Writes Arwa Mahdawi, in "The latest billionaire trend? Doomsday bunkers with a flammable moat" (The Guardian).
If you don't want to spend much money/time on apocalypse, death is a simple Plan B.
But Mark Zuckerberg seems to be spending $270 million — chump change, for him — on a place he's got to fortify somehow. Even if he can get to it, how does he prevent other people from barging in... or his servants from rising up and slaughtering him for dinner?
One of the projects [Al Corbi, president of Strategically Armored & Fortified Environments] is working on (for an unnamed business mogul) is an island fortress with a flammable moat....
“We wound up literally building a 30-ft-deep lake [around the compound] skimmed with a lighter-than-water flammable liquid that can transform into a ring of fire,” Corbi explained to THR. “The only access to the island is a swing bridge.” And, of course, there are also backup water cannons to keep the poors out. Corbi enthusiastically noted that the cannons can also be used for recreation as well as water-boarding invaders: they can generate waves for a fun game of flag football on jet skis....
What could go wrong?
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118 comments:
When the apocalypse hits, and if you're not picked as one of the 144,000 to go up during the rapture...head to the nearest COSTCO.
You could probably last an additional month, and at least the food is good.
"Doomsday bunkers with a flammable moat"
"Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man." - George Patton
Dear Billionaires, if we can find your fortress, we can destroy your fortress...eventually.
But Mark Zuckerberg seems to be spending $270 million — chump change, for him — on a place he's got to fortify somehow.
Doesn't this make Zuckerberg a conspiracy theorist?
"I am not really built for battle"
Neither is Mark Zuckerberg. He'd be better of building a nuclear submarine.
I despise Zuckerberg.
Think of the charity he could give.
He is a white left self-absorbed self-righteous pompous greedy mother Fu**er.
I wouldn't worry so much about the servants "slaughtering him for dinner". I suspect they would be more likely to slaughter him for fun!
hahaha.
My two friends (who by the way are totally 100% liberal) we promise to ride together in a fast car zipping towards the Yellowstone Caldera - if it should ever burst into the huge world-ending eruption - promised by scientists.
Science + death. Just get it over with.
"I despise Zuckerberg.
Think of the charity he could give."
I'm no fan of his either, but it's his money and none of your damn business what he wastes it on. This think of the charity line is bullshit. How much of your extravagant wealth (on a global scale) do you donate? Why do you need that car? None of my damn business is it?
"When the apocalypse hits, and if you're not picked as one of the 144,000 to go up during the rapture...head to the nearest COSTCO."
thank you for the morning laugh.
Even if he can get to it, how does he prevent other people from barging in... or his servants from rising up and slaughtering him for dinner?
He prevents himself by keeping himself lean. I bet he would be quite gamey. Surely there is a nicely fattened servant they will go for first.
So…some of the wealthy view their economic success as proof of their superior genetic humanity. As such they indulge themselves with certain thoughts. I recall one disturbingly academically pedigreed couple, no mere ivy leaguers, informing us mere mortals about their ‘obligation’ to produce offspring for the betterment of society. Me, thinking of the mean reverting dominant/recessive rules every dog breeder games, I could only imagine the couple’s preparatory academies must have had far more critical subjects to teach than the two weeks of genetics I got in public school biology, but no matter…
Zuck is merely doing his part, Zuck thinks…that or he’s run out of ideas on how to waste money. Then again, watching doosh bags get deep fried in my moat sounds like a pleasant evening…
Place your 10 votes for Biden in the roving Zuckerbox.
My moat has alligators innit- sniff….
"or his servants from rising up and slaughtering him for dinner?"
I too have had that thought. If civilization has collapsed then money is useful mostly as kindling for starting fires. Presumably the billionaires' retreat is being guarded by big guys with guns to keep the masses out. Why wouldn't those guys chuck out the useless redoubt denizens and appropriate the food and gear for themselves? The only thing that I can think of is that the food is stored in a vault that can only be accessed by the billionaire using a code phrase and to prevent him from being tortured to provide it he has another code phrase that, if used, would cause the food store to be destroyed.
Guess these smarter than you guys don't really understand siege warfare.
Also, who's going to man the guns? Paid security? What happens when they jump ship? They need to read what Machiavelli said about using mercenaries.
I think we all take elaborate precautions to escape death. Me, I limit my intake of BBQ and hyperbillionaires build apocalypse proof homes. Still, the damn thing happens. All the time and to everyone. It's a democratic and equitable institution although not always in its timing. ....I'm not religious, and I can't think of any upside to death. I suppose the healthy thing is to not spend too much time fretting about it. Don't worry yourself to death, as it were. Everybody is going to have their own personal apocalypse eventually.....There's no real harm in building a secure fortress. It provides useful work for designers and construction workers. I'd be more into a luxury yacht, but maybe something serendipitous will come out of it. Flammable moats might find a useful application for beach barbecues or for use in the Red Sea.
By the way, in the movie "My Super Ex-girlfriend" it is implied that Owen Wilson's character works for a firm that designs and constructs the sort of fortresses that would have flaming moats, for super/Bond type villians.
Make that Luke Wilson's character
The first rule of apocalypse survival bunker is to never talk about apocalypse survival bunker.
Arwa Mahdawi said...
"What’s your plan for the apocalypse? I’ll tell you what mine is: death. I am not really built for battle.... Plus, even if I was hardier – who wants to live a few extra months in a completely destroyed world?"
Dylan Thomas responded...
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Health insurance is the same way. It's a bet that you'll get sick expensively but won't die, which is a narrow situation. Skip the bet and pay for what sickness you can, and die when you can't.
In return you have a lot more money to spend in normal life.
“We wound up literally building a 30-ft-deep lake [around the compound] skimmed with a lighter-than-water flammable liquid that can transform into a ring of fire,” Corbi explained to THR. “The only access to the island is a swing bridge.”
Dr Evil said...
"... And have sharks with frickin laser beams on their head."
how does he prevent other people from barging in... or his servants from rising up and slaughtering him for dinner?
For all their preparations, I wonder how much they've thought about that part--when the apocalypse comes, their glorious compound will not be run by the richest guy--their money will be worthless--it will be run by the most canny and ruthless guy. Which is probably their security chief. Certainly not them.
A second Civil War is way more likely after the Left jails Trump. And, of course, Zuck's $250m spent on "fortifying" the last election was a major cause of our second Civil War.
The Left has pushed and pushed and they assume that the Right will continue to obey the laws. I'm not at all sure about that anymore and I'm a big Rule of Law guy. The cheaters have gotten away with way too much.
The rich like Zuck f*cks up everything and then... runs to their bunker.. Just like Biden.
"The first rule of apocalypse survival bunker is to never talk about apocalypse survival bunker."
Bingo. If you're not building it yourself or have the sadism to assassinate the contractors, the information - when needed - will spread like wildfire.
The best defense in a truly world-ending scenario is to be on the water or under it. If you're on land, any land including islands, you're eventually screwed.
Oh for Pete's sake. What a stupid thing to prepare for.
I'm reminded of my brother who has in his house a whole year's worth of canned food. He's had it for many years now. I question the need for it.
The other thing to consider is apocalypse is not a digital. Like toothpaste there are degrees- everyday, advanced, complete, etc. Some of that shit may come in handy for the milder versions…
I recently took up archery. I half joke (but it's only half a joke), that when the apocalypse comes, I'll have at least 1 useful skill. But the reality is, I wouldn't last longer than the food in my freezer and I'm not sure I'd want to.
I recently applied to be a volunteer at a hospice organization that had been a big help to me. The application asked if I fear death. I don't. I fear suffering.
Arwa can take a little comfort. Any fool that spends millions on his doomsday bunker and then squanders his fuel supply by making a burning moat isn't going to last long either way.
..."of course, there are also backup water cannons to keep the poors out. Corbi enthusiastically noted that the cannons can also be used for recreation as well as water-boarding invaders: they can generate waves for a fun game of flag football on jet skis...."
Criminy, what, did Mr. Billions read f*uckin Peter Pan before he built his bunker, or what?
There are ways. Alexander the Great built a causeway to destroy offshore island of Tyre.
I am pretty sure that once I lose access to the evil produce of Big Pharma, I will be dead within a year, even assuming I somehow maintained access to food and water and was able to defend it, like my grandpa died before me, before these drugs were invented.
"really understand siege warfare"
Troy held out for ten years.
In a fortress where do the mercenaries spent their money? Speaking of money, are they paid in Bitcoin, greenbacks, gold or Amazon points?
Risk Assessment
A bugout bunker is digging your own grave while creating a supply depot for real survivors. The billionaires building these places are going to be murdered by their security staff if the world goes feral. Having a million rounds of ammunition is pretty worthless if you can only operate one firearm.
If nothing bad happens, you'll end up wasting a ton of money, will still be an angry resentful paranoid conspiracy nutter, and will be surrounded by like-minded enablers for "friends".
*********************************************
Being physically and mentally strong and healthy is the best insurance for whatever future may arise. Don't rely on prescription drugs. Be capable of getting around under your own power all day every day for weeks and weeks using your own internal navigation system. Be lean and well muscled. Have the ability to perform long hours at hard labor. Have a solid diversity of construction and mechanical skills. Design and construct your kids and grandkids to be antifragile. Have lots of friends who share your values for arts, crafts, health and activity.
If nothing bad happens, you will get the most out of life as is possible.
I can just about gaurantee one thing. The guys that built this for you? Will get there first.
The world is disrupted. Everything is in chaos. Now I'm going to get in my SUV and drive smoothly a couple of hundred miles to my fortress of solitude. Yeah, sure.
My plan.
Live in leftist populated middle class area. Stock up on guns and ammo. Your neighbors will supply the food.
>>And, of course, there are also backup water cannons to keep the poors out.<<
Water cannons? Really? Have they never heard of machine guns? I think they perhaps misapprehend the ultimate situation.
Remember the Alamo.
I agree on the "charity" angle. It's no more than Envy, which is a sin. Donate your own goddamned money. Criticize Zuck all you want but it's his money to told with what he wishes.
Save your wrath for politicians who actually spend _your_ money.
Does it bother anyone else that guys like Zuckerberg who have gotten absurdly wealthy by ripening the world for societal collapse think that their money could enable them to survive it?
At my age, Plan B is my only plan.
There's so much about this issue I don't understand. Apparently some people on the left went to elaborate lengths to post ads next to some anti-Semitic content on "X" and to use such examples to damage the X brand and subvert Musk's advertising revenue. The left has a First Amendment right to do this. X, however, has no First Amendment right to post the anti-Semitic content. I don't understand the nuances.....Hamas has some kind of oppressed people of the earth right to rape, murder and kidnap Israeli civilians but if anti-Semitic content leaks onto an internet site, then the left wants to shut that site down.
I won't survive a nuclear war- I live 1.5 miles from a primary target sure to be hit multiple times, but I would advocate any surviving "poors" take note of where these bunkers are and pump in carbon monoxide through the air vents. That is the least they could do to take revenge for the world ending.
The world is turning into a mashup of the Iron Man and Batman rich guy back stories, and where every billionaire is a potential Bond villain. If not for nuclear weapons, spy satellites, drones, and lab virus engineering, I'd have said this ends with peasants bringing torches and pitchforks to all the cookie-cutter Epstein Islands and taking them back.
Given the current ability of any billionaire to fund their own weapons systems and bribe the clueless and sycophantic non-tech politicians to get their way, I'm counting the days until a crazy billionaire does something truly crazy. Owning a mega yacht or private island makes this possible.
When they found the survivors of HMS Bounty, there was only one male survivor. The others had killed each other fighting over the women.
This survival business is harder than it looks.
I do love that even Billionaires are gonna die someday.
I applaud Zuckerberg for planning ahead in case Trump is reelected. Kidding.
The smart thing to do is announce construction of a massive apocalypse bunker that's actually a decoy. Then quietly build several secret small ones in various other places, just for your family.
Most people look at Roland Emmerich movies as being absurd, but apparently some billionaires think he may be on to something.
As long as the grocer has plenty of apostrophe's we'll be fine.
"What could go wrong?"
When the apocalypse arrives, everything has gone wrong.
I've long thought that the Bezos sailing superyacht is part of his apocalypse survival plan --
No-one ever uses the sails on these sailing superyachts after the first demonstration, but they do offer unlimited global range if one wants to travel at a time when stopping to refuel might be ill-advised.
After giving the matter further thought, I suppose the bunker could be rigged to self-destruct if a code phrase is not supplied every 24 hours, but if I was building the bunker I would certainly hard code another phrase so that I could take control of the bunker.
Are posts being swallowed up again?
My liberals friends and i are going to drive towards the Caldera eruption at Yellowstone - if it ever happens. Against the traffic trying to flee.
In Daniel Suarez book "Daemon" there was a house that had gasoline connected to the lawn sprinkler system. Seems like that might be more cost effective than a flaming moat.
John Henry
well was a ds9 episode where sisko, played kind of a bond villain archetype, who wanted to use lasers to flood the earth, of course his headquarters was up on mt everest,
I won't survive a nuclear war- I live 1.5 miles from a primary target sure to be hit multiple times...
That was always a hot topic amongst us kids that had been isolated from the rest of the grade school population. A few of my classmates swore we'd go before Livermore and Oak Ridge because of what was behind the gates at the base outside Saratoga. I was on the side of mad men bent on wiping out the population centers. I've since evolved and believe cultural references and ignorance of how things works will mean some unexplainable doozies. I mean yah, that's where the military leaders are but it's not like there's no contingencies for command...but that's not the worst of it. Yes, it does say 'World Trade Center' on the outside but that doesn't mean that's what in the middle...
a 30-ft-deep lake [around the compound] skimmed with a lighter-than-water flammable liquid that can transform into a ring of fire...
Bet he bitches about global warming all the time.
Chief of security. Sure, Zuck you have the code to the food room and we sure need that. That's a toughy. But I'm not sure you remaining in charge is theoptimal solution. Let me think about your demands as my guys watch you swim laps in the rng-o-fire.
I asked at Publix. They don't carry 'em but they did help me fill out a product request card...
"Corbi enthusiastically noted that the cannons can also be used for recreation as well as water-boarding invaders: they can generate waves for a fun game of flag football on jet skis..."
...until one of the onlookers flicks a cigarette into the moat...
Perhaps we shouldn't discount the actions of some of the world's smartest people who also have a knack for predicting the future. I can't even imagine how much more information (accurate too!) that they have access to.
If billionaires and those with access to better info than us are worried, and spending enormous capital to prepare: maybe I should worry too.
Side observation: boy, there sure seems to be a lot of interest internationally for establishing a moon base.
Luke 21:29-36 And He told them a parable: Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they sprout leaves, you seed it and know of yourselves that the summer is already near. So also you, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you that this generation shall by no means pass away until all things happen. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall by no means pass away. But take heed to yourselves lest perhaps your hearts be weighed down with debauchery and drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day come upon you suddenly as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth. But be watchful at every time, beseeching that you would prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and stand before the Son of Man.
As for Bezos sailing superyacht: sailing vessels require a large crew, and mutinies are not unknown.
No sharks with lasers on their heads?
Disappointing...
Sorry, Zuck, but pleas for mercy are contrary to our Community Standards. [opens fire]
A Neo-feudalist lord needs a modern-day castle.
And Zukabug knows them zombies will go crazy wanting to get their teeth into that big, juicy brain they heard so much about.
Being physically and mentally strong and healthy is the best insurance for whatever future may arise. Don't rely on prescription drugs. Be capable of getting around under your own power all day every day for weeks and weeks using your own internal navigation system. Be lean and well muscled. Have the ability to perform long hours at hard labor. Have a solid diversity of construction and mechanical skills. Design and construct your kids and grandkids to be antifragile. Have lots of friends who share your values for arts, crafts, health and activity.
Muscled is fine, lean is not. I lift several times a week and can still bench 250 a few times. I also take long walks and hikes, and managed 15 miles a day for a couple of weeks on the Camino de Santiago. But I also enjoy my food and drink. I am carrying 80 more pounds of blubber than is good for me now, but in an end of the world scenario, it could keep me alive for months of starvation.
GRANDCHILDREN!
Article is in The Guardian.
"This survival business is harder than it looks."
Most of you aren't going to make it.
