Imagine a nationwide emergency hits, and your rights as an American citizen are stripped away in an instant.
FEMA agents knock on your door, promising safety but demanding your weapons and food supply. The looming threat of forced relocation to a FEMA camp has many in the prepping community on high alert.
This isn’t just a theory—it’s a scenario that could unfold in the wake of a disaster. If you ever find yourself facing this, knowing how to avoid being herded into a government-controlled camp is crucial to maintaining your freedom and survival.
Who Is Responsible for Security in FEMA Camps
Technically, local law enforcement is the first option to handle security and order in FEMA camps. However, this is rarely possible with so many people packed into one small area during such a high-stress time.
Usually, the state’s national guard is called in to further help with security, protection of resources, and maintaining curfew. FEMA also has its own personnel who can help with security in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security. In some extremes, even the US Army or other military organizations might be called in to handle security.
All these different agencies trying to work together, during a disaster, with little experience working together in the real world can be a problem. In some ways, personal liberties are overly restricted, and people feel herded within the FEMA camps. While security and resource allocation gaps are created in others.
So, it’s understandable why a prepper, who’s taken every conceivable measure to be able to weather a disaster, would rather remain self-reliant.
The Right to Refuse Evacuation
You have several rights guaranteed by the US Constitution and many state laws that might prevent you from being herded into a FEMA camp. Yet it helps to know the fine-print details and the potential consequences that often go with them.
You have the “Right to Refuse Evacuation” which prevents authorities from taking you from your property, even after a state of emergency is declared. This includes the right to remain on your property.
Except in a case where there’s a legal order, such as a mandatory evacuation during a natural disaster.
Local law enforcement and FEMA agents might strongly recommend evacuation for your safety, but they typically do not have the power to force you unless it’s clearly an immediate life-threatening situation.
However, there is a “Public Health & Safety Exception” which they might apply in the case of a severe pandemic, hazardous material spill, or similar extreme leading to the imminent loss of life.
In a situation like this, authorities can take the power to impose quarantine or mandatory evacuation orders to effectively protect public health and safety.
If you still refuse to evacuate despite their warnings, local law enforcement and other presiding authorities, likely won’t respond to future requests for emergency aid or rescue. It’s important to understand this and the risks of being left on your own.
Be Self-Sufficient & Secure
The best way to avoid having to go to a FEMA camp is to be self-sufficient enough that you can exercise your right to refuse evacuation, and not end up so desperate that you have to go anyway. This involves multiple forms of sufficiency.
Your shelter needs to be strong enough to not only weather the types of natural disasters that can befall your area. It also needs to be secure enough that no one can take you from it or gain access after you deny it.
Your non-perishable food supply needs to be stocked enough to get you through the short-term aftermath of a disaster, as well as the aftermath of a prolonged recovery.
This might mean as much as six months of non-perishable food, or agricultural assets you can use to grow, raise, and harvest your own sustainable food sources.
We don’t all need to become cattle ranchers, but keeping a few chickens and maintaining a small garden can provide an endless supply of food. For more information, check out this guide on how to create a year-round, self-sustaining garden and start living independently.
Access to clean water or the means to purify water from natural sources is also critical for avoiding having to go to a FEMA camp. This includes ways to filter water to remove physical debris and sediment. Then you also need a reliable way to sterilize any potential pathogens.
Be Physically Fit
A lot of people who end up being herded into FEMA camps in an emergency do so because they don’t have the physical fitness they need to survive even a modest natural disaster.
Do not underestimate the amount of physical work that goes into things like protecting your shelter and property, as well as harvesting water, collecting dry firewood, sandbagging flood waters, and the like.
Bear in mind that physical fitness also applies to mental health, dependency, and medical needs.
Anyone in your group with chemical dependency issues or addiction problems will suffer a steep decline in their physical fitness when they lose access to the DOC.
People with mental health issues and medical issues that require medications need to also be accounted for. Without a multi-week supply of medications, they might be forced to accept going to a FEMA camp to get access to treatment and sustainable medications.
That’s if they’re even available at the camp near you! Before that happens, add these 10 medical supplies to your stockpile, as they will be the first to disappear in a crisis.
Maintain Noise & Light Discipline
If the evacuation order includes a public health and safety clause, the authorities might have the legal power to remove you from your home to a FEMA camp. In a time like this maintaining noise and light discipline is critical for going undetected.
