Note: This is day 26 of National Preparedness Month. Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NPM11 hash tag.
This month, as part of NPM11, I’ll be rerunning some edited and updated older preparedness essays, along with some new ones.
# 5865
There is probably no harder decision to be made in the face of a disaster than having to decide whether to evacuate from your home. Home is familiar, and home is where your processions are.
Quite understandably, no one wants to leave home during an emergency if they can avoid it.
In fact, it can be such a traumatic decision that some people will risk everything to avoid evacuating. But as the following photo taken in Crystal Beach after Hurricane Ike, staying home in the face of a flood, a hurricane, or other natural disaster can have deadly consequences.
Being able to leave in a hurry means having an emergency `to go’ kit or `BOB’ already equipped, and standing by.
In the vernacular, a `bug-out bag' or `BOB’ is a bag of emergency supplies, ideally kept at the ready, that one can grab on the way out the door during an emergency.
Some people call it a GOOD bag (Get Out Of Dodge).
Every hurricane season I go through my personal bug out bag, and replace flashlight and radio batteries from last year, and swap out older emergency rations for newer ones.
A BOB isn't supposed to be a survival kit, but rather, is supposed to provide the essentials one might need during the first 72 hours of a forced, and sometimes unexpected, evacuation.
It should contain food, water, any essential prescription medicines, copies of important papers (ID's, insurance, important Phone #s), a first aid kit, portable radio, flashlight, extra batteries, and ideally blankets and extra clothes.
While having to evacuate your home may seem like an unlikely event, every years hundreds of thousands of Americans are forced to do so. Rivers spill their banks, dams break, brush fires rage out of control, even sudden industrial accidents can force evacuations.
Unlike with a hurricane, you won’t always have advance warning.
Ready.gov has the following advice on how to prepare for an evacuation order.
Evacuating
There may be conditions under which you will decide to get away, or there may be situations when you are ordered to leave. Plan how you will assemble your family and anticipate where you will go. Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency.
Create an evacuation plan:
- Plan places where your family will meet, both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.
- If you have a car, keep a half tank of gas in it at all times in case you need to evacuate.
- Become familiar with alternate routes and other means of transportation out of your area.
- If you do not have a car, plan how you will leave if you have to.
- Take your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been contaminated.
- Lock the door behind you.
Although everyone’s needs will differ, I’ve a brief tour of my Bug Out Bag below:
You should consult the Ready.gov website for specific recommendations about what you should include in your kit.
Everything I’ve got fits into a single duffle bag.
I keep mine stocked (and checked for freshness every 6 months), and easily accessible in my home. If I had to leave on a moment’s notice, at least I’d be leaving with more than the clothes on my back.
You’ll notice in the pictures below just about everything is kept in plastic bags.
First comes the electronics.
While I would obviously want to grab my cellphone (and my beloved iPod) on the way out the door, some basics that stay in the bag are an LED Lantern, a battery operated radio, extra batteries, a small pocket knife, and a hand-crank flashlight.
Next in line is 72 hours of food.
I’ve a couple of MREs, a couple of `pouch meals’ that can be eaten warm or cold, some soup mixes, some instant oatmeal, and (don’t forget) something to eat and drink out of, and some plastic utensils.
Next come some basic `survival’ items.
Water (I usually carry 4 or 5 pints), hat, spare glasses, sun block, essential computer backups on flash drives, a copy of my medical history, and some plastic sheeting, duct tape, and some light rope.
With those last three items, I have the makings of an emergency shelter if need be.
Next comes a combination toiletry kit (toothbrush, paste, floss, toilet paper, small garbage bags)/mini first aid kit. I’ve also got some aspirin, and 3 prescriptions I’d hate to be caught without in an emergency.
Tucked away inside this kit I also have some quarters, some folding money, and copies of my driver’s license, a list of emergency phone numbers, and copies of some other important papers.
I also threw in a pair of reef-runners. Light mesh shoes that are good for walking in water. They dry out quickly. Admittedly, they are a bit bulky, but this is Hurricane country, and dry shoes could be a godsend in a crisis.
And lastly, I’ve some dry clothes and a fleece blanket. Everything, of course, bagged to keep dry.
There you have it. Total weight, about 22 lbs.
Everything I need to stay warm, dry, nourished, and reasonably comfortable for 72 hours. Plus the added benefit of having two sources of light, an emergency radio, a little cash, a mini first aid kit, and some basic toiletries.
Things that would take me precious minutes to gather up during an emergency. Time I simply might not have.
Of course, you’d be hard pressed to put everything for a family of four into one bag. So each family member should have their own BOB.
Some items, like the radio, lights, and first aid kit needn’t be duplicated in each bag.
I keep my BOB within arm’s reach of my first aid kit, and would hopefully be able to grab both, even in an emergency. Frankly, I’d feel naked without it.
Over the years, having a well stocked first aid kit has come in very handy. It is amazing the peace of mind that comes from being ready for an emergency.
I do these things because preparing is easy.
It’s worrying that is hard.
Note: For international readers who might be unfamiliar with the Americanism of `get out of dodge’, it comes from the old western radio & TV series Gunsmoke, where the Marshall would warn the bad guys to leave or else . . .
Today, it is often used to mean getting away from any dangerous situation.
