.
  • Learn simple sewing methods to sizing up or sizing down clothing.
  • It is important to note that infants and toddlers do not regulate their body temperatures as well as adults, and therefore a backup outfit and blankets are helpful to have in the bug-out bag of an infant.
  • Infants can be potty trained once they can walk, so try potty training as soon as possible.

Travel

  • Consider buying an infant backpack for situations where travel is required, either in an on-foot evacuation or day to day travel. Free hands are necessary to do work, carry water or goods, or even a firearm.  If you own a stroller already, you know how useless it will be in a TEOTWAWKI scenerio.
  • These backpacks may be rated for children up to three years old, but carrying a three year old on your back in addition to a bug out bag is no simple feat for a man or a woman. Build the upper body strength necessary to carry your growing child by taking hikes with you baby in his or her backpack.
  • A crying baby or toddler can make you a target in a large unhappy group and can bring attention to your family when it is important to go unnoticed. If you have an infant, keep a pacifier in your bug out bag. If you have a toddler, keep an interesting toy or book.

Health

  • While fevers are a helpful mechanism of our bodies’ defenses, infants can get fevers during the course of normal sickness that can get so high as to cause brain damage or death. Have a thermometer and enough fever reducers such as Motrin or Tylenol. A fever of 104 degrees F and below can be helpful to the defeat of a sickness, however, above 104, puts an infant or child at risk of other problems.
  • Know the dosing for an infant in mg/ml for drugs such as antibiotics and fever-reducing medications…keep a chart that goes by weight and age. Even if you are stocking up on infant medications as well, these typically do not last as long because they break down in solution. Also as your child grows and you run out of supplies you may have to make due with adult medications. Keep this chart handy with other survival information and documents.
  • Children, specifically infants become dehydrated more easily than adults, particularly when they are sick. Dehydration is potentially life threatening and can occur due to sickness. Pedialyte is a brand name rehydration fluid which is designed to replace fluids along with electrolytes. This is useful for children or adults with diarrhea or vomiting. Knowing how to make your own pedialyte provides increased preparedness for a societal breakdown, but also can be used to cut costs right now. A recipe for pedialyte can be found here. A bottle of Pedialyte typically runs from $5 to $10 a bottle, while it costs pennies to make at home, so making your own Pedialyte is also a good money-saving practice.
  • Children today have significantly more allergies than their predecessors. Have your child allergy tested if they are too young to try food, or do food trials of all the kinds of food you have stored. Storing wheat won’t do much good if you learn your child is gluten intolerant. The sooner you know this information, the sooner you can prepare for you child’s specific needs, and the less you will waste in terms of storage space and resources.

The prospect of caring for infants in TEOTWAWKI is a daunting task but remember: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” – Isaiah 40:11

Letter Re: In Praise of the MAK-90

I would like to talk about the Norinco MAK-90 in 7.62×39 because I believe it to be one of the best combat worthy weapons on the market for the money today. I will cover two parts: The MAK-90 specifically and the AK in general. First I’ll speak to those who already like AKs.

MAKs are better than most AKs presently on the market in the U.S. because:

1) It is not a “parts” gun. It is 100% assembled in a foreign arsenal that has been making AKs for decades. This means no canted front sights or other shoddy workmanship. 2) It has a 1.5 mm stamped receiver where most AKs have a 1 mm. This means less heat fatigue in the weapon under hard use. 3) The barrel is thicker than most AKs. How much? Not exactly sure but the difference is visible to the naked eye. 4) The chamber and barrel are chrome lined. Why would anyone want a fighting rifle with out this vital combat feature? 5) The trigger has a double hook disconnector. This means a much smoother trigger pull than a single hook and no trigger slap. 6) It is selling for $600-$700 these days. I got mine for $425 in 2009. It’s more than a WASR but in light of the above points I think it’s well worth the extra cash. It’s a lot less than the $1,200 Vegas Arsenal with comparable quality in everything but finish and cosmetics. 7) They were imported by the hundreds of thousands if not millions. You will be able to find one out there.

Now, to those who think of the AK as the “Soviet plow”: I don’t think many would argue the reliability of the system. Battle proven to the point of being legendary. Enough said. But what about AK accuracy? You can’t hit the broad side of a barn with an AK, right? Watch this video. That’s 230 yards from the offhand with a WASR (not the highest quality AK) on a 15 inch steel plate with iron sights. Is that world class accuracy? Nope. Is it combat accurate? You betcha! Would he be even more accurate from the prone and/or with a red dot?  You betcha!   That brings us to penetration. Your enemies will be behind what they consider cover once the first round goes downrange. The AK uses a 7.62mm (.30 caiber) bullet. The USMC video below shows the AK-47 shooting 7.62x39mm ball penetrating brick and block buildings with both straight on shots and shots at a 45 degree angle. I am not sure of the range but the testing is for “urban” environments so I would imagine 35-50 yards. And to be fair the tests are done using full auto bursts but then again semi auto fire is pretty darn quick. Windshields? Small to medium trees? Car doors? Sheet rock? Hot knife through butter. No bullet deflection here.      

Now I know what you are thinking “But, Belt Buckle, I can have the best of all worlds with my .308 MBR!” Three of the main reasons touted for the .308 are range, accuracy and penetration. And I will make no argument against these, as the .308 is indeed a fine round. But as we have seen above the AK has acceptable combat performance in all these areas. Does the .308 perform better in all these areas? Yes, at a price. Let’s talk weight.

A 22-inch barrel M14 with wood stock weighs 11.5 pounds, while a 16-inch barrel Type 56 (almost identical to a MAK) with wood stock weighs 8.9 pounds.

I’ll admit the AK is heavy. But if you have ever patrolled with a rifle you know that a extra 2.5 lb or so is a real big deal. Can you carry a thirteen pound loaded rifle in your hands all day? I’ll be doing good to carry my AK. 