Being physically and mentally strong and healthy is the best insurance for whatever future may arise. Don't rely on prescription drugs. Be capable of getting around under your own power all day every day for weeks and weeks using your own internal navigation system. Be lean and well muscled. Have the ability to perform long hours at hard labor. Have a solid diversity of construction and mechanical skills. Design and construct your kids and grandkids to be antifragile. Have lots of friends who share your values for arts, crafts, health and activity.
If nothing bad happens, you will get the most out of life as is possible.
It's simple, really. Just be perfect, like Howard in his imagination.
In the immortal words of Darby O'Gill: "Sure, and you wisht for the big house, but did ya wish fer the sahrvants to tend it fer ya?"
Why does an article marked as “NY Post” link to the Guardian?
"Doesn't this make Zuckerberg a conspiracy theorist?"
No, it shows he is prudent and is making preparations for at least one possible future contingency. No conspiracy of bad guys is necessary, simply the sudden disintegration of ordered society and the eruption of chaos. If I had his means, I would be doing something similar.
"He is a white left self-absorbed self-righteous pompous greedy mother Fu**er."
How do you differentiate him from white right self-absorbed self-righteous pompous greedy motherfuckers?
"Oh for Pete's sake. What a stupid thing to prepare for.
I'm reminded of my brother who has in his house a whole year's worth of canned food. He's had it for many years now. I question the need for it."
It's for: Just in case.
I wonder how many of these rich people building such survival compounds were alarmed/inspired by Cormac McCarthy's The Road?
When I was stationed in Germany long ago, I met some elderly Germans who had lived through WWII. I asked about their thoughts of another world war (this was during the Cold War). They said, "I hope the first bomb lands on me." They didn't want to go through that again, and the aftermath of a nuclear war would've been worse than what they survived.
Those billionaires are free to spend their money on whatever they please, but I have to wonder if they've given this much thought. Even if they survive the great upheaval, what comes afterwards? Eventually, their food will run out. Do they have the means and skills to grow more? Their technology won't work and there will be no one to build them new stuff. Their clothes will fall apart and there won't be anyone to make them new clothes. They can probably survive for a time, but to what point? Dying naked and starving doesn't sound like a good way to go, but you be you.
Smoking.
I've long thought that the Bezos sailing superyacht is part of his apocalypse survival plan --
No-one ever uses the sails on these sailing superyachts after the first demonstration, but they do offer unlimited global range if one wants to travel at a time when stopping to refuel might be ill-advised.
I thought the same and almost commented about it. Then I looked up the Koru and discovered it travels with a 75m motor yacht that carries all the extra provisions that couldn't be stored on the sailing yacht.
It's a common theme in science fiction, where a person builds a shelter or refuge for the end of civilization, and then can't hold on to it. The first example that I remember is that episode of the Twilight Zone, The Shelter, where the neighbors break down the door to the doctor's bomb shelter during a perceived nuclear attack.
It's actually become a more common theme in recent years. Civilization is what protects property rights. With no civilization, there are no property rights anymore. Stuff will belong to belong to the people with the ability to take it and hold it.
"A bugout bunker is digging your own grave while creating a supply depot for real survivors. The billionaires building these places are going to be murdered by their security staff if the world goes feral."
If I were doing this, I wouldn't have security staff. The only people with me would be my closest friends and loved ones who chose to join me. (That would amount to only a handful of people, at most.) My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach, and its location secret.
When the raging hoards come to burn down the suburbs I may die but I’m going to take some of them down first. It will cost them.
"I can just about guarantee one thing. The guys that built this for you? Will get there first. The world is disrupted. Everything is in chaos. Now I'm going to get in my SUV and drive smoothly a couple of hundred miles to my fortress of solitude. Yeah, sure."
A hundred miles away? My bunker would be on another continent. I hear a number of rich guys have been looking at New Zealand.
Does anybody have an estimate of how much toilet paper and hand sanitizer Zuckerberg is stocking in his apocalypse compound.
Those were the most valuable items at the beginning of the COVID panic. I'd imagine they will be a valuable commodity when when society collapses, or the north pole melts.
What else is on an apocalypse survival list? Water based personal lubricants? Feminine hygiene products for the men's bathroom?
Blogger Joe Biden Is Corrupt said...
I despise Zuckerberg.
Think of the charity he could give.
