Nuke Threat...worth it to move to another country?

[Tacitus]

I've just put too much time, money, and effort into my current homestead to ever consider making a move. Just the thought of it makes my head ache. My home is my last stand for as long as God allows me......

Unfortunately, I am a suburbanite. Granted, I am a "far suburbanite," which is to say, on the far edge of a major city, but I am definitely in a "neighborhood," and my home is far from what might be called a homestead. So, my cost for moving is lower, by which I mean I wouldn't lose as much if I moved. I could move quite easily. I would rather have a higher cost of moving as you have, but here I am. My home is likely my last stand as with you...it just is not likely as good of a last stand as yours. And, as mentioned, in any other scenario (other than a full nuclear exchange), I'm reasonably prepped. But, I see no way to prep for a full nuclear exchange. One can die (as heathen13 suggests is the proper thing to do), or one can move one's family to a safer area (merely away from the city as many here have done, or away from the country, as I suggested in my original post). It seems that we will be staying to die...although we continue discussing moving to a rural area.

 

[angie_nrs]

I would think moving to a rural area would be far less stressful than moving to another country with much less of a culture shock to deal with. As far as safety is concerned with a nuke.....well, I guess it depends upon which rural area. Rural areas have their own pros and cons.....again depending upon which rural area. I think rural areas are getting more and more difficult to come by, but maybe I'm wrong on that.

I'm just wired to live in a more rual area, although we are not really entirely rural. Compared to cities and larger towns, then I guess we would be considered that, but we have lots of neighbors. The advantage of that is that we know most of the lifers here but houses have been selling like hotcakes and there's lots of new folks moving in.

I don't live where I do b/c it's safer. I live here b/c it's where I like to be. It's certainly not perfect, but it's home and I am happy and comfortable here. No matter where you live, there is going to be some sort of threat. Sometimes it's best to just accept what you have and build from there.

 

[Tacitus]

I would like to live rural. The wife likes suburbia. My job currently requires suburbia...although the ways things are going, there is no reason I couldn't work remotely at some point.

 

[Morgan101]

I hate to answer a question with a question but this one raises so many. My answer to the original question; NO I would not move. At our age and at this stage of life we aren't going anywhere. The battery of questions "would you move?" raises to me:
1.) Where? What country are you going to move to?
2.) Have you ever been there? Do you really know what it is like or is it just checking boxes?
3.) What are the immigration laws? You may want them, but do they want you? I have heard even Canada has very restrictive immigration laws.
4.) Where are you going to work? Are your skills transferrable? Will you have to learn a new language? Can you get any kind of job? Do you need work visas or sponsorship?
5.) Money/Logistics. Are you independently wealthy? How long can you survive without working? Are you going to buy a new house and all new furnishings? I think you may have difficulty packing up all you belongings and heading to who knows where. Think you are going to be able to sell your existing house?
6.) Healthcare/Insurance? Can you even get it? Does it exist where you are going?
7.) Dependence on other countries? How much does the place you want to go import from countries that would be affected? They may not have gotten bombed, but their supply chain is destroyed.

I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface. No Thank You. I will ride it out here.

 

[Tacitus]