It might also help deter looters from targeting your place.
If the local authorities are using X Codes, you might want to consider using them. Tagging your own home and the surrounding neighborhood to look like it’s already been searched, decreases the chances of them noticing you.
You’ll also want a safe space, completely hidden from sight—somewhere no FEMA agent or drone with infrared sensors can spot. I’m talking about this secret root cellar, buried a few feet down in your backyard, which offers the perfect shelter.
It’s designed to keep you and your supplies secure for months if needed, based on our ancestors’ tried-and-true methods but upgraded for modern crises. Building one won’t break the bank either and it can be ready in a week. Having it could be your best chance if you want to stay out of a FEMA camp.
Prepare a Bug-Out Bag
In the case of a forced evacuation, you might have to choose between being herded to a FEMA camp and bugging out to a less-regulated safe zone. In a case like this, you need to have a bug-out or to-go bag ready for you and everyone else in your group.
The wise move is to strategically pack so that each person has basic survival supplies. There should also be some shelter and security items distributed throughout the various packs of everyone in the group.
Each adult should have a gallon of water as well as some type of portable water filter and/or water purification tablets. Along with a durable water bottle. Everyone should also have three day’s worth of high-calorie items like energy bars, nuts, dried fruits, jerky, or freeze-dried meals. And don’t forget to add this crucial item to your bug-out bag. It might be your only chance of survival.
Having properly prepared bug-out bags is also about more than just surviving on the road while you make your way to another safe location. If you are stopped by authorities and you can demonstrate to them that you aren’t in distress. They’re more likely to let you pass without relocating you to the FEMA camp.
In a time like this, you need to be smart. Respect all curfew requirements to keep from being picked up and brought into a FEMA camp against your will. If you need to evacuate, ensure you have properly prepared tactical backpacks for everyone in your group. Then make sure there’s a meet-up location where everyone can gather again if you’re separated.
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As a veteran of the U.S. Navy Submarine force living outside the former USA…..
I firmly believe that no matter what you do the corrupt government of the former USA will make your life hell. They will seize what is yours in the name of charity and give it to thieves. They will NEVER help you when you are down. A bureaucrat will not make your life better or easier EVER.
What do you do?
Prep? Well they will take all you have if you do.
GET OUT ……….. shake the dust of the former USA from your feet.
The people in the former USA want what they have and are going to get. They voted for it and so let them have it. An ARMY OF ONE is not going to change the former USA. Let the people who have voted for immorality and sickness, who poison our children in our schools and universities have the former USA. It is too rotten and corrupt.
Take your family and leave the former USA for a better more peaceful life.
God.
Family.
Peace and well being.
country… well that is way down the list when the COUNTRY is trying to kill your way of life and take your children and cut off parts and on and on.
NEVER have the need to “Prep” again. Just provide for your family. This is life for my family. It is peaceful and safe and clean and healthy.
Stop prepping and start living and living not in fear.
There are a lot of veterans who have figured out that the former USA does not want them or care about them. We have left.
Jim
Jim…. where do you suggest to move to? (Legitimate question please.)
Easy for you to say. What happens when SHTF in that foreign country you flee to and they see rich Americans in their country?
Many low IQ information public will try to hold you as a hostage to get money or something of value and maybe just kill you later.
Easy for you to say. What happens when SHTF in that foreign country you flee to and they see rich Americans in their country?
Many low IQ information public will try to hold you as a hostage to get money or something of value and maybe just kill you later.
So, don’t fight it, just give in then leave.
Thanks for helping the rest of us out. In your mind they’ve already won.
I’m trying not to be too insulting, but, your method is not possible for many people who can’t afford to leave. And, I would gently say that what you propose is, in a very real sense, treason. Helping out the enemy by just leaving. But, hey, to each his own.
Make them leave. Illegals freeloading, rape, murder and steal money from legal residents, not leave to poor countries.
If America is so bad, why are these freeloaders coming to America?
USA retirees spent their life savings, building retirement homes in Mexico, the Mexican government change in policy. Mexico confiscated the retirees homes, they lost it all.
Put your trust in a foreign government to do the right thing for you as they do for their citizens? Maybe or maybe not.
Many people fled their countries to come here only to find that our country is becoming what they escaped. Where can you go? Global communism and tyranny is on the rise.