He is a white left self-absorbed self-righteous pompous greedy mother Fu**er.
2/26/24, 8:22 AM
Tell us how you really feel. Seriously, what’s his biggest crime? Being white? I suspect I’m right or why would his race come up?
"My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach, and its location secret."
I think the main issue there is that somebody has to build it, so how can you keep its location secret? Also, remote and difficult to reach means you will face challenges getting to it when society collapses.
I saw the movie adaptation of "The Road." Most depressing thing I have ever seen.
Also, if its remote and difficult to reach, what are you going to do about resupply? What about medical care? Suppose somebody gets sick or gets in an accident and requires something more than bandages. How much antibiotics can you store and for how long. Will there be electricity and if so how will it be produced. What happens when the generator breaks and there is no spare part. I just don't think that a bunker is practical.
If billionaires are smart, they'll realize that their money and assets are worthless in a societal collapse. They'll also come to grips with the fact that life in a bunker or even an island with an army of people you can't pay is gonna be miserable. People with guns, bulldozers, and boats will be coming to raid their stash.
So, as they think about this, maybe they'll quit trying to make another buck and help figure out how to prevent the world from coming unglued. (this goes for world leaders with bunkers too).
Robert Cook: good luck getting to your bunker without being detected when the shit hits the fan.
Hassayamper: Maybe you are a great athlete carrying around 80 lb of blubber and don't have any medical issues that are solved by modern society. Also don't forget your athletic prowess is based on your modern well-fed pampered lifestyle. I could see however your skinnier neighbors desperate for a meal would appreciate the amount of calories that you're storing for the village.
boatbuilder: what I described is not perfection it is a minimum standard required to be a reliable human being. I thought you Trump supporters bragged about being old school into personal responsibility.
>Robert Cook said...
My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach,<
That's fine if you have a lot of lead time on the impending apocalypse to get to it. Otherwise - if the shit hits the fan abruptly, as is most likely - it will be as difficult for you to reach as it is for anyone else, with lots of opportunities for dying along the way.
>and its location secret.<
For awhile.
~20% of Hiroshima's population died in the first few days after the nuclear attack. Another 20% were injured. Yet they did not give up, even after the explosion and the resulting firestorm. You can't get much more apocalyptic than that. 60% survived, although they had no preparation to deal with the effects of a weapon they had never seen before.
The black plague, WWII, Stalinist purges, Maoist starvation -- all of these were apocalyptic events that engulfed large areas, and from which there was little chance of escape. Yet most people did not choose death.
You probably won't choose death either. A very small amount of preparation will help ensure that you don't have to survive on rats and water from the gutter.
--batteries and a generator to provide a basic level of power
--Propane enough for a week or so and a camp stove.
--10 to 15 gallons of potable water (I fill up empty distilled water bottles with water from the tap, and change it out every so often)
--A basic first aid kit that includes 90 day supply of critical prescription meds
--A pantry where you have overbought non-perishable food items that you enjoy and will eat anyway (spaghetti, peanut butter, baking supplies, snacks)
--A few basic first aid and basic disaster preparedness classes
--A good relationship with your neighbors
--A thousand dollars or so in 20s in a fireproof safe
You could do that, except the neighborly relations and classes, on a Saturday Morning.
There is an apocalyptic event that is almost certain to occur, and will probably kill a huge percentage of the earth's population while kicking civilization back a couple hundred years. It is, of course, a coronal mass ejection like the Carrington event. Knock out the electrical transmission network for all the Americas or Europe and that is the end of life as we know it for quite a long time.
It would also be pretty simple to survive it, even though few would survive in the affected areas. Two people on a reasonably well stocked and fitted out 30' sailboat could survive a year at sea continuously. You could sail to a part of the earth that wasn't hit and still had intact infrastructure. No security guys to worry about either. I also plan on dying if that day comes, but survival needn't cost too much or be all that difficult to manage.
If I were doing this, I wouldn't have security staff. The only people with me would be my closest friends and loved ones who chose to join me.
Cook will have a his own SCIF - Secret Commune In Forest
Cook posited, "If I were doing this, I wouldn't have security staff. The only people with me would be my closest friends and loved ones who chose to join me. (That would amount to only a handful of people, at most.) My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach, and its location secret."
