I live in the Catskills, I was wondering if anyone could tell me how safe this area would be during a nuclear war. There are military bases in the area but the closest is about 30 miles.
My guess is that you are far too close to the population centers let alone the bases. One publication suggests that the bulk of the deaths in a post-nuclear exchange would be from rioting and starvation v/s the actual blast and subsequent radiation. When considering the preparation process, there is also the issue that NY is among, if not the highest tax and regulatory state in the union.
Not a good thing, IMHO.
If the rioting and starvation arent good enough reasons, try rampant third world diseases attacking severely weakened immune systems. Death by diahhrea isnt pretty.
you would be a lot better off in long term planning by going somewhere else. Take a good look at Strategic Relocation. Its well worth the money.
Let me second Eds comments. He has spoken more directly to an important facet of your question.
Its generally recommended that a prudent approach to planning suggests that the location be not only somewhat secluded but also more than one tank of gas away from major a population center. For an average car, I would guess that means ~400 miles.
A rudimentary approach would be to take a compass and using Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC and perhaps even Pittsburgh as centers draw a series of 400 mile radius circles around each. You'll want to relocate outside of those circles if at all possible.
Joel and others counsel to locate outside of a small, morally based town where you can get and offer support but but generally "be where everyone else is not."
Unless there were some government coordinated relocation program to relocate the population, the majority of those who choose to live in the cities would be pretty much confined within the various 400 mile radius'. Since any sort of a Civil Defense plan for the general population has long since been abandoned, I doubt that any mass relocation arrangement exists.
Its is interesting to note that government has several "survival retreats" including Mt. Weather, located near DC and also a modern complex located under the Greenbriar Motel in West Virginia.
Next time you go to New York City consider for a moment that the street and criminal population you note as you travel through the city will, in the absence of law and order, take over portions if not all of the city. The population, disarmed by anti-gun laws, will be driven slowly out of the city and into the country side.
Guess who's coming to dinner?
Along with Joels book as suggested by Ed, I might also suggest that you go up on Amazon and purchase "Patriots" by James Wesley Rawls. That is a well written, theoretical account of how this scenario might play out.
I got Patriots by Rawls and I couldnt put it down, in fact, I called in sick, ..... oooops.
Speaking of which, it was a really good book. Very realistic too. (the reason why there were no livestock at the farm in Idaho was because livestock would be a magnet to looters and un-invited guests- a sure sign of the presence of food.......) I wont give it all away, but there were some what I thought were shallow minded criticisms of the book (liberals?)
it wasnt expensive either, and the book is also aimed at education via a novel/story format.
We lived in upstate NY years ago, near Albany, and still know our way around the area. There are communities which are somewhat isolated and people might unify for mutual support in a crisis, and I do believe one could find places reasonably safe from marauders for a while at least. But for anything long term, beyond a few months, I'd not recommend upstate NY. A nice place to be from.
I grew up in New York, south of Buffalo. I agree with the other comments, and the state motto should be "Land of Laws and Taxes". I have not lived there in many years, but I have visited relatives from time to time.
For my money, the Catskills are too close to NYC for comfort, though the northwestern part near Binghamton might not be bad. If I HAD to pick a location in New York, I would suggest the Finger Lakes region and south of there to the Pennsylvania border. It's quite far enough from NYC, Albany, Buffalo and Rochester, not 400 miles, but far enough for protection. This is a region of great natural beauty and excellent farming potential, with broad, beautiful hills and plenty of water. It is somewhat depressed economically, which is both a plus and a minus. I am not aware of any nuclear targets to the west which would pose a fallout threat.
One might find an economic base in Syracuse or Binghamton and a very secluded rural site within 1-2 hours drive. Ithaca is the home of Cornell University, and another possible economic base, but with its fair share of liberal PC types and homosexuals.
i would like to add my two cents.
first having read "patriots" by rawles i can agree with the assesment of the book. IT IS well worth your time in getting it, dont know if amazon still has it but thats where i bought from.
second thing: having lived on long island and drove thru the city and upstate area a few times i can agree with most of the people here.
small towns near the finger lakes are fine and
binghamton is also fine but dont stay too long as
you have fort drum just north of the area.
and that aint a good thing. plus you might have
some military bases near by also.
oh yeah and BUY joels book "strategic relocation" it is one heck of a good info gold mine!!
hope that helps.
Hey Mario: I used to live in Sullivan County (Heart of the Catskills). Were do you live? I live in Great Falls Montana now & I'd rather be back in the Catskills cause I could always hid out in the mtns. Sometimes the best place to hid is right under someones nose. If I could afford it, I would move back to Sullivan County bringing tons o' guns from Montana with me and fade away into the woodwork. Write me back at marcusa56@hotmail.com. Later. Marcus
Any thoughts about the Adirondack region of upstate N.Y. ? It seems far enough away from NYC.
To Olek and others,
Here are a few thoughts on the Adirondacks region...
If you are a serious "cold-weather person" this may work. With the cold temperatures for such along season, it isn't one of my top choices.
Also, don't forget black fly month in June.
My point being, although it is beautiful, the climate is harsh for most of the year.
As you may know, there are many vacation homes throughout the area and I have found that even areas which were previously relatively "undiscovered", are now crawling with people in the summer, although most do go away after Labor Day.
The property taxes are a bit high (as in the rest of NYS).
One thing that specifically concerns me is the increased military presence in the general area.
Fort Drum is in Watertown (on the western side of the Adirondacks)and this may be a target. It is not unusual to see or hear fighter planes doing manuevers over the lakes and mountains during those beautiful summer days. This occurs over the western Adirondacks, I'm not sure about the eastern side.
Interestingly, in the past 10 or so years they Army has built many little enclaves of "married housing" as it is called by some of the locals in the surrounding small towns. Most (if not all) of these towns were inhabited with descendants of the originals settlers, 100% white, many families who still do things the old ways (canning, large gardens ie rather self-sufficient). There are many dairy farms in the area and considerable Mennonite and to a lessor extent, Amish communities there too. I feel the the Feds deliberately choose these small towns to build housing in to "integrate" and establish a presence in the area. There certainly were places much closer to the base to build housing. It has definitely affected the school systems and the areas.
Hope this is helpful,
Celene
Hi.
Anyone have any suggestions about the upstate NY area known as Maplecrest? I've heard it's a beautiful, thriving countryside-ish area, but in a war-scenario would it be a safe place to be?
-- SJS.