Loaded AK magazine: 1.81 lb. Loaded M14 magazine: 1.63 lb.

Pretty close regarding mags except when you consider that the AK holds ten more rounds. In a firefight ten extra rounds between mag changes is a substantial advantage. With a six magazine load out, the AK will have sixty rounds left when the M14 has exhausted it’s ammo. That’s two full mags. Also the AK mag is steel, not aluminum. You could literally drive nails with one. No combat knife? Brain ’em with an AK mag:)   The price paid is also literal. .308 cal MBRs are also around three times more expensive than AKs. The rounds are also much more expensive.

Under a lot of conditions, the added range and accuracy of the .308 can be negated. We must remember we are survivalists and not soldiers in a standing army. Under what scenario does one envision engaging personnel at 500 or 600 yards? You need good optics for proper target ID at that range. It takes quality training to make a 600 yard shot. Under SHTF conditions will you automatically engage a group of armed men approaching your position? The morally justifiable scenario would be to halt them within shouting distance and determine their intentions. Maybe you have foreknowledge of a group of satanic mutant biker cannibals coming your way and decide to employ a long range ambush. Fine, a completely realistic scenario under SHTF conditions if your area is unobstructed enough for that long of a shot. If the Chinese Army invades and you employ a long range ambush then you are going to have mortars, arty or an air strike called in on your position and maybe “grabbing the belt buckle” of your enemy in a short range ambush would be more conducive to success. Are you going to be sniping the leader of a looter group? Fine. But that shot might be better served by a scoped bolt action hunting or sniper weapon which could just as easily be .30-06 or .300 Winchester Magnum. How many of you have 500 or 600 yard kill zones surrounding your retreat? Probably some but not many.

My purpose here in not to belittle the .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO. It’s a great round. But where it really excels is the medium to long range fight. I live in Tennessee very near the Great Smoky Mountains and my retreat is in the foothills of those mountains. What area that isn’t taken up by trees and brush in the country is taken up by buildings in the city. And those trees and brush become more prominent the closer you get to the mountains until you have almost jungle conditions. The 7.62x39mm AK round will penetrate that brush without a grunt. Are there areas here where you could take a 600 yard shot? Sure. But precious few. The AK excels in the short to medium range fight. AKs are short enough for CQB and follow up shots are much more controllable than .308. If I lived in a flat and/or sparsely wooded area of the country would I feel different? Yep, I’d pony up the extra cash and get a M1A. What I am suggesting here is that the AK has more than acceptable combat capabilities for my AO and at a affordable price. Add to this the fact that AKs rarely break any parts. You could pass a AK down to your grandchildren with no work done except occasional cleaning.

Hey, if you’ve got the money then get a personal defense weapon (PDW), a “battle” rifle and a “sniper” rifle. Bases covered. But if you are on a budget and need a rifle that does nothing great (except go bang) but most things well, then buy an AK.

Now I know what you are saying “But Belt Buckle, you didn’t mention the AR-15”. That’s right, I didn’t. This is a .30 caliber essay. Sincerely, – Belt Buckle Bill

Letter Re: Bugging Out Via Boat

Jim,
In reference to the article about using boats to bug out I have a few thoughts. The writer was very thorough about his facts and accurate as far as it goes.However, I have a few thoughts. As a former Officer of the U S Merchant Marine (12 years, ending as a 1st Mate, Unlimited Tonnage, Motor and Steam, Any Waters) I have had experience in most marine environments.

The biggest drawbacks to using a boat as a primary means of escaping are visibility, fuel consumption, and low speed. The writer covered a lot of this and this reply is not meant to disparage him, or to apply to those who live so close to waterways, or who are restricted in the number of ways they can move out of an area. If a boat is the best way, as, say, an alternate to a ferry or a congested two-lane bridge, then by all means, motor, sail or paddle away.

Boats literally drink fuel. All boats do. The physics of propelling a vessel against a mass of water requires it. And, unless you are bugging out in a cigarette boat, they are slow. As the writer points out, the faster you move, the more fuel you dump. And the type of emergencies that require you to “bug-out” most certainly wont be leaving fuel docks open for very long.

And then there are pirates. What else will you call thugs in boats that chase you to kill you and take your stuff? They will have go-fast boats. Count on that one. And its very hard to hide any kind of boat on any sort of body of water. Try it sometime.

Canoes and sailboats? Well, I have a canoe. A 15 foot, Kevlar-hulled rough water special. Will I use it? Its in my plans to utilize if need be. But next time you are cruising down some placid river somewhere in a canoe or small outboard, take a look at the banks.

How much can you observe of bottom-land timber and brush while watching for currents and obstructions? How long will you last against a guy with a rifle or shotgun firing from cover sitting out there in the open? I will say if you can make open water in a sailer, you may be okay for awhile. Unless some other runner has a faster vessel and sees you out there all alone and unable to move away.

All in all, hitting a river or other body of water in a boat to hide or make a run for your get-a-way is a real longshot. Stocking a pontoon barge for a night-only 2 or 3 day run somewhere is about the only way I’d even consider using one, except in the most extreme situations. – Ed in Mississippi

Letter Re: Finding Work in Your Intended New Locale

Mr. Rawles,  
Two major websites not mentioned in your article were LinkedIn and USAJOBS.  LinkedIn is an online HR site somewhat similar to Facebook in that it allows “connections” to be made between users. One major difference: You cannot “connect” with someone who you haven’t either worked with or personally know- the website actually blocks attempts to make “mass connections”.  LinkedIn is an HR manager’s dream, as it not only focuses on a person’s career and qualifications, but also provides an all-in-one-stop shop for potential employees.  Many HR reps I know now either refuse to consider candidates who do not have a LI profile, or place them in the mostly-doomed “second tier” pile of resumes…the ones which get File 13’d unless all the first-tier candidates get run over by a bus.  While this site is a bad idea for any kind of OPSEC, it is a highly valuable tool for job-seeking.  

