In an ideal world, we would have everything we need ready, within arm’s reach and we would know exactly at the moment when we need to evacuate, shelter in place, or get to a safe location.
But no, in the real world we don’t have that luxury. In the real world, you don’t get to choose when, how, where, or even why you’ll be facing an emergency situation or how much time you’ll have to react.
You and your family could be thrown into an emergency or survival situation due to a number of reasons, without warning and in an instant. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, social unrest, and road emergencies are just a few of the scenarios where your
safety and even your survival could be threatened.
The real key is, first, realizing there’s no way to know how an emergency will unfold, and second being ready at all times and taking your preparedness plan with you is the most effective way to maximize your odds of surviving in a disaster or emergency.
Most bug out literature out there will tell you that a bug out bag is specifically and strictly designed to help you survive for 72 hours. However, my opinion is that a bug out bag should last however long it takes you to get to your pre-established and relatively safe location.
In addition, most of the publications and training you’ll find will assume that you are bugging out of your home. They fail to consider my earlier point that, “in the real world
you don’t get to choose when, how, where, or even why you’ll be facing an emergency situation”. So, what good will a bug out bag do you if it’s at home and you’re stuck on the highway, in a public place, or at work when emergency strikes? In this article, we’ll
cover that step by step of putting together a, “get home bag”.
Mental & Physical Awareness In an emergency situation, it is important to understand what’s happening around you and also the natural reactions you are likely to experience internally. Your ability to adapt both mentally and physically to a challenging situation is crucial to your survival.
Get away from immediate danger
Movement saves lives. Whenever you are in a dangerous situation, getting yourself and your family away from immediate danger is always your top priority. The people who panic and freeze are much more likely to die than the ones to move. This is also known
as getting out of the “X”. “X” being the location or the position where you are in danger.
One example of this is if the building or the vehicle you are in is on fire or filling up with smoke then you are right in the middle of the “X” and you need to move out of it. This could also apply if you are being attacked, by moving away or out of the way of your
attacker, you are much more likely to avoid getting hurt.
If possible, take a few moments to determine the pattern of your surroundings and what is taking place around you.
Try to understand what’s happening around you, but don’t compromise getting out of the way of immediate danger for the sake of understanding what’s happening.
Three C’s: Stay Cool, Calm & Collected
It’s very important that you stay calm and don’t panic. To a large degree, this comes down to emotional discipline. Take a step back and detach yourself from the emotional stimulus that the current situation is causing.
Take Inventory What Do You Have With You?
The next important step is to survey your tools and equipment. Check to determine what is available to you and also its condition. Ideally, you will have your “on the go” bag with you and should have most of what you need.
Now that you have taken stock of your situation as well as your surroundings, equipment, and physical condition the next step is to begin creating a survival plan. This plan will focus on the basic needs for survival; shelter, water, fire, and food.
What is Bugging Out?
If you are new to the prepping world, you may have heard the term “bugging out.” It is used a lot when talking about survival and prepping. Bugging out is a term that has been borrowed from the military. It basically means grabbing a prepared bag of gear
and getting out of trouble in a hurry. Bugging out is the term used to say you are leaving your house and heading out to try and survive elsewhere.
In non-military terms, bugging out typically means grabbing supplies and gear, and then evacuating a disaster zone or an imminent threat. Ideally, if you are in a position where
you need to bug out, you will already have a plan and a pre-established safe location.
Bugging-in is just the opposite. It means you are going to stay home, hunker down and wait for whatever it is to pass in the safety and comfort of your home. This is also referred to as sheltering in place. You would be hiding out in your home and living off the supplies you have stored in the basement, pantry, or wherever they have been stashed.
The key to any good survival plan is to make a plan for bugging out and bugging in. You cannot possibly predict what disaster will befall you. You need to be prepared either way. It is all about hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. The prepared will survive.
General Evacuation Checklist
❏ Have a discussion with your family about what would you do if you had to evacuate in a short amount of time.