The chances of ever getting to your "remote" hideout are slim to none. What? Do you think the roads are going to be clear and the route open? No. Everybody is going to going somewhere. At least one of your friens will have given your hideout away soon after you've built it. Difficult to reach? Is there a road or a trail leading to it? Then it isn't remote.
Have a plan for where you live now. You don't have to travel if all the gear you need to survive for seveal months is where you live. Stockpile medications and medical supplies.
In two months half the people where you live will be dead. After four monthas very few people will be left. The ones that are left will be armed and very savage.
If after six months you're still alive I'll be very impressed. Add another very impressed if you haven't yet resorted to cannibalism.
Basic survival is very, very hard. 98% of the people of this country aren't mentaly capable of enduring it.
"Robert Cook said...
If I were doing this, I wouldn't have security staff. The only people with me would be my closest friends and loved ones who chose to join me. (That would amount to only a handful of people, at most.) My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach, and its location secret."
Unless you have the skills and equipment to build your bunker yourself, the people who built it will know where it is. And being remote and all, they'll be able to get there first. Unless you plan on killing the people who built your bunker like some tyrants of old were known to do.
The thing I love about the let's go 'innawoods' forested seclusion plans people have is do you really think you're the only one thinking that? What is your probability model of how many others are thinking that? Is it 1% of the population in your local area? Is it 5%? Is it 10%? How local is local? Is it 100 miles? Is it the entire Eastern Seaboard? What?
The mathematics is simple, you're most definitely not going to be alone 'innawoods' for very long until someone else who decided to go 'innawoods' finds you, or your 'residence', or spoor related to your presence. You might actually be better off in cities with their pre-prepared concrete and steel 'fortifications' if that's the case.
Mobility and movement are survival in such a scenario. People that have planes and boats, or better yet a plane that can get you to a boat, would have the lowest costs associated with their survival. No wonder rich guys have lots of these.
Robert Cook: "If I were doing this, I wouldn't have security staff. The only people with me would be my closest friends and loved ones who chose to join me. (That would amount to only a handful of people, at most.) My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach, and its location secret."
I'll take death over hunkering down in a survival bunker with Robert Cook. Easy choice.
If you have a boat with the range (or a plane that you're comfortable crash-landing or bailing out of) I highly recommend you choose S. Pacific islands within a 500-750 mile radius of the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, aka Point Nemo. There's quite a few that could sustain life - although it won't be much of one - for a small band with very close personal relationships within reasonable sailing time of Pitcairn Island.
You would need to find a way to protect your boat if you brought one, preferably removing it from the water altogether, and then camouflaging it from sight. The hundreds of subs worldwide would quickly start scouting the globe for signs as soon as they were done blowing each other up, and putting a MK48 under the keel of your mega-yacht just stranded, and fixed you, as a target.
A thousand dollars or so in 20s in a fireproof safe
I do this too, but more like $3000. Useful for hurricanes and such, but not for Weimar/Zimbabwe level financial collapse or global thermonuclear war. I also keep about $200 face value of pre-1964 junk silver in my gun safe, worth about $3500 last time I checked, along with a couple of Krugerrands and a thousand Swiss francs. Not to mention twenty or thirty thousand rounds of ammunition in a dozen calibers and gauges.
Once everything has gone to shit, I'm gonna be enjoying the Mad Max world of no rules, vigilantism, and instant justice. I'll be doling it out as needed, until something brings me down. It sounds like a very satisfyingly way to end my life along with my civilization. I'm not alone in this.
"Robert Cook: 'If I were doing this, I wouldn't have security staff. The only people with me would be my closest friends and loved ones who chose to join me. (That would amount to only a handful of people, at most.) My bunker would be remote, difficult to reach, and its location secret.'
"I'll take death over hunkering down in a survival bunker with Robert Cook. Easy choice."
HALLELUJAH, WE AGREE! I too, would take your death over hunkering in a survival bunker with you!
"Unless you have the skills and equipment to build your bunker yourself, the people who built it will know where it is. And being remote and all, they'll be able to get there first. Unless you plan on killing the people who built your bunker like some tyrants of old were known to do."
Weeeellll....there are always things one can do to eliminate potential problems.
