To be sitting in work planning an escape route incase...

[BobbyElvis]

ISIS attack our office?

[SazMcStan]

This thread has made me feel a bit ill!

I used to have nightmares, panic attacks and long conversations with OH and flat mates about our options and plans of escape should x,y,z happen. When I was pregnant I had a nightmare about an asteroid hitting the earth whilst me and OH were driving and we were given a two minute warning so there was no time to get DS from nursery. I woke up and cried for about an hour I was so scared!

Then my dad said something that made me feel bad. He said that children in places like Africa live with the threat of death every day, except their risk isn't zombies or a sudden tidal wave hitting the River Mersey (I live on the waterfront!) but disease and starvation, things that I am safe from.

Don't get me wrong, I still have plans and sometimes drift off thinking about what I'd do if something happened and I make a point of looking for exits, but that put things in to perspective for me!

It is all very terrifying though. I hope I can get some sleep tonight.

[Katymac]

I have a duff hip

I worked on the 9th floor

If we had a fire I would walk run down the stairs, get a taxi home & stay in bed for a week; but when we had fire drill I either had to a) walk down stairs get a taxi home & stay in bed for a week which was unacceptable to management but OK in the event of a real fire/emergency or b) allow 4 of my colleagues to carry me down the stairs - which seemed the most entitled behaviour in the world

I only lasted one fire drill - I couldn't bare the shame so I left!

[governmentworker]

I've worked in various public sector organisations and in one we used to have a terrorism level of alert stuck up in the main entrance as we came into work each morning so I guess that makes you think about the possibility! I was never 100% sure of the colour-coding system and there was never any explanation of the different levels of threat and whether we should be doing anything differently (apart from being more jumpy if we were of a nervous disposition!)

In another job, we had a detailed process in place for dealing with suspicious powders delivered in the mail. If any got on your clothing, you were supposed to remove all your clothes (although there was a special screen to stand behind provided for this purpose!)

There have occasionally been 'incidents' at places I've worked e.g. protesters storming a building or disrupting an event but not with any murderous intent. They haven't generally been that intimidating but I think, if an ISIS attack had recently been in the news, and I didn't know the nature of the incident in my workplace or the motives of those involved, it could make it more scary.

[Pointlessfan]

ncterror we had that Prevent training recently and yes it was quite worrying.
I can't help thinking though that if we all spend too much time and energy worrying about all this then the baddies have won.

[moooolah]

I live in the countryside. I have no bloody idea what we would do in a zombie attack. I often - rather pessimistic - think I'd rather just shoot myself. I watch walking dead and just think.. yeah I'm not cutout for that shit. I can't even camp in my own back garden!

My actual proper fear is running out of food and water in whatever scenario would mean that getting more was impossible /risky.. we shop weekly. . Use everything. .. shop again. Also we wouldn't last long because all of us are big eaters!

[NickiFury]

I live in London and by nature am pretty pragmatic. Have to say though I am now avoiding using public transport where possible. Not altogether obviously, but only on it with my children when absolutely necessary.

In that respect I suppose their campaign is working which is pretty depressing.

[DoctorDoctor]

Are people nervous about going to central London at the moment? I will be going soon for work. Any tips on how to escape from Euston or a good walking route out of central London? I'm not that sporty but I'm hip to the comfy shoes vibe.

For work, there's a storeroom next to my office that I could hide in in case of shooting attack, though I'm also close to an exit. Better to hide (I could lock the door) or try and get out?

[kungfupannda]

All these people coming up with zombie plans, didn't we already figure out the official MN escape plan a couple of years ago?

I seem to remember it involved all of us converging on a certain London magistrates' court, where my lawyer friend who's in the TA would meet us with a tank, and someone was bringing a bus, and someone else had two blue badges - one for her and one for her daughter, and she was going to bring those so that the bus could be legally parked while we looted Waitrose and fought off zombies with someone else's daughter's lacrosse stick.

I think Cath Kidston decor was involved somehow. And an OFRS. And there was an IT specialist DH who was going to do something clever.