USAJOBS is the Federal website for all job postings…well, for most of them. Multiple federal jobs are filled in-house as needed, with a variety of jobs going to service-disabled veterans or agency-only hires.  However, it must be said that the Federal government is the biggest employer in the country, with BLM offices and USFS branches in even the most remote portions of the country.  If you’re willing to take a Federal job (with all the oversight and loss of privacy that accompanies it), chances are you can find one in your area on USAJOBS.  Again, this site is an OPSEC nightmare, but if you need a Federal job, this is fast becoming the preferred (and soon to be only) way to get one.  

Now, I don’t work for LinkedIn or USAJOBS, get paid by them, or have any interest in promoting either of them –beyond their obvious usefulness in finding open employment.  However, it has been said a million times that “it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.”  Everywhere you go, pester people about current or future job openings.  When it comes to job searching, networking is the fastest and most efficient way to get a job.  I actually got a job by asking the manager once a day, every day, at the exact same time, whether there were any openings.  After two weeks of this, she finally said, “You may or may not be qualified for this job, but you’re the most persistent person I’ve ever seen. If I don’t give you a job, I’ll never get rid of you.”  (A cautionary note:  If the hiring authority tells you in no uncertain terms to go away, or gives you instructions on how to check back, follow their instructions.)  You may not initially get the job you want by telling your uncle’s cousin’s step-dog’s mom that talented little you is looking for employment, but the power of letting people know you’re looking cannot be denied.  Why else would the phrase “old-boy network” still be used in modern parlance? – JD2

Economics and Investing:

Jeff Harding warns: The Economy is Sliding Into a Stagflationary Spiral

Some talking hipster robot apocalypse, by way of Club Orlov: “What will a post-collapse society look like?” and How can we prepare for the collapse?

Rigged-Market Theory Scores a Perfect Quarter: Jonathan Weil. (Kudos to Kevin S. for the link.)

Sig mentioned: Three Reasons to Believe in $100 Oil

Items from The Economatrix:

Silver and Disasters

Double-digit Inflation Has Arrived

US Builders See Little to Like in Housing Market

Odds ‘n Sods:

R.F. suggested an article over at Slate: The Century of Disasters Meltdowns. Floods. Tornadoes. Oil spills. Grid crashes. Why more and more things seem to be going wrong, and what we can do about it.

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Greg C. sent this: Iran to Build Missile Base in Venezuela Missiles Could Hit American Cities; Venezuelan Missile Crisis Looms

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Tony D. found a repository of Boy Scouts manuals, for scout masters. (Some rights are reserved, under a Creative Commons license.)

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Do you have defensible space around your home? Fire crews gave everything in fight to save scorched Slave Lake, officials say. (One-third of this town of 7,000 was wiped out in a few hours.) Our thanks to Nicholas L. for the link.

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G.R. in Teaxs sent an article about open carry in the City of Brotherly Love: Philly Police Harass, Threaten to Shoot Man Legally Carrying Gun. JWR’s Comment: Pardon the repetition, but I must state again: Much like a muscle that atrophies with disuse, any right that goes unexercised for many years devolves into a privilege, and eventually can even be redefined as a crime.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Bugging Out Via Boat, by The Odd Questioner

Let’s look into the near future, when the Schumer has just hit the fan, or is just about to. You have no doubts that things are going to go heinously wrong, and not get better. Now what? The roads are likely jammed, even the rarely-used rural ones. Maybe rains have rendered the dirt roads impassable. You might be able to make it to your sanctuary/bug-out location/palace/bunker, but it will take more gasoline than you have to get there.

So – do you give up and resign yourself to be a walking refugee? Not necessarily. What about that big fishing rig you have trailered in your garage? What about all that boat of yours sitting down at the marina? So why not use that big river nearby to make your getaway?

I’m willing to wager that most preppers have, even in the extreme, carefully considered their car or truck, and have centered their plan around fitting everything into the back of the rig and driving down to your bunker, preferably far away from public highways and freeways. Am I right?
Now, if you live in most desert or heavily mountainous areas, this is probably not an option. However, if you live near a navigable river, this gives you an option that a lot of folks simply do not have, and you may want to at least consider it. Let’s look into this a bit deeper and I’ll show you why I think you should do so, and what to consider if you do decide to include boating in your escape plans.

Pros and Cons

Why to do it
Unlike moving around on a car, making your egress on a boat gives you a lot of advantages that you simply cannot get on dry land:

  • No traffic jams once you’re out on the water.
  • If your bug-out location is downstream, you won’t need a lot of gas to get there, if at all.
  • If you have a sailboat and know how to use it, and the river is big enough, you don’t need gasoline most of the time, and have a far larger range.
  • Even the most dirt-poor prepper can fill an old canoe full of supplies and get somewhere with it.
  • An earthquake can slosh a river around, but at least it won’t bury you or render your route completely impassable (now near/on the ocean? Things may get dangerous – especially with Tsunami threats, but inland you’re generally in better shape, and the greatest danger will likely be seasickness).
  • Everyone else in town will be too busy trying to drive out of town. If you plan it right, river egress will insure that you’re not going to be stuck behind sheet metal boxes full of anxious, panicked or near-panicked people all trying to get out of Dodge.
  • Unlike that mega-prepped off-road beast of a truck, the parts are easier to maintain and improvise if you have to, and if you have a sailboat, won’t require too much in the way of petroleum to keep maintained.
  • A good sailboat isn’t going to be disabled by any electromagnetic pulses.
  • If the boat is big enough, you can literally live on the thing for as long as you have to. It also gives you something really important: more room to store critical stuff!