People need to stop voting Demoncrap party line, that contributes to the mess we are in. Thanks people who have voted for Clinton, Obama, Biden & Harris, shame on you all. Harris is a professional paid lier or called a lawyer.
She slept her way to the top and her husband did a nanny and she got an abortion to cover up.
America last all others first since the Harris border czar lets the invasion destroy America.
Where to go?
Stay and fight, fight, fight!
That’s what, don’t be a wussy.
Democrats and Republicans are two heads of the same snake.
Before leaving, POISON your food supplies if you can.
Or just burn your own home to the ground so there is nothing for them to steal.
Last resort is to use your right of ‘self defense’…
Every one you remove from the equation is 10 saved…
Where do you recommend is going?
I’ll just put up a “Road Closed” sign and fema won’t cross it. … just like Bat Cave, NC.
Road Closed + Large Log across said closed road is a plus.
Time to rebel , stand together , stop the forign invasion who runs fema
follow the trails that lead to WHO, UN , and the invasion of america
you will have to shoot , as a group
better to DIE , than to live in a hell camp of fema , liars, thieves, criminals from other countries
plan , prepare, get ready for the koas is going to begin.
Today is the day to GET your life right with God, Trust in Jesus christ , believe in his word , the TRUTH bible , repent , be baptised, allow God to have control and Rapture you when this starts
follow the prophecys and see where we are in the process of judgement of rebellion against God by Who, UN , and world Godless leaders who Hate God , love Money , commit crime s against society and God will Judge strickly
Repent , 1john all , 1cronicles 7:14
The FEMA incident in North Carolina is the start of the loss of our 1 & 2 amendments as we see the Harris govt saying their employees don’t feel safe in N.C. as heard.
The real help is coming from the people, local and private organizations.
When the current Biden, Harris boldface lie to the public on no funds left in FEMA for the rest of the hurricane season you we have a problem.
Funds are being diverted from agencies such as FEMA to fund illegals free stuff, housing in $100. to $1,000 USD hotel, motel rooms while the hurricane victims get a one time $750 USD deal, the Maui residents got the same but only $700 USD.
Your Biden-Harris-Walz govt spent emergency money on illegals than Americans in need first. This is the hurricane season a second larger hurricane is coming to Florida this time. Biden-Harris just spend tons of American taxpayers money on illegals who are first in line and Americans second or last in line.
Lebanon is getting $150 million USD for relief, Ukraine is getting an added $8 billion USD, what about American legal citizens first?
Who is running our current presidential govt right now?
Could it be at least Obama and Soros the puppet masters in charge, obvious Biden, Harris, laughable Walz ain’t in charge.
66 Billion alone in 2023 for illegals social services.
Easy for you to say. What happens when SHTF in that foreign country you flee to and they see rich Americans in their country?
Many low IQ information public will try to hold you as a hostage to get money or something of value and maybe just kill you later.
I agree with that statement, totally.
The real world in not as much fun as the prepper fantasy world, in the real world FEMA is an underfunded bureaucracy whose main function is distributing aid money. The closest they come to setting up camps is paying for thousands of motel rooms for evacuees. Everybody needs to learn how to evaluate the world of information out there, good fact based decision making in an emergency is more important than the rule of threes or knowing how to make a garbage can into a Faraday Cage.
Nailed it 💯
Look at the fema camp going up in western NC outside of Asheville and spin that fantasy again.
They can’t confiscate or evacuate:
1) what they can’t find.
2) someone or something where they disappear while trying to find them/it.
3) who or what they can’t get to.
But, the number one method is to keep your door locked and don’t answer it. Be sure to have a warning on the door that says “Automated Building Defenses Have Been Enabled”. If they bust through the door, be sure to have multiple rounds of substantial calibers ready to deploy. (I prefer 300WinMag)
These lying bastards that we have running our country will be taught a lesson at one point or another if they try to pull this crap. …and they want to pull it so desperately because they hate We The People.
Maybe you should go to the open border and use your 300 to slow down the invasion.
Thousands of us should have done that 3 years ago.
Border patrol and cops will stop you. Illegal to shoot the criminals.
Here is a good question. You stand on the us side, shoot and kill someone on the other side of the border.
You did not commit murder on the US side and weren’t on the other side to commit murder.
What happens in that scenario?
