Bug out bag best practices
October 6, 2024 9:31 AM
The tragedy in the southeast is heartbreaking and motivates me to be more prepared for an escape in case of emergency. I’m looking for advice on the best practices for assembling a bug-out bag.
Just after Katrina (where we were not severely impacted but were without electricity for 2 weeks ) I had put together a knapsack, but I’ve let it go in the last few years. I know there are resources online that offer recommendations, but I’d like to hear from this community about what you’ve found makes sense without going overboard. What are the essential items to include for a family of four? Are there any lessons learned from your experiences that might help ensure preparedness without feeling overwhelming? How do you organize it/them? How do you keep your bag(s) up to date, and where do you store them?
Thanks in advance for your input, and my heart goes out to those affected by recent disasters.
Just after Katrina (where we were not severely impacted but were without electricity for 2 weeks ) I had put together a knapsack, but I’ve let it go in the last few years. I know there are resources online that offer recommendations, but I’d like to hear from this community about what you’ve found makes sense without going overboard. What are the essential items to include for a family of four? Are there any lessons learned from your experiences that might help ensure preparedness without feeling overwhelming? How do you organize it/them? How do you keep your bag(s) up to date, and where do you store them?
Thanks in advance for your input, and my heart goes out to those affected by recent disasters.
I mean, the most important item is often a full tank of gas. And to know how to read NOAA weather maps (i.e. it's not just the cone of uncertainty that's at risk, and the rain is often more destructive than the wind). A good topographical map of your area can't hurt if you need to evacuate without access to wifi. For more mild storms where you might just be without power for a week or so, fill up buckets of water in case the water shuts off. Have plenty of shelf stable food and bottled or canned water. Also chargeable batteries are now pretty cheap - having one charged and ready to go can be quite helpful. And a battery-powered radio can also be helpful.
But again, the main thing is to have a full tank of gas before a storm arrives, and to evacuate ahead of time if reports suggest it will be bad.
posted by coffeecat at 10:52 AM on October 6
But again, the main thing is to have a full tank of gas before a storm arrives, and to evacuate ahead of time if reports suggest it will be bad.
posted by coffeecat at 10:52 AM on October 6
I think the first thing to do is think through what KIND of disasters your region is most likely to experience and in what manner might you have to leave (or shelter in place, but that's a different prep).
So for example when I lived in Los Angeles, the biggest "bug out" threat was evacuation for wildfires or smoke. Given our circumstances, we knew we would not go to a shelter but would instead just drive out of the affected area - go to friends, get a hotel, whatever. These are almost never "go NOW" events, you generally get some warning in the preceding day or days. Alternately we might be stuck sheltering in place for days after an earthquake but THEN get cleared to evacuate. We were going to have time to take purse/wallet/laptop bags, and in almost any circumstance grab the fireproof lockbox with our passports, marriage and birth certificates - although we did have copies of those that lived in the Paperwork Bag near the front door, and we also have scans in our family cloud storage.
The Paperwork Bag by the front door mostly contained those backup copies of paperwork, some cash (we also keep some emergency cash in obscure corners of our wallets), printouts of the dogs' vaccination records (and then later our own covid cards), copies of our medical insurance cards, paper maps of California and the LA metro area, a printed list of contacts in case our phones were damaged or unusable (our parents, our managers, friends outside the area who could act as relays or we could travel towards). This was organized and detailed enough that if some unimaginable thing happened and we were both unconscious or dead the contents of the bag would prevent any delays in whatever needed to happen next, and then also would give us everything we might need without working phones or computers. I kept an emergency radio in that bag.
This bag hung on the same peg rack as the dogs' harnesses and leashes. Also once a quarter I put a fresh gallon bag of kibble in the bag and took the old one out to be eaten before it got stale.
Then we have a Hotel Bag, and we always use the Hotel Bag when we travel so as long as I refresh it when we get home we always have a grab-and-go travel bag with the right stuff in it. It's got all the toiletries, a large pill case with every possible need covered plus 5-7 days' worth of our prescription meds, all the charge cables and a power strip with a long cord. We generally only keep one bare-bones outfit each in this bag (we pack a second bag with real clothes when traveling on purpose) but multiple socks and underwears. It's got a sewing kit, a bag of teas and coffees and electrolyte packets, manicure set, more cash in 5s for tips or emergencies, sleep masks, earplugs, a roll of tape, little screwdriver set, a pair of go-style coffee cups with lids, some silverware and paper bowls. During fire season, when my husband was working in an office, he would keep this bag in the car with him if there was a fire between home and work that might cut him off from coming home for a few days.