❏ Think about where you would exit your home in different scenarios (Example: Fires – If upstairs, fire escape ladders; if door blocked, alternative doors or windows.)
❏ Are your emergency supplies easily reachable? Where are they?
❏ The old saying applies- people, pets before things. But when it comes to that, what are your most valuable possessions?
❏ Do you keep your wallet, keys, cell phone, glasses, etc. in the same spot where you can easily grab them? Or will you have to run around the house searching for them?
❏ If you have pets, plan ahead for them as well. At the very least, you’ll need a carrier, leash, collar, food, and water for them as well.
❏ Where are the carriers, leashes, collars, etc?
❏ Many shelters do not allow pets so these are all things to consider well ahead of a disaster.
❏ Don’t forget your important documents. Build your grab and go binder & backup, so you have all your documents in one place.
❏ Have a plan for your irreplaceable items such as photos, recipes, etc. Now would be a good time to back them up online or in a thumb drive. Grab your computer if you have time especially if your livelihood depends on it.
❏ You’ll need to take cash with you in case ATMs, credit and debit cards are not working. Keep your hidden cash in your grab and go binder or bug out bag.
❏ Lock up your home as well as you can when you leave. You’ll hopefully be returning after the emergency has passed, and some looting goes on in the aftermath of a disaster.
❏ Review your homeowner’s or renter’s policy and be aware of your
coverages.
❏ Have a bug-out bag. You may not have everything you’d ever want in it, but at least have the beginnings of one.
❏ Each member of the family should have one.
❏ Include special needs such as personal prescriptions, infant supplies, and a child’s special comfort item such as a blanket or stuffed animal.
❏ Inform your loved ones when you have safely evacuated so they don’t come searching for you.
❏ After you exit your home, where would you go?
❏ It’s usually best to relocate with friends or relatives who live outside of the affected area.
❏ Map out routes out of town, and get in touch with relatives whom you can stay with.
❏ Don’t rely on government-run shelters
❏ They are an “option of last resort” for those unable to evacuate
❏ Make sure your vehicle can carry essentials
❏ A huge “bug-out” vehicle is a handicap on crowded roads
❏ It uses more fuel, which may be expensive/scarce in an emergency.
❏ Don’t plan on fuel being available in route
❏ In normal times always keep your gas tank at least half full
❏ Upon warning an event is imminent, conserve fuel, keep tank ¾ full
❏ Carry extra fuel containers outside the vehicle
❏ You’ll need at least a change of clothes, underwear, socks. If you work in an office, you should have one set of work clothes in case you have to go to work in the following days. Not all areas may be affected by the disaster, eventually, you will need to go back to work.
Your Custom Bug Out Plan Checklist
This checklist is intended to help you build a document that is easily understood and that every member of your prepping team and your family should have.
❏ Members of your bug out team
❏ Name
❏ Contact Info
❏ Specialty & Skill Set
❏ Rally points: Designate rally points in an emergency.
❏ Location (office, relative’s house)
❏ Have several alternative locations
❏ Specific Meeting Point (meeting room, back shed, etc.
❏ Code for location changes (Alpha – Primary, Bravo- Secondary)
❏ Bug out destinations: It’s always recommended to have more than one bug out destination in the event that your primary destination is unreachable.
❏ Location name
❏ Directions
❏ Waypoints
❏ Routes(Primary & Alternates)
❏ Location of caches
❏ Map
❏ Emergency services contacts
❏ Police, Fire Department, Medical, etc.
❏ Contact info
❏ Nearby location
❏ Members of the party
❏ Name
❏ Contact info
❏ Physical description
❏ Photo
❏ Code words
❏ This section should be for your bug out team’s eyes only. You should destroy this information once your code words memorized.
❏ Examples: (Immediate bug out = Dodge; I have been followed =
Adam; evacuate to rally point = Fillmore; use alternate route = Tango; you get the idea)