With advantages, come disadvantages. To be fair, let’s cover the important ones. After all, our favorite law-maker Mr. Murphy loves to get out on the water too, so…

Why not to do it

  • If you own a motorboat and your bug-out location is far upstream, you’re going to need a whole lot of fuel to get to it. Fail to plan for this, and you’ll be out of gas and floating down river… right back to where you just escaped from.
  • You have to either insure that your boat is pre-packed, or you’re going to have to transfer everything from truck to boat once you get there – the latter is probably not going to be fun, and will be a huge calorie/energy burn-off.
  • If you screw up and wreck your car or truck, you can grab your stuff out of the wreck and still be able to take the vital items with you. But if you screw up and wreck your boat, odds are good that your stuff is going down with the boat. You can mitigate this somewhat (keep a small go-bag on deck within easy reach), but otherwise, if you wreck it hard, your stuff will either sink, or float down river for some other lucky guy to get their hands on.
  • If you fail to plan ahead, you might get stuck behind a dam, lock, or other river hazard. (I will cover this later).
  • If you fail to plan for alternative launch points, other folks may have the same idea, and that trusty old boat ramp you planned to use may be jammed full of people trying to do the same thing you’re trying to do (and at certain times of day/week/year, it may also be full of people trying to get their boats *out* of the water and get home). We’ll also cover this a bit later.
  • If you live on the coast, your efforts may be frustrated by Tsunami, debris, and other things that will totally screw your plans over. Not the end, but something you have to plan for.
  • If you live in an arid or semi-arid area, that river may be too low to safely navigate (or completely dry in places) during the dry season.
  • Getting to the river in a panic situation is going to be a bit tougher what with that big, heavy trailer back there and all. You’re going to have to be a bit more careful than all of the panicked and careless people around you.
  • It will take a lot more time to get from point A to B. Even a relatively fast boat won’t go much faster than the equivalent of 25 miles per hour (while this will be a lot faster than a car stuck in a massive traffic jam, it’s still pretty slow if you’re trying to escape a really bad situation).

Now consider all of that for a moment or four… I’ll wait. Oh, and while you’re thinking, keep one big thing foremost in your mind: You only get one shot at escaping town. Screw it up, and you won’t get another. Now, let’s take a moment to think…
(…cue some pleasant interlude music here… at least five minutes long. Seriously. Thinking hard now saves having to do it at a bad time later.)
All done? Good. If you decided to consider your boat (or hey – get one), awesome… read on. If not, then feel free to entertain yourself by reading on anyway.
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What to Consider First

Look at your route.  Are there any dams, locks, or low bridges along the way? How deep are the rivers, anyway? How wide are they? Do they have commercial traffic (barges, local cruise ships, cargo ships) on them? Are you going to pass or be in the way of the Navy or its bases (they may get touchy if you come too close to them)? Are there any well-known (and even not-as-well-known) hazards out there? Is there anything along the way that can foul your propeller (fishing nets, trotlines, heavy weeds/plants, etc)? Does any part of the route ice-up in the winter (and if so, how badly?)

Look at your entry and exit points. How close is your bug-out location to the river or waterway that you intend to use? How close is your boat (at home) to the location where you intend to drop the boat into the water? How many places are there nearby where you can launch your boat, with or without a boat ramp (remember, your boat is going to be rather heavy with all that stuff in it). Are you familiar with beaching a boat safely (well, at least long enough to get your family and all of your stuff off of it)? If you have it docked at a marina, you’ve saved yourself at least some trouble, but how close is that marina? Can you get to the marina in a hurry? Is the marina guarded well enough to pre-position most of your SHTF gear in it? How crowded is the marina, and how close is your boat to the jetty (err, marina exit)?

Look at your boat. How big is it? What is its maximum draft (depth below waterline when absolutely full)? What is the fuel efficiency if it has an engine? How fast can it go (remember, speed is measured in nautical miles per hour, or knots)? Can you put up a rain cover or other type of temporary shelter? Is it ocean-worthy? How much can you pack in there, anyway? What shape is it in – is it well-maintained? How much punishment are you sure it could take? (Note that I didn’t say “do you think”, but “are you sure”) How many people can you seriously carry along if you have it full of your SHTF gear? How much fresh water can it hold? When was its last tune-up? How quickly can you de-winterize it if you had to?

Finally, look at your own skills. Are you 100% familiar with your boat? Are you capable of fixing the motor if it breaks? If you have a sailboat, can you actually use it under sail? Could you launch it without using a boat-ramp? Can someone else (spouse, kids, etc) navigate/sail/fix the boat in a pinch?

What Kind of Boat?
I know… lots to think about. Take your time. If everything is still good to go, then let’s look at how to different types of boats will behave in a SHTF situation. I’m going to split this into a few different categories, so feel free to skip the ones that don’t apply to you. If you’re planning to actually buy a boat (for some other reason, I trust), then perhaps the following may help influence what else to look for in a boat beyond the primary reason (fishing, water-skiing, parties, etc).

Sailboats
If you have a sailboat, you’re actually in almost the best shape. As long as you can avoid underwater hazards that may break your keel, you’re good to go. Odds are almost 50/50 that a sailboat is kept at a marina, though a lot of this will depend on cost, size of boat, etc. You can trailer them, but launching will require a few extra steps.
A good first tip is to get to know (and I mean know very well) the prevailing wind patterns all along your intended route. Next, be sure you know how to actually sail, and keep your sails in top condition. An extra sail or two (and better, a kit to patch your sails with) would be an excellent investment.
If you have a boat large enough to be considered as a saltwater or ocean-going vessel, then your list of potential bug-out locations just got much larger. While I wouldn’t cross the Pacific in a 25’ sailboat, a sailboat that size can travel along the coastline in fairly good weather for hundreds, if not thousands of miles, depending on your supplies. You could conceivably get to South America with the thing if you had to, and East-coast residents could get to Canada *very* easily by traveling off the coast. If you intend to do this, just one thing – learn as much as you can about sailing and ocean navigation, and get your butt out there to rack up some experience doing it.
If your sailboat is trailered, you may want to consider launching it under various conditions well before a SHTF event begins in earnest. Sailboats with removable or retractable keels are more flexible.