Some of this was replicated in our Car Kits, too. Being LA, it was easy to end up too far from home to be able to run back for meds, tooth-brushing, change of shirt, dry socks, or some other minor emergency. You want to make sure that your car(s) all have a permanent set of all the charging cables, and maybe even a second set stored with your tools, so that nobody is running off with them so you're caught out short. Gas tanks were never below half.
The best exercise you can do is visualize your way through the kinds of emergencies you might experience and what you would need/want in those cases. If you have minor kids you might want to get more thorough with the paperwork bag to include their medical records, and put copies of your will and emergency POA in there. I would think about how to unquestionably put ID on the kids in case you get separated (personally I'd sharpie it on their arms so nobody nefarious can get it off them, but some of those un-tear-able mylar wristbands might also be good to have), and maybe make lanyards with laminated emergency contact information.
I'm not a big Prepper-prepper, but I am a camper and it's pretty cheap and easy to have basic supplies for bug-out OR shelter-in-place: water purification tablets, a stove (I love my dual fuel version and I strongly urge you to get the slightly more expensive option around 12K BTU instead of the smaller 8-9K, because the difference it makes in boiling water, which is the most important job it will have, is significant), a couple of tarps (very versatile), a rechargeable lantern or two. Even a tent wouldn't be the worst thing to have on hand if you can store it - I actually lived IN Northridge, well over a decade after the earthquake, but I thought a lot about how in my neighborhood people were kinda stuck living in their yards for days because the power was out and their houses were full of glass shards with no way to clean up.
I always kept a second 20lb propane tank for my outdoor grill, and instead of trying to maintain water storage cubes we just got a 5gal water jug rack and slowly rotated through them using the water for the coffee maker. Part of the Plan, if we were bugging out by car, was to throw at least one of those in the car along with a manual or usb bottle pump.
For anyone in hurricane country, I strongly recommend even a smallish (200-240w) portable power station, if not one of the bigger ones and portable solar panels.
Aside from basic needs and comforts, information and clean water and some power, really the important thing is to have Plans. Figure out what to do if there's a disaster (tornado is a good use case, or fire/damage on the major through-road) when y'all are split up/not at home. Figure out in a calm non-hurricane time where you set the evac trigger and what you will do when it is time. Get your paperwork in order. Have money set aside. Make sure the kids understand the Plans in a developmentally-appropriate way.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:54 AM on October 6
So for example when I lived in Los Angeles, the biggest "bug out" threat was evacuation for wildfires or smoke. Given our circumstances, we knew we would not go to a shelter but would instead just drive out of the affected area - go to friends, get a hotel, whatever. These are almost never "go NOW" events, you generally get some warning in the preceding day or days. Alternately we might be stuck sheltering in place for days after an earthquake but THEN get cleared to evacuate. We were going to have time to take purse/wallet/laptop bags, and in almost any circumstance grab the fireproof lockbox with our passports, marriage and birth certificates - although we did have copies of those that lived in the Paperwork Bag near the front door, and we also have scans in our family cloud storage.
The Paperwork Bag by the front door mostly contained those backup copies of paperwork, some cash (we also keep some emergency cash in obscure corners of our wallets), printouts of the dogs' vaccination records (and then later our own covid cards), copies of our medical insurance cards, paper maps of California and the LA metro area, a printed list of contacts in case our phones were damaged or unusable (our parents, our managers, friends outside the area who could act as relays or we could travel towards). This was organized and detailed enough that if some unimaginable thing happened and we were both unconscious or dead the contents of the bag would prevent any delays in whatever needed to happen next, and then also would give us everything we might need without working phones or computers. I kept an emergency radio in that bag.
This bag hung on the same peg rack as the dogs' harnesses and leashes. Also once a quarter I put a fresh gallon bag of kibble in the bag and took the old one out to be eaten before it got stale.
Then we have a Hotel Bag, and we always use the Hotel Bag when we travel so as long as I refresh it when we get home we always have a grab-and-go travel bag with the right stuff in it. It's got all the toiletries, a large pill case with every possible need covered plus 5-7 days' worth of our prescription meds, all the charge cables and a power strip with a long cord. We generally only keep one bare-bones outfit each in this bag (we pack a second bag with real clothes when traveling on purpose) but multiple socks and underwears. It's got a sewing kit, a bag of teas and coffees and electrolyte packets, manicure set, more cash in 5s for tips or emergencies, sleep masks, earplugs, a roll of tape, little screwdriver set, a pair of go-style coffee cups with lids, some silverware and paper bowls. During fire season, when my husband was working in an office, he would keep this bag in the car with him if there was a fire between home and work that might cut him off from coming home for a few days.
Some of this was replicated in our Car Kits, