Tornado's of 2008.
I was living in an area that had multiple tornadoes, when they came through, and this happened multiple times.
Included was fire due to lightening hitting trees, and flooding. Serious Situations.
1. Setting was small towns with multiple tornadoes. I took the back way to arrive, as the freeway was a parking lot, of strewn vehicles.
Parking lots had vehicles , that resembled wadded up paper, tossed into the corner.
I arrived with a CCW, and two mags. The gun was never needed, I used the hell out of a Case Peanut, for first aid, cutting seat belts, making siphon hose from garden hose, so chain saws and generators could be gassed up, from gas we siphoned from wrecked cars.
More than once I had to take off in a dead run, and get into a ditch or somewhere safe, as more tornadoes were coming in on us.
Tip: Don't dive into the ditch near a glass front structure, that building when it implodes, tosses glass every damn where. I was covered in glass, and I was lucky, I did not get cut, much less shred.
2. Rural setting.
This time the tornadoes took out supplies, stored in multiple locations. This included food, water, generators, first aid, cash money, guns, knives, chain saws, generators, gas, clothing , shoes, you name it.
Concerns also included looters coming down, as history had proven they will do, to steal , whatever they could steal.
Some have very good ploys.
Some come down to steal credit cards, and personal checks. Small, portable items, easy to conceal , and leave with. Some folks arrive with the pretense to offer assistance, when actually they are looking amongst debris, for credit card , personal checks, and others items to steal a ID (SSNs, Birth Certs, etc.).
Others will come down to steal equipment, from lawnmowers, riding lawnmowers, tractors, four wheelers, trailers, tools and whatever else one can think of, being used on ranch/farm settings.
My role, was running the property and roaming security. I had a older 4 wheel drive truck.
We blocked roads leading into , and off of main roads. Still fences go down, and looters will go around gates, if the gate is even still up, or serviceable.
I know this game, all too well, as I grew up doing this.
I had two CCWs, one IWB, and one I kept in my coat pocket. I don't carry a wallet ( don't often carry one anyone if I can help it) with DL/Concealed Weapons Permits in my front jeans pocket.
I had spare mags in my pockets.
Long gun was a Model 94, in 30-30. I had two, of the red Federal ctg holders, as the ammo comes in, that fit on a belt.
I could not find my LLBean leather ctg holder, so I used these.
In the truck, was more of these red factory ctg holders with 170 gr 30-30 loads, this gun likes 170 grainers.
Extra mags for CCWs were in the truck. I keep it simple, some were on the dash, some on the little shelf down where the steering column meets dash, some in the pocket of the seat covers, that have a long pocket that runs the length of the bench seat,and one on each end, as one enters drivers, or passenger door.
In the truck was semi auto .22 pistol, with spare mags.
Also a youth single shot , 20 ga shotgun, with a elastic butt cuff, filled with slugs. I keep the shotgun broke open with a slug in the chamber.
So on person I also had spare mag for pistol, and 10 more slugs for the 20 ga.
Truck tool box had more ammo...it keeps a hodgepodge of whatever in it anyway.
This was not my first rodeo with serious, and serious being tornadoes.
Over five decades ago I learned about having guns and ammo, and other things "handy" - period.
Serious is no exception.
Barns, sheds, and other structures have guns and ammo hidden. I checked on these, as I had been responsible for the guns being chosen, and where placed.
This comes from the days of Chain Gangs, and escaped inmates from Correction Facilities in the area.
One might get surprised, even outnumbered and guns, ammo taken off you, or vehicle. You might get "ushered" into a pole barn, tool shed, barn, or some other structure.
Have a practiced plan and back up practiced plans.
We did lose one hidden handgun, and it was discovered some weeks later, some 200 yards down in a field.
Just laying there, and I had to know, so I tripped trigger and it worked.
Rain, cold, ice, elements, and the darn gun worked, I mean it cycled its total mag, and went to slide lock.
Guns and ammo are fine and dandy, but communications, cash money ( as ATMs don't work when there is no power), gas, matches, Zippo lighters ( wicks, flints, fuel) flashlights, batteries ( the more Maglites the better, with 3 D cell , and two AA Mini Mags preferred), lanterns, lantern fuel, Coleman stoves, Kerosene lanterns using lamp oil ( one can safely use these indoors with lamp oil), first aid...etc., are very important considerations for having spares and back up as well.
Did I mention more than one gun safe was totally useless?
One safe we found about 1000 yards down past a field, in some timber. It had been bolted in.
Some others were under water, when the rising water hit.
Many others, you could not access, as the structure was all down around and on it.
One is never guaranteed they will be home when serious strikes, or be able to get home to get to the safe, or other gear set back for serious.
A lot of damn good a AR, tricked out, with loaded 30 rd mags, Surefires and expensive tactical knives are, when you cannot get to structure, and when you do, either the safe is gone, under water, or has been blown down off to somewhere else.
Just thoughts, having life experiences with all this, and I am over age 50.