Crazy, it won’t matter if the the liberals win after November 5th. We will become in a civil war these elites have been trying to do since the Clinton presidency but worse with Biden, Harris. We are at the tipping point with this election soon.
The Democraps have made placed for liberals to vote in North Carolina but nothing yet for the Republicans and conservatives stuck in the mountain areas.
Will the deep state democrats cheat again in the November 5th election?
You sir are very correct! The demoncrats will cheat till they win. We as conservatives must ALL vote to make this election “too big to rig!” The Biden – Harris regime have also installed many illegals in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
HI Claude…thanks always for the tips. Having worked with FEMA in an emergency management role I can tell you that there will be no FEMA camps. FEMA cannot manage itself, nonetheless manage any type of concentration or limited access camp. Nor can the federal or state governments. I believe the FEMA camp thing has been a scare tactic for quite some time. Think of it this way, how can a highly limited organization with very few resources possible round up “millions of people”, feed them, water them, shelter them and provide medical support. It is a physical impossibility. They only way the American people will be restricted is by a successful foreign invasion and even then, how do they manage 350 million people, except kill 90% of us. If it ever gets to that point, the world will be a decimated place and who cares at that point. No one can survive it in the sort nor long term. Just my opinion of course. We can certainly defend against short-term control by being prepared. But if we are going to be totally controlled by a government, either ours or another, we have got much bigger problems than bugging out or bugging in. Jesus will have to come! Reading up on civil war theories will help put this in perspective. There is not way our government today can beat the American people in a conflict without completely wiping us out with advanced weapons. While our younger generations have been brainwashed to go as sheep to the slaughter, half of the country to continue to fight for freedom. That is ~175 million people. Our armed forces have a total of 1.4 million active duty and reservists. Most of them will be on our side. 175 million against 500,000? Who is going to win that battle? Anyway, these are interesting topics to discuss and we never need to divide with each other. Be prepared for the little things, like dock strikes, internet glitches and hurricanes. Most people do not have more than two days of food reserves, nor water, nonetheless have the skills to survive in the wilderness or even in their own home for more than a week. Even those of us who have the skills to survive in the wilderness will get pretty tired of it in a couple of months. We are not cut from that clothe anymore and we do not have the societal structure to reestablish pioneer living. Even the Amish will struggle in the long term with civil unrest locally or worldwide.
Be blessed everyone, stay frosty, get your loved ones as close as possible in the next 30 days, and pray without ceasing. The next 30 days will be very telling as to the direction and future of our country. It is going to be interesting! Be at peace!
Sure you worked for FEMA, your another bleeding heart liberal from a sanctuary state trying to keep the Biden and Harris administration from imploding on lies. And raiding our taxes to keep the illegals here as voting replacements for November 5th election here.
Yes Jeremiah, the government did round up millions by the Covid scare of Dr Fauci and the corrupt agencies like the CDC, making people stand six feet apart, wear masks and taking a vaccine. Still people took several shots, still got Covid and make people stay in their homes for about two weeks which turned into many months.
Yes the Biden, Harris administration kept people hiding in their homes while the elites went about their business in less crowded streets. The average business owner got shutdown by federal and state mandates. Elites like the CA governor Newsom kept his businesses open and eat dinner mask free at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley.
The government has refurbished the old World War 2 POW camps, upgraded with razor wire.
What agency do you work for?
Tell us more of the deep state lies you have.
I agree with everything you wrote, except the part about our military. Unfortunately, 80% of the military will follow orders and do what they are told. This is the sad truth about our indoctrinated military personnel.
Please explain the encampment being built in Western NC. Look it up. Heavily guarded with security and surveillance. What is this place for?
Hi Jay…was that really your take away from what I wrote? To clarify, I said I worked “with FEMA” not for FEMA. I worked with an Incident Management Team through the fire department alongside FEMA restore people and communities after natural and manmade disasters. I was a firefighter. My point was…FEMA is an absolute disaster and could not support their own if that actually had to, nor manage their way out of a paper bag. I am also the furthest thing from a bleeding heart liberal. I served my country and defend our freedoms to defeat our current tyrannical government everyday. I’m sorry you got that impression from my logical comment. We are supposed to be united on this site.
We are not perfect, we have have trolls trying to take over in the comment section for a while. United we stand, divided we fall.
