Ever watched a disaster movie? Sure you have. Remember the point where the media releases the truth about what is happening, be it alien invasion, biological or chemical attack?

Everyone runs around screaming, and you get a montage of people looting stores, driving recklessly and crashing all over the place, fights breaking out, things like that. Kind of like the first two minutes of this video:



Any kind of severe weather warning sees bread, milk, eggs and other short-life items go flying off the shelves. And forget going shopping if there is a legitimate disaster. People will kill each other for the last bottle of water in the store.


The following link is to show us what happens during disasters. This article is about the H1N1 virus. It was small scale, and it was still showing up. Imagine Z-Day.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine-flu/5258923/Swine-flu-supermarkets-prepare-for-panic-buying.html

This page is intended to show that if anything, The Panic in movies is underplayed. If your plan involves waiting until disaster is right on your doorstep, then you will get caught up in The Panic, and most likely killed.

Most new member plans involve the following:

• Waiting until the last minute to prepare
• Going to Wal-Mart/other supermarket, the gun store, and/or the gas station
• Driving out of town as fast as possible

This is your first plan. And unsurprisingly, it is EVERYONE'S first plan. So if everyone is heading to the same locations, the chances of The Panic starting there are incredibly high.





This is how people act when they are SHOPPING. You think it will be any better when they are trying to get food during a national emergency?

Your plan should involve preparation beforehand, and you should move to a safe place (your BOL) either before OR after The Panic hits your area.



These first few stages happen over days and weeks. You might notice them in other people before you do in yourself. Everyone seems subdued, less eye contact, fewer smiles. THIS is the time to begin your final preparations. Whilst others are simply stocking up on three weeks worth of groceries rather than one, or buying a gun "Just In Case", you should have done this months ago, and all you need to do is make sure all your batteries are charged, you have plenty of fuel for your vehicle, and everything is packed and ready to go at a moments notice. You may have even noticed it lately, with the Swine Flu paranoia.

The second stage is where you should be either Bugging Out, or Bugging In. (For new members, this means running to a pre-determined safe destination, your Bug Out Location (BOL) or fortifying your existing location and preparing to ride out the danger.) What you choose to do will be based on your own preparations and locations. I have no way to recommend either course of action, since each situation is unique.

The third and fourth stages happen quite close together, and there is often only a slight discernible difference between the two. Third stage people are more visibly scared, but can still be seen holding it together. But as soon as they cross that line, they are a danger to themselves and others. They are acting on instinct, rather than logic, and making decisions without really considering the consequences. It happens almost like a domino effect when in a crowd. One person will snap, then those close to them, then the others nearest, and so on, like a chain reaction. Ever wonder why a protest can so easily turn into a riot? This kind of herd mentality. He's scared, so I should be scared. He's angry, I should be angry. It's a self preservation technique, but will not serve you well on Z day.



The difference between the last two stages is noticeable and obvious, though from the descriptions it seems as though the two are the same. However, terror spurs someone into action, usually either running or fighting. Dread paralyses a person, their ability to act frozen by a constant thought that the next action they take will lead to their death.

At this point you should be either well on your way to the BOL, or have secured your current location and are now remaining quiet and observant. Once The Panic happens in your area, it will last somewhere between a day and a week, depending on the population size. Don't get caught up in it, let it burn itself out. If you need to relocate after that, it will be a lot safer to do so.