If the Germans had invaded England in 1940 the plan was to evacuate the Royal family and govt to Puerto Rico. The US govt fortified the bejeezus out of Roosevelt Roads. with lots of deeply burried bunkers, 3 double 16" gun installations, a dozen or so 5 & 10" installations.
The power station was built to similar specs as the submarine pens Nazaire. Two roofs, each @6' thick, walls 6' thick all with 1" rebar on 6" centers. Deep bunkers under AFWTF Hill for the royals, a bunker throne room on TV Hill.
This will give you an idea of how the owerhouse was built http://darkislandpr.blogspot.com/2018/01/roosevelt-roads-powerhouse.html
Lots of other fortifications big and small.
About 200 yards in front of my house, as the crow flies, there are 3 observation bunkers. They served some 10" gun emplacement down towards the beach. You can see them here https://w3w.co/flatten.gulped.packets
They should be pretty substantial against the zombie attacks. The engineering spec was proof against a direct hit by a 10" naval shell.
But they are about 20X20X10 and I would not fancy spending a lot of time in them.
John Henry
More recently Yamashita(?) Supposedly buried a lot of gold in the Philipines that the Japanese looted from China and elsewhere. Huge underground tunnels, allegedly. Built by Chinese and Philippine slave labor. When completed, elaborately disguised and pretty much everyone who knew about them was murdered and buried in them.
One story is that Marcos found the gold and that was the source of his wealth. Another is that the CIA found it and it is the source of their wealth.
And a lot of people think it is made up bullshit.
Me? I have no idea but it is an interesting tale.
John Henry
I had never watched Narcos before, never thought I would find it interesting. For some reason I watched S1E1 2 weeks ago. And then I watched all 60 episodes 4-6 at a time. One Hell of a program.
In one of the early episodes they are building a huge marijuana farm out in the desert. They could not risk anyone knowing where it was so they would bus in hundreds of workers daily with burlap bags over their heads.
That might work constructing a bunker. If you could find people willing to put up with it.
John Henry
Along about april or may every year we start stocking up on Costco trips. By July, I want 15 or so bricks of water (480 bottles) 4-5 cases of beans, 20# of rice, a couple dozen cans of chicken, dried soup and other food.
I also have about 15 5 gallon gas cans plus what the cars and gennies will hold. I will fill them when we hear the hurricane is coming. Ditto propane cylinders. Ditto a couple thousand in cash.
I want to be able to go 2-3 weeks with stores being closed, gas not available or only with 6-8 hour lines, credit cards not working because the network and electric is down and so on.
But that is about the most I am willing to plan for. Total collapse? Well, I've had a good life and it is nearly time to go anyway. Not worth the effort to live like that for an extra month or so.
John Henry
Key and Peele's "last man on Earth" skit may be prophetic.
Reminds me of all the preppers prior to Y2K. How'd that turn out?
TestTube at 1:55 has it correct.
We live in prime earthquake territory and are prepared to make it at least three weeks to a month without water, electricity, etc.
Cthulhu as a Jack Chick tract:
Who Will Be Eaten First?
Do they still have the "burning oil" part of the swim test in Naval OCS?
Also, water cannons are a counter-measure to burning moats.
if formed the back story for cryptonomicon why the Defense secretary not named McNamara had deployed forces in the region
"If you don't want to spend much money/time on apocalypse, death is a simple Plan B."
Actually it's Plan A for all of us.
Right now - Crook liar Joe is having an informant - trusted for over a decade - thrown in jail because he dared to reveal the truth about Crook Liar Fraud Joe Biden.
Humanoid robots solve this conundrum.
Back in the 1970s an early role playing game about survival in a post-apocalyptic world (sorta like DnD but with radiation mutated critters instead of fantasy monsters) became a bit popular. The goal was to amass enough stuff to survive. Defeating a feral German Shepherd (inedible after death, too glowy) might bring your group the reward of one plastic spork found in his lair. In short, the rewards were grossly disproportionate to the risks and hardships.
That seems to me to be a good way to think about this subject. As to Zuck's hidey hole, the movie "A Boy And His Dog" comes to mind. But that is a different subject entirely.
Hufu
Roll over and go back to sleep. "He died doing what loved."
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