Pleasure Motorboats
This includes most boats – from bass fishing boats, to ski boats, to big and average sized pleasure cruisers… these are boats you’re most likely to find parked in a suburban garage (just note that pontoon boats are something we’ll shove out to its own category).
For these boats, depending on size, you actually have a surprising amount of room to store things – in, on, and around the boat. Your main concerns however involve three things: range, speed, and keeping the motor(s) in top condition. In river/lake conditions, you will be best served by going downstream as much as you can, in order to increase your range. If your boat manufacturer sells auxiliary fuel takes, look into getting them – but know that if/when you do, you’ll be cutting down your storage space, so keep that in mind and balance the two.
Unlike sailboats (which generally have small motors for navigation) you will have speed and maneuverability. You can get around situations and objects more easily, and can move along far faster; while not even half as as fast as an automobile, your top speed is not half bad, especially once you consider how slow the freeway speeds will be during a mass unorganized evacuation.

The smaller boats, especially the open-hulled ones, have more flexibility than most when it comes to fuel and engine power, but be sure to balance your fuel supplies against storage space, and be sure that the motor’s horsepower isn’t larger than the hull is rated for (your boat should have this information on the nameplate). Also be sure to not exceed the maximum capacity of the boat – open hulls will take on water quite easily.
Outboard motors are far more flexible than inboard ones, but otherwise the only real difference is in how much horsepower the motor(s) have, and the additional storage space an outboard motor will give you (as opposed to the space taken up by the engine if it’s inside the hull).
Overall, as long as your bug-out location is near water, and you can get your boat launched quickly, even if it happens during a mass panic, you’re in pretty good shape.

Pontoon Boats
You know what these things are – the big ‘party barge’ boats that can carry an amazing number of people (or stuff) per square foot. They usually have a lot of fuel, and can carry a lot of stuff. With their generally shallow draft, they can get into some very shallow water without getting hung up. They also have a lot of features that would make things relatively comfy in a SHTF situation: perhaps a propane grill, a refrigerator, something to keep the rain and sun off of you, etc.

But… while you may start thinking that this would be the best type of boat to have and use, the truth is going to be ugly… these are going to be the toughest type of boat to use when you’re busy bugging-out. There are three reasons for this: First, these boats are made for leisurely cruising, so they can be painfully slow when compared to most other types of motorboat, even at top speed (which in the Pontoon’s case will burn fuel at a horrendous rate). Second, even though you can get a whole lot of stuff packed onto one, it’s all contributing towards making the pontoon boat top-heavy – so you have to be a lot more careful about what you pack, where it all gets packed, and how you pack it. Third, if the water or the weather gets really rough, you’re in the greatest danger (next to a canoe) of getting swamped, and even in milder conditions, you stand a good chance of getting you and your stuff quite wet from spray. While tenting/tarping and similar accessories will mitigate this, the design leaves you quite exposed overall.

The good news is that these boats can be the easiest to launch and beach, due to their very shallow draft. If your route is fairly calm and relatively free of nautical traffic, you can pack a lot of things on one and get to where you need to go – so long as your destination is within range and you don’t go nuts with the throttle.

Canoes, Kayaks, and Personal Watercraft
Canoes and Kayaks are actually quite an awesome way to bug out if you think about it – you can get to places that no other boat can even hope to touch, and as a bonus, you can portage the canoe or kayak from one waterway to another. It also takes up very little room in your garage. Launching one doesn’t require a boat ramp, or even a trailer – pick any old spot of shoreline, throw it no top of your car or truck (with your stuff in the vehicle) and you’re good to go.

The biggest downsides are exactly two: very (very!) limited space, and that paddle which you’ll be using constantly. You can mitigate that last bit somewhat – a quick sail rig and a keel-board lashed to a canoe can help things along if you know how to sail (or just plan your bug-out location downstream). A small trolling motor would make things easier, but know that using one eats away at your precious storage space, and that it will have a fairly limited range of just a few miles (maybe 10) at best. However, that first bit remains a constant – you can only pack so much stuff into that space, so you may want to focus on just the essentials. If you add more than one person to the trip, multiple canoes or kayaks are better than one, though keep in mind that you could get separated.

It is fairly obvious that your speed is going to be extremely slow, but you make up for that in maneuverability and in the number of places where you can go that the big boats cannot.

A Kayak would be pushing it on the bottom end, because you could, at best, [with a two-man kayak] fit enough stuff in there to be the equivalent of perhaps four or five go-bags (depends on how big that go-bag of yours is, but…)

Jet-Skis? Well, maybe, maybe not… but probably not. The Jet Ski is very fast as far as boat speeds go, but will run out of gas in just a few miles, and can carry perhaps a go-bag’s worth of stuff at best. It will also soak you to the bone with water – not a pleasant thought in the middle of winter. That said, if you really, positively, absolutely have to get (at most) five miles downstream in a hurry with only the things you can fit in a backpack, then I suppose you could do it. I don’t think I’d ever plan for using one, let alone relying on one for escape, though.