Yes agree FEMA should be defunded giving comfort to the illegals, like “The top 9 most terrifying words in the English Language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” president Reagan once said.
So, yet ANOTHER post advertising a product. This time, it leaves out ‘crucial’ information that you can only get by buying the book!
I’m DONE with Ask a Prepper for good.
There are other sites, one can think of is survivopedia.com, there are too many trolls here. The old prepper group is gone now, miss left coast chuck and others.
There is offthegridnews.com too, This site has some good stuff left.
This site has bible thumpers who go to the extreme at times. I believe in God and Jesus but not in organized religion as the higher up leadership is no different from the corrupt political leadership currently.
I miss Left Coast Chuck, but he could be a bit of a blow hard at times. Often, it seemed like he had the attitude of “agree with my statement, or STFU!”.
3+ years ago, there were some great people on this site. Now? There are some good, or almost good people, that are mixed in with bots and trolls. When this was an informative discussion board, we would disagree at times, and politics/religion would come up, but not dominate the the conversation. Politics AND religion play a big part in prepping decisions. Do you believe in God and that there is a heaven, or do you believe that once you’re dead, that’s it? If you believe there is more to answer for after this life, then that will direct your moral code. If you believe in one side or the other of the political spectrum, then that also plays a factor in how you choose to prepare for disasters.
Will the government help? Yes, for a short time, but only if you agree with them and bow down to the agency in charge. I choose NOT to believe that the government will help, and therefore, I REFUSE to bow down to them. If a conflict arises between me and the government, armed or not, I probably will not survive because of my non-compliance. The movie Ants showed the ants realizing that there were more of them than there were of the grasshoppers, and with that knowledge and epiphany, the ants took back control. I am one ant, and will defend my home, but I am hoping that others will band together with me, to drive those that want to control me, back to where they came from, or send them to meet God face to face. I am scared of my afterlife and am ready to atone for my actions. I am sure that there are some that will be scared after life, because the rules will be so much different.
With back to back hurricanes hitting the South, I pray for the people that have lost loved ones, homes, security, and the belief that help is coming. I have made a donation to help. Have you? Our government has not only weaponized the federal agencies against We the People, but they have also weaponized the weather against us.
Stay as safe and alert as possible in these difficult times. Pray, if you believe in God and Jesus. Pray, even if you don’t believe. After all, according to the left, God doesn’t exist, therefore your prayers are just ineffective words. If that’s true, why does the left not want people to believe in God?
Reviewed both of the websites that you’ve mentioned. The “survivopeia” from my view was basically very similar to this site. Not much different between them. The other website was a little better.
If you leave early you start running of your preps bugging out and what happens if it was a false warning, you will look crazy from the neighbors coming back home.
If try to leave during the martial law running a little late you might get captured or get everything confiscated. The major highway system has built in roadblocks for the prevailing enforcement agents to detain you. The freeway overpass will be a checkpoint inspection area.
You can see in our time we have done this to our selves, voting party line, social media manipulation of the public mindset, teachers corrupt union teaching trash to your kids and so on.
To live in areas of the annual hurricane a mandatory prep of basic supplies must be kept if one cannot leave and must stay in place.
Every year we see the same, same thing happen. People still don’t prepare correctly but drive in slowed down clog highways trying to escape the storm at the last minute.
I wonder where comrade kamala thinks these folks are going to spend that $750 at, the whole town is gone and Amazon aint going to deliver either.
FEMA doesn’t have a pot to piss in. They aren’t setting up any camps!
I’m not sure about you guys… however many states like my Texas are heavily armed, I have a gun, but many of my friends have MANY. I believe the American people will bring those arms to bear if the gubmint oversteps it’s bounds and I also believe many partiots will help those bearing arms. Same thing happened around 250 years ago. Times change, but people basically remain the same. In Texas, we will not tolerate an out of control government.
Same goes for our fine law enforcement. We may die, but it will be a shot heard around the world for freedom.
Claude, I appreciate your site, even with the ads as I know you have much upkeep and server costs. I’m a web designer myself.
Claude is not perfect as none of us are. We do need to prepare as we just had a rough go with Beryl and 7 to 10 or so days without power.
I do believe in God and Jesus and pray for those in the easter US affected by Helene and Milton. They have it much worse than us, so we can see being prepared in not just an option… it’s a necessity!
God bless all of you and especially those in storm ravaged areas.
Nolan