Liberal Forum

If someone is in one of the metros in the mostly arid west... your primary issue would be water. Pacific Northwest (from Eureka, CA up to the Canadian Border) would be the exception. If the municipal water supply is hit... you have precious few options and most likely quite a few others not encumbered with children will beat you to it. One can drill for water but that takes some serious time and luck. Besides, drilling 500 feet for water would leave you exposed. Everybody this side of the Sierras would know what you were doing.

As for bugging out and being with crazy folks.... you have to learn to always be on alert. Easier said than done. Desperation makes folks do strange things. Having been homeless for 8 weeks, I saw a bit of it.