Other Vessels of Note
This is mostly a catch-all, but some other vessels that you might come across and/or have are things like…

* Houseboats (like pontoon boats, only bigger, a bit slower, but far more useful because of the amazing amount of storage you have, so long as you have the fuel and the water is deep enough). An awesome way to go in some SHTF circumstances, but since they’re mostly confined to larger lakes and very large rivers, the range is going to be fairly small (depending on the waterway, of course).

* Speed-boats (not the big professional racing rigs, but that backyard project type with the really big engine in it). Use it only if all other options (including by car/truck) are off the table. The speed is comparable to that of a car on a freeway, but storage is going to be very cramped at best – you’d be lucky to fill an old Beetle with the storage space. These boats are tough to handle at high speed during good times – it’ll be even tougher when you’re trying to evacuate in a hurry. They’re rather fragile and eat a horrendous amount of fuel, leaving you with a very short range.

* Catamarans (from the humble “Hobie Cat” to the big ocean-going ones). These depend on size, and if big enough (at least 20’ long), should be taken under the same consideration as sailboats. While a lot more stable than almost any other type of boat, it will have a wider footprint, which can get in the way on narrow waterways.

* Rowboats (that is, a common open-hulled boat that one or two people can pick up and move). Only if you have to – some models can handle some rather rough water (especially those specifically made for rapids), and can carry a moderate amount of supplies. However, it’s all manpower unless/until you put an outboard motor on the back or a sail and keel in the center.

* Inflatable/combo boats (that is, any type of boat that completely has to be inflated, or has inflatable components).  There is an advantage in having something you can practically launch from anywhere, yet hold a lot of gear. That said, you will definitely want to keep an air compressor handy when it comes time to get that thing inflated in a hurry. Also, you’ll really want a good high-volume air pump and emergency patch kits ready.  Mind you, unless it is big enough to hold the contents of a short pickup bed and has a motor, you may not want to bother. Note that these boats would be considered as strictly inland vessels.

Best Places to Consider a Boat
There are many areas in the United States where using a boat as a means of escaping town during an SHTF scenario would not only make sense, but would maximize your chances of survival.
In general, using a boat is excellent for consideration if…

  • You live within 2 miles of a navigable river or other open and navigable waterway
  • Your bug-out location is within 1 mile of a navigable waterway, and is down-stream (and in cases of ocean routes, down-current) of your starting point
  • You have more than one location or facility within this range from which to launch a boat, if it isn’t already docked in an easily-accessible marina
  • Your bug-out landing has a good spot to dock (or at least beach) the vessel temporarily (once the boat is empty, you might want to camouflage it, or jettison it entirely after stripping it for useful parts)
  • You can get to any of your launch points by multiple routes that are not heavily traveled.
  • The water route is not prone to constant flooding, or (in ocean cases) if you can get at least 5 miles offshore quickly in order to avoid Tsunami situations should one arise.

You can get by with using this method (though not as perfectly) if…

  • You live within 5 miles of a navigable river or waterway – just plan for it, and know that you may be delayed if you have to move quickly.
  • Your bug-out location is within 3 miles of a navigable waterway (because you and your fellow refugees are going to have to carry all that stuff from the boat to your bug-out location)
  • Your bug-out landing is upstream, but comfortably within the range of your boat’s fuel supply (just remember to keep the tank full, eh?)
  • You have at least two ways and two places where you can launch your boat, or the marina is at least somewhat easy to get to
  • Your bug-out landing has at least a halfway decent place to tie the boat off to shore until you can empty it
  • You can at least get to any launch point without having to use or cross a major road or highway.
  • The water route is at least free from flooding most of the year, or (in ocean) you can at least get several miles offshore quickly if an earthquake is reported.

 

 Anything less than these conditions and you will have to do a lot more research –perhaps a car or truck may be a better option, but you’ll have to determine that for certain on your own.

Example Scenario – How to Research
Now that we’ve touched on a few subjects, let’s put it into perspective, and do a scenario which can be useful.

I live in Portland, Oregon metro area. Let’s say that I can get to the Willamette River in very short order if things go bad. This gives me a couple of options for bug-out areas that could never be reached normally via car or truck (at least not easily – we’re kind of surrounded by mountains and rivers here). Let’s do some research…

One option would be to go up the Columbia River a bit (by way of the Willamette), take a turn up one of the many somewhat navigable rivers that pour into it, and find a new home in Oregon or Washington State, and have all the gear I need to settle in reasonably well. Exploring that option, I find that I can only go as far upstream as the town of Bonneville, because there’s a huge hydro dam sitting in the way. They have locks for commercial barges, but a hard and fast rule is that you must not rely on such things to be open during a SHTF situation, so that’s about as far as I can reasonably get upstream. So – I can go that far upstream, it is navigable by both motor and sail boats. Since the Columbia River is positively huge and fast-flowing, ice is pretty much not going to be a problem in most years. On the other hand, since the river is huge and fast-flowing, I’m going to either need a sailboat (the winds usually blow right downstream, so it’ll be tacking all the way up), or a motorboat with a *lot* of fuel. If I had a motorboat and found this option worth pursuing, I’d take a trip by boat to see just how much fuel it burned. If I burn half my fuel before I got even halfway there, then I can mark the point with GPS, and then calculate my useful range when I get home. With a sailboat, fuel is no longer a problem, but with all that tacking, it’s going to take a long while to get to that point – possibly more than a day. (Bonus: Do it during the spring and you can have a go at all the salmon coming in from the ocean).

A second option would be to go downstream, maybe go up a tributary on the way down, and make my new home somewhere in Oregon or Washington in the countryside. While definitely easier on the gas (for a motorized vessel), I still have some looking around to do. A disadvantage is that there are a lot of small towns on the Oregon side of the river. Also, the further downstream I go the more large ocean-going cargo traffic I’ll meet up with (either going to or coming out of Portland, or various ports along the way). This means I’ll have to keep a sharp eye out for foundered ships blocking the channel if the SHTF situation causes ships to try at turning around where they really shouldn’t.

