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Letter Re: Fuel Rationing as a Deciding Factor in Activating a Remote Retreat
Hi Jim,
Something that has come to mind as someone with a bug out location
and bug out vehicle is that specter of fuel rationing. Now, my Bug Out Vehicle
has a ~60 gallon diesel capacity which gives me approximately a 1,000 mile
cruising
capacity
- depending on load. I keep my tanks full at all times and stabilized.
As someone with a remote "country home"--that requires fuel to get
to--I'm very concerned about having enough fuel to make it to my location.
Fuel rationing is a new "breakpoint" that I'm adding to my bug out
SOPs, as a trigger point. Reason? Because once they start rationing
fuels there may
be no way to replace the fuel in the vehicles that would be required to get
to my safe haven. Time to think about storing and stabilizing fuels,
if you have a Bug Out Location. I'm contacting local suppliers about having
a
couple
of 55 gallon drums of diesel dropped in my garage. These are scary times indeed.
- Mr. Teo
JWR Replies: For ease of handling, I don't recommend storing
anything larger than 20 gallon drums.
Moving drums that are any larger requires special equipment and they are very difficult
to quickly load in the back of pickup truck. (A 20 gallon drum is fairly easy for
two men to handle, with the proper orchestration. ) The bulk of your diesel
should be stored in an underground tank, preferably with its filler head and
pump handle camouflaged.
The usual provisos: Consult your local fire code for storage
limits and beware of fire safety when storing fuel cans or drums. Storing them
in an attached garage is a bad idea.