We were totally sorted

[Damnautocorrect]

Ive always done this in cinemas and then there was that awful attack, I do it more now

[Lindy2]

Forago my plan was to just follow the Thames back towards Surrey. On 7/7 I had to walk from Tower Bridge to Waterloo and I followed the Thames path to do that. I figured if I kept going I'd end up in Surrey and quite close to home. It would be blooming knackering though. I had really impractical work shoes on, on 7/7 but all the shoe shops in the city sold out of trainers that day before I realised quite how far I might end up having to walk. Something to remember for emergency plans!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Will pm you forago! don't want everyone following my route

[FastWindow]

This is all very thought provoking.

My plans tonight extend as far as a half full bath of cold water as there has been some sort of burst main in Egham. That's for flushing the loo. I need to step up my disaster plan.

[DuelingFanjo]

I was at Glastonbury when the beach gunman thing happened and for a brief amount of time I worried about what sitting ducks we all were if a terrorist group or individual were to choose a festival as a target. However I can talk myself down from these kinds of thoughts quite quickly.

[forago]

what's the best get out if London on foot plan do you think? I live south of London in Surrey

[springlamb]

We've always had 'now get out of that' plans in my family, perhaps because a few of us have or still do work in a security environment.
We only have one remaining London worker, the rest of us are in the country. But like OYBBK we still have the get out of London on foot plan for her, and rondezvou points in case the cell signal goes down.

[ncterrornc]

pointlessfan I've name changed for this - I work in a college in the North east - an ex student was arrested fairly recently because he was planning on blowing the college up. He's due to stand trial soon I think.

We receive regular 'Prevent' training from local police to help us to spot students who may be becoming radicalised. It's really worrying.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I do have tornado plans.

Plus dh and I (and now dd) have a get out of London by foot plan in case public transport and the mobile network goes down.

[limitedperiodonly]

I've bought a second-hand baby Bjorn sling for the cat

Ostensibly it because he clings to me and he's 4.5K and I cba to hold him when he doesn't want to drape around my shoulders.

But in the event of a zombie apocalypse...

He keeps nipping into the back garden and running back inside yowling. I think a storm or worse is brewing.

I have the sling and knives and my OFRS at the ready. DH can fend for himself.

[ThomasRichard]

:( weeblueberry. STBexH locked me in his car once 'for a laugh'. It was terrifying, even though it wasn't hot.

[Pointlessfan]

My mum loves to worry about things and be prepared for anything, I might get her one of those hammers for her birthday, she'd love it! She once gave all family members a fire blanket for Xmas!!

[CassieBearRawr]

We have a fully fleshed out zombie plan. I also have a supplies kit in case of emergency. I know exactly who I want on my team out of my friends too, we have a good mix of skills - drivers, sailors, horse riders, archery, self defense, engineer, etc. No medics yet. Need to befriend one. We'll be the last ones standing if this all turns zombieland, I'm telling you.

In a throwback from video games I always check out the mini maps of the train, emergency hammer thing and first aid kit whenever I get on too. Can't press menu to bring up the map IRL, gotta remember that shit first time!

[weeblueberry]

In my car I have this window-breaking hammer and seatbelt cutting tool in the glove box, just in case we crash and are stuck inside the car.

I have one of those in my car too and DP is always taking the piss. Wasn't taking the piss the day we heard about the poor guy in the states who overheated in his own car and died after locking himself in...

[ThomasRichard]

This is a good 5-minute BBC film about the brace position. I remember seeing it last year and the point about having your legs under your seat has stayed with me. I've done a lot of flying and am conscientious about listening to the safety briefing, reading the card, counting seat rows and identifying the nearest exits but the feet thing wasn't something I'd really picked up on before. The other bits of advice I've picked up on here and there are to choose an aisle seat within 5 rows of an exit, practise undoing the seat belt, wear long-sleeved tops and trousers made from natural fibres, to never inflate a lifejacket inside the plane and to move as soon as the plane stops.

In my car I have this window-breaking hammer and seatbelt cutting tool in the glove box, just in case we crash and are stuck inside the car.

At home I do periodic fire drills with the DC.

I've obviously thought about disaster planning more than I realised!

[weeblueberry]

The sea the dead I meant obviously