Something else to consider – I could go all the way out to the ocean by floating downstream, then have a go at a coastal town along either the Oregon or Washington coasts (both of which are sparsely populated). I have only one real big problem: The Columbia Bar. It can swallow vessels far larger than anything I can afford. (There’s a very good reason that it is nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Pacific”) I can however get across it if I think ahead and know what times of the day that it is safe to cross it (during the incoming flood tide – this means getting some tide charts and keeping a good eye on the clock). Once out on the ocean, if I really want to (assuming my boat is big enough to do this – larger sailboats only would be the best advice at this point), I can go down the coast much farther than up it, mostly due to the prevailing currents along the Pacific Coast. I don’t want to go too far down, because mid or southern California isn’t really the place I want to be for a bug-out situation. Going up the coast can put me deep along Canada’s coastline after a couple of weeks, or Washington State in a few days. I do have to remember one thing, though: If I bug out along any coastal destination, going up a smaller river and getting inland would be a smart idea, preferably far enough in to mitigate any Tsunami effects.

My last option would be to go upstream on the Willamette River, but sniffing along that route, I can only go as far as Oregon City – where there will be a really large waterfall waiting for me to block any further progress. Since Oregon City is somewhat heavily populated (it is often considered to be still within the general Portland area), any point along this route is likely to be full of refugees too, so this option was cast aside.

Some other bits I want to think about (and you can use anywhere!) are as follows:

  • No matter where I choose to bug-out, it will pay big-time to get to know the locals there now, while times are still relatively calm. Simply showing up and moving in is likely to make a lot of folks angry. Best idea is to get to know folks in at least two locations, and perhaps buy land at the most likely point. Recon and research is always a good thing, no?
  • If I have a big enough sailboat, I could definitely do this. Sailboats are cheap, and don’t eat gas. A 26’ coastal sailboat in good working condition can be had for as little as $6,000 in this area (the cost of a usable off-road rig), and is reasonably ocean-worthy in a pinch if it is classed as a cruiser-type boat. I can pack it with my missus, the dog, a lot of supplies (most sailboats of this size sleep 5-6 people and have an enclosed cabin and head), and be good to go for at least six weeks before I would have to refill the water supply (if I’m careful with it). I could reasonably get to Lower Canada with it, or anywhere along the Oregon or Washington coasts. Upstream along the Columbia would be no problem, at least anywhere below the aforementioned dam. [JWR Adds: True “blue water” capable sailboats are much more expensive.]
  • If I do get a sailboat, I’m going to have to learn how to use that thing, and how to use it well. This will require time and training. The good news is that this part can be really fun, and well-disguised as a family hobby.
  • Maps, maps, maps. Here, on the way, at the bug-out point and the trail(s) to get to that bug-out point.
  • As with any boat, you gotta have good, working equipment, and maintenance.
  • I want at least two good routes to get to that boat if I have it tied at a marina, and at least three routes and places to launch it if I don’t.
  • If I can get a few fellow preppers to also think and act along the same lines, we can have a small flotilla that can carry a whole lot of stuff – enough to create a new community practically anywhere, which gives us the ultimate flexibility to meet the situation.
  • While illegal to use in many jurisdictions, a hand-thown fishing net may not be a bad idea – a practical one takes up only a little bit of room when balled-up. In my neighborhood, springtime + net stands a great chance of providing fresh Chinook salmon along my area of the Columbia River. I’ll have to learn how to use it, long before any SHTF event arrives.
  • The Columbia River has a lot of unpopulated islands along the route. There are lots of potential places to tie up and call home (though a few have roads running over or through them, so I’d have to be picky and get up a short-list).
  • Before I get too carried away, do I go trailer or marina? A trailer gives me flexibility, at a cost of time. On the other hand, a fully-stocked boat in the garage is a lot more secure than one tied up at a marina.
  • The onboard first aid kit had better have a lot of Dramamine in it, and other anti-seasickness medication. Mental note: eat a couple on the way to the boat. Better yet – get my sea legs on long before any SHTF situation. Escaping a city full of panicked people would be the absolute last place and time to be too busy vomiting out over the side, instead of focusing on navigation and security like I should be doing at that point.
  • Once at the bug-out location, I’d be better off having a truck (and perhaps a small trailer) waiting there for me, so I can run the couple miles up to it, drive it back to the boat, and load everything up for one trip. The missus can be waiting back at the boat with a shotgun if needed.
  • I think this should be enough to kick-start your mind and lead you where you need to go, no?

Conclusion
As you can see, it will take a bit more preparation to bug out by boat than you normally would by truck or Jeep. On the other hand, there are the advantages of less traffic, the ability to carry a lot more supplies along with you, better security (it’s harder to steal from or attack a boat anchored offshore than it is to raid a bunker or encampment), and even have a mobile bug-out location if you find just the right unpopulated spot or island to tie up and call home for a while. The costs can even be just as low as that of a usable 4×4 truck, if you know how to look.

However, it’s obviously not going to work for everyone. For the people that this idea will work for, it makes for a very viable. Just do your research before you warm up to it, let alone commit. Even if it’s a virtual trip along your neighborhood waterways on Google Maps, do the research. Like anything else, more than one plan will make for a better chance of survival, long-term.

Two Letters Re: The Disappearing Road Quandary

James Wesley,

I’d like to turn the author of the article and others on to Calumet Industries.

I’ve purchased the “PSP” from them in the past and had a good transaction.