1.) Where? What country are you going to move to? I was suggesting (a) a substantially neutral country unlikely to be targeted, and (b) a country located outside expected fallout zones...namely, south of the equator.
2.) Have you ever been there? Do you really know what it is like or is it just checking boxes? Fleeing to a country you have never visited certainly seems like a bad idea unless disaster is already happening.
3.) What are the immigration laws? You may want them, but do they want you? I have heard even Canada has very restrictive immigration laws. Also a good question. Some countries let you "buy" your way in. Others will allow you to come if you have enough savings (or income), and you can show you won't be a drain on them, and that you may even bring money to their economy, they will let you come.
4.) Where are you going to work? Are your skills transferrable? Will you have to learn a new language? Can you get ant kind of job? Do you need work visas or sponsorship? I have international business experience. If I decide to work, I would seek out a similar job, possibly helping a company do business in the US, and let them handle the work visa issues. But, I'm close to retirement. This would be an important consideration for others, but not me.
5.) Money/Logistics. Are you independently wealthy? How long can you survive without working? Are you going to buy a new house and all new furnishings? I think you may have difficulty packing up all you belongings and heading to who knows where. Think you are going to be able to sell your existing house? Now is a great time to sell a house. I'm not independently wealthy in the US, but US wealth goes a lot further in many other countries, such that you "become wealthier" by moving.
6/) Healthcare/Insurance? Can you even get it? Does it exist where you are going? Good questions. That should be a factor.
7.) Dependence on other countries? How much does the place you want to go import from countries that would be affected? They may not have gotten bombed, but their supply chain is destroyed. This is an important question if the nuclear risk never comes to fruition. And, I always say that we should prepare for good times as well. But, if the nuclear exchange occurs, I will take an alive family and a bad supply chain.

Yeah, we are riding it out here, too, even though I am quite comfortable in other nations. This really was just a casual question over drinks that I decided to bring to the forum. I have the ability to do this, but it is just a fantasy. We even discussed what we would do to the house if we won the lottery on that day.

 

[Morgan101]

Yeah, we are riding it out here, too, even though I am quite comfortable in other nations. This really was just a casual question over drinks that I decided to bring to the forum. I have the ability to do this, but it is just a fantasy. We even discussed what we would do to the house if we won the lottery on that day.

I enjoy threads that invoke thought. You/We will probably never do it, but it is a good mental exercise to think it through. Thanks for sharing.

 

[joel]

No, the protection here is as good as it gets.
If you live in a big city or near a military fort, then moving to the country
may be a good ideal. All English speaking countries are just as likely to be bombed & they do not have the protection or reputation of the USA.
It is not something to be proud of, but the fact is we are the first & only country to drop a nuke on a city. They can rattle they sword, but we have use our sword & will again if pushed. So for my money this is the strongest fort on the game board.
"Do you want to play"

 

[kd4ulw]

Well, if you want to stay in the USA, here’s an idea. (Winters are probably a little harsh)

 

[Tacitus]

I just read 2034: A Novel of the Next World War.

That book is what me got thinking along these lines. All it takes is a misunderstanding. If, for example, China decides that the US has a weak leader, and makes a misjudgement (like Japan did in 1941) that it can defend its claim on the South China Sea by, for example, sinking a US destroyer (or whatever), and the US will not escalate in an unpredictable way...but then the otherwise weak president must escalate...and things get crazy.

In the Cold War, both sides were careful about preventing Mutually Assured Destruction...and still came close a few times. One would hope that China would be as careful as the USSR was. But, who is to say that China would back down in a new version of the Cuban Missile Crisis?...especially if the "Cuba" in question is the South China Sea (like our Caribbean Sea) or China's neighbor Taiwan (like Cuba was in our backyard giving the US the advantage)?...and especially if the China Communist Party worries about showing weakness to its own people after telling them for 70 years that Taiwan was China territory?

(By the way, I don't think I can recommend the book. It was thought provoking, but it was not a strong novel.)

 

[Wingnut]

Joel Skousen wrote STRATEGIC RELOCATION, an excellent guide for improving your chances of survival... interesting book, it even breaks down primary & secondary nuke targets by state. Funny, I couldn't find a single copy of this excellent book on any library shelf in San Diego County... Skousen is known for his anti-gubmint viewpoints, so his work has been blacklisted, despite his honorable service as a Marine fighter pilot. He also has some really good material on secure & self-sustaining homes... as one of the nation's foremost consultants, he has helped the uber-rich build their bunker complexes, so he has seen every side of the proverbial coin, including the edge. Good book, you can 'special order' it, mine cost about $55 when I bought it a few years ago, and it's worth every penny. The sad thing is that such a book HAD to be written...