Smart Phone - Refugee Survival tool?

[Gerhard Gerber]

Hi Everybody

I've got the 5 C's, the 10 C's, probably 10 ways to make fire and at least 2 to bring down a tree - I've got most things you'd need for long term survival.......almost but not quite put together.

And not a single thing between the lot that needs a battery......in tune with my philosophy.

I try to avoid news in general, but it still holds a morbid fascination...

Firstly, I feel very sorry all those affected directly or indirectly by the refugee situation in Europe.
I get out of a comfy bed, have coffee and feed the dogs followed by a nice warm shower, and today I couldn't help think about just loosing all of that in an instant.....

To get to the point, I couldn't help thinking that a WROL-type situation like this is much more likely for most of us than any wilderness survival, and having a smart phone that could tell you which border you might get through could be the difference.......

What would you grab in a situation like that?

[David]

A WROL situation is different in each part of the world. All I'm going to say at this moment is that if a WROL situation happens in the US and I have to E&E a smart phone will not be part of my kit.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

Interesting discussion but let's be careful when discussing political discussions like the current refugee crisis.

Def

[Gerhard Gerber]

A WROL situation is different in each part of the world. All I'm going to say at this moment is that if a WROL situation happens in the US and I have to E&E a smart phone will not be part of my kit.   

You are right on the first count, and I agree with you 100% on the rest........but I'm starting to think that might be shortsighted.

WROL or Zombie apocalypse is maybe a bad example, rather think a natural disaster where some communication infrastructure is still in place.....?

The US is a bad example because same as here you've got lots of open/empty space, so if I had to flee to a neighbouring country it would be the same as you having to flee to another state - a case of outdoor rather than urban survival.

This photo of the Burmese fishermen rescued from forced labour, the refugees in Europe and the social media and smartphone organized riots in the UK just made me think about the power of such a little device again.

http://binaryapi.ap.org/bdb403315e844cef960d83690aa8f777/460x.jpg

[Gerhard Gerber]

Interesting discussion but let's be careful when discussing political discussions like the current refugee crisis.

Def

Too right, it's a situation with no winners.

I have very strong feelings on the political side of things, but like my dad says pissing into the wind only gets your shoes wet, so let's rather discuss the contents of a refugee BoB.......?

[Zephon]

I'm from Manila, Philippines.  The zombie apocalypse and WROL are the last things on our mind here as typhoons (and maybe a 7,8, or 9 magnitude quake) are the realities of life here. What happens if something like Typhoon Haiyan does a direct hit on the capital?

Yes, we'll bring the iPhones- plus the solar charging powerbanks.  Cellular infrastructure could get knocked down but they won't be gone for long. Either way, it's a communication device. Secondly, it's something to keep the kids occupied to prevent restlessness.

Money also comes into play one way or another.

On a regular storm where say, there's no power and everyone's just stuck at home, a fully charged cellphone is the next best thing to the battery operated AM/FM radio.

[AimlessWanderer]

It all depends on what you're running from and to. A smart phone as a communications device could be useful assuming network access remains available, and the information you are connecting to can be trusted. Do bear in mind however that it is also a tracking device, not just for location but also what you're currently researching and who you're communicating with.

Like everything in life there will be (on all sides of every fence) people trying to manipulate and exploit other people. Maintaining communication with close friends and family may only be possible that way in the event of displacement, so yes it should be considered a useful tool. However, not everyone will be wanting to use it so passively, including those who may wish to borrow/steal the device, as well as whoever is managing the conduits and the information at the other end.

How you you expect to pay the bill? Do you expect them to continue letting you use the service for free? What about other networks as your location changes, they'll want paying too. Will whatever evil you're fleeing have enabled networks to remain? How will you charge the battery? Will owning the device make you more of a target, not just from whatever you're fleeing, but also those who flee alongside you? In summary, it's potentially very good and potentially very bad, and the chances are it'll probably be a bit of both

[Gerhard Gerber]

Cellular infrastructure could get knocked down but they won't be gone for long.

David Attenborough calls us the Compulsive Communicators http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qryj9

In the series Zoo the crime/warlord had his own shanty town cellular network, and in Last Ship the bad guys had the bluetooth ( ) network......

[Gerhard Gerber]

How you you expect to pay the bill? Do you expect them to continue letting you use the service for free? What about other networks as your location changes, they'll want paying too. Will whatever evil you're fleeing have enabled networks to remain? How will you charge the battery? Will owning the device make you more of a target, not just from whatever you're fleeing, but also those who flee alongside you? In summary, it's potentially very good and potentially very bad, and the chances are it'll probably be a bit of both

VOIP, then you don't need a cellular network......like Whatsapp calls...?

I assume there's lots of free wifi in Europe?

[Zephon]

Yes, I agree that the iPhone would make you a target. Heck, any smartphone makes you a target even on a daily commute, what more an iPhone :-P

Anyway I plan to hunker down, if we can, than take chances in a crowded evacuation center.

Oh, I also have an old post showing a picture of the solar powerbank I EDC. 10k milliamperes won't get charged just by sunlight but the device can act as a solar charger for an iPhone 5s when the powerbank and phone are both empty ;-)



Here's something amusing- I always tell my sis to have a flashlight in the car for emergencies and her reply was that she always has her iPhone. I guess for people who don't EDC a dedicated torch, a mobile fone is better than nothing.

[comis]

I think WROL situation might temporarily happens when an area were cut off from the rest country/world, possibly from natural disaster or even war.  If there is some form of hope that the order can be restored in near future, storing enough food/water/supplies and hunker down at a safe location, might be a safe and viable option.

But if the current situation/location is worsening indefinitely, and posting imminent threat to families, then sadly, migrating to a new location is possibly the only option.

Some may argue we could hunt/fish/gather/grow and or use some kind of outdoor survival skill to sustain life, but for how long?  Have we mastered all those skills and have the land that provide those resources?

To me, the whole point of outdoor survival is to find rescue, in an unwilling outdoor emergency situation, hopefully within 72 hours.  Wilderness skill(or bushcrafting) is to study how to live and thrive in outdoor environment.  One wants to leaves, and the other wants to stay, but both are working on the premise that there is a safe urban setting we could get back to for continuation of life.

[enki_ck]

How you you expect to pay the bill? Do you expect them to continue letting you use the service for free? What about other networks as your location changes, they'll want paying too. Will whatever evil you're fleeing have enabled networks to remain? How will you charge the battery? Will owning the device make you more of a target, not just from whatever you're fleeing, but also those who flee alongside you? In summary, it's potentially very good and potentially very bad, and the chances are it'll probably be a bit of both

VOIP, then you don't need a cellular network......like Whatsapp calls...?

I assume there's lots of free wifi in Europe?

Loads of free wifi. Every cafe, pub, restaurant, hotel, ... has free wifi and even some cities.

And here a few guys went to the camps and used their own connections to provide free wifi hotspots for the refugies.

[David]

A WROL situation is different in each part of the world. All I'm going to say at this moment is that if a WROL situation happens in the US and I have to E&E a smart phone will not be part of my kit.   

You are right on the first count, and I agree with you 100% on the rest........but I'm starting to think that might be shortsighted.
WROL or Zombie apocalypse is maybe a bad example, rather think a natural disaster where some communication infrastructure is still in place.....?

The US is a bad example because same as here you've got lots of open/empty space, so if I had to flee to a neighbouring country it would be the same as you having to flee to another state - a case of outdoor rather than urban survival.

This photo of the Burmese fishermen rescued from forced labour, the refugees in Europe and the social media and smartphone organized riots in the UK just made me think about the power of such a little device again.

http://binaryapi.ap.org/bdb403315e844cef960d83690aa8f777/460x.jpg

With weather or man made disastors I would agree. But with the way the wind is blowing here in the US. Should a WROL situation led to COG and other EO's being implimented. My smart phone will be one of the first things that will be disposed of quick, fast and in a hurry.           Of coure all this is speculation as no one knows exactly how this may or may not happen in the future. Or even how one will actuall respond to it if it does happen. Makes for an interesting discussion.

[Gerhard Gerber]

I guess it's a fact of life that things can change very quickly, either due to politics and war, or climate and natural disasters.

I live in one of the best places in the world - a stable African country.  Facts is we're not immune from all the social and economic ills that plague the rest of the world, and you never know......