I was purchasing them for a slightly different reason – as bridging planks. The PSP is heavier gauge steel dating back to WWII and are a lot stronger than the more modern temporary road bedding. I cut off the connection tabs along the side and welded on some tubing lengthwise on the sides to further strengthen the planks. These are now strong enough to construct a short bridge to broach deep ditches, small deep creeks, etc. They also serve as ramps to climb over lower concrete abutments or steep berms, etc. If you have a vehicle with a very poor approach/departure angle these can allow you to clear obstacles that would otherwise stop you “dead”. They would also serve well as structural elements to set up a temporary barrier or roofing for a dug out position – being strong enough to support sand bags, rock, etc. – Tanker

 

JWR:
Your reader who wants to build a temporary road may wish to look at landscape fabric as an underlay to his road gravel.  He can buy it in 12′ x 300 rolls at wholesale landscape supply yards.  This tough fabric will prevent the gravel from being driven into the mud by truck traffic.  He will also not need excessive amounts of gravel that he would normally need to replace gravel lost due to truck traffic.  4-to-6 inches of 3/4″[minus] crushed rock should suffice.  I would recommend that anyone who wishes to build a gravel or asphalt road use this underlay to stabilize the road bed.  It more than pays for itself in reduced maintenance.

Your reader can then scrape up the gravel for use in building drainage or his above grade septic system.  Alternatively he can load the building site after freeze up and avoid a lot of expense.  It may be cheaper to run propane blowers and tarps to keep new concrete warm than it is to build his removable truck proof road. – LRM

Economics and Investing:

Does this sound familiar?: Treasury to tap pensions to help fund government. It is notable that the mass media is presently full of headlines about a banking official arrested for rape. But who is going to bring Tim Geithner to justice for raping millions of taxpayers? (On a similar note, SurvivalBlog reader R.E.T. wrote to mention: “If a private company did this, it would rightly be called theft and the CEO would go to jail.”

The Daily Bell interview: David Morgan on the Global Economy, Inflation, Recession and Where Silver Is Headed.

File Under “Sweet Irony”: No, it’s not a story from the Onion: Zimbabwe worried about U.S. dollar as reserve currency, urges move to gold-backed standard

The latest from Michael Pollaro: Monetary Watch May 2011, QE III courtesy of the private banks

Items from The Economatrix:

David Wilkerson: That Dreadful Day (coming economic collapse)

Bank of Mexico Buys 100 Tons of Gold in February, March

Mortgage Rates at 2011 Low, But Many Won’t Benefit

US Warned It Is Heading For An Economic Crisis

Era of US Economic Dominance Warned is Rapidly Coming to an End

Oil Drops Below $98; Pump Prices Fall Over Weekend

Debt Limit Reached; US Halts Two Pension Investments

Odds ‘n Sods:

I’m scheduled to be the guest on a podcast with Doc and DEMCAD tonight (Tuesday, May 17, 2011) at 6 p.m. Pacific / 9 p.m. Eastern time. I don’t do many podcast interviews, but I always make the time to talk to my friend Reggie. BTW, one of my previous interviews with him is archived on YouTube.

   o o o

Hundreds of herbal remedies now outlawed across Europe. (A hat tip to Marilyn R. for the link.)

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Loyal content contributor K.A.F. sent this: New Yorkers under 30 plan to flee city, says new poll; cite high taxes, few jobs as reasons

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The BATFE: “That bunch has a real corner on stupid”.

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Reader B.R. in Georgia wrote to mention: “Folks who want to buy ghee for storage should go find an [ethnic East] Indian grocery store. They carry Amul brand Ghee that is pure, made the old fashion way and it is in a sealed tin like the New Zealand butter. It does not require refrigeration after opening.”

Note from JWR:

We are now just inches away from logging 30 million unique visits to SurvivalBlog. I have an autographed copy of my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” set aside as a thank-you gift for any blogger with a Alexa traffic rank of 15,000, or less in the U.S. who mentions SurvivalBlog’s 30 million unique visit milestone celebration in their blog, with a link. (Just e-mail me a link to your blog post, and your mailing address.)

Finding Work in Your Intended New Locale

A key goal for many preppers is moving to a lightly-populated region that they deem safe. Except for retirees, the ability to relocate to another state often comes down to the practicalities of finding a job. I hear this all the time from SurvivalBlog readers and my consulting clients.

In the American Redoubt region, jobs tend to be lower paying than those on the east or west coasts. Many jobs are related to forestry, mining, and agriculture. Some jobs–especially in the timber industry–are seasonal. Some of the most stable jobs tend to be in healthcare, in city and county government, and at rock-solid businesses. These include well-established welding shops, supermarkets and hardware stores. There are of course also lots of service sector jobs and government jobs, with varying degrees of stability.

I’d recommend that you not take a job that is dependent on discretionary spending by customers. (For example, businesses related to pools and hot tubs, recreational vehicles, boats and Jet-Skis, home decor, beauty parlors, collectibles, furniture, and so forth.) In hard times, those will be the first businesses to shut down or lay off employees.

The following are some online resources that I’ve found in the five Redoubt States, from reader recommendations and some web searches. (Similar sites can quickly be found, for other states.)

Idaho

Montana

Eastern Oregon

Eastern Washington

Wyoming

 

Regional: Rocky Mountain / Inland Northwest Region Job Pages

 

Nationwide Job Search Resources:

The aforementioned sites are great resources, but don’t rely on just the Internet for your job search. Often, networking through family and church contacts is even more productive.

Remember: It is important to work diligently at finding a job. Do plenty of research and send out lots of resumes. You’ll likely get dozens of “no” responses before you get that all-important “yes”. If there are just a few companies in your target region that might hire in your field, then check their web sites frequently, for their job listing updates.

What if there are no jobs available in your career field, where you plan to live? Though still a rarity, there are some telecommuting positions available. And of course, don’t overlook self employment. If you go that route, then my advice is to launch several small businesses, because odds are that at least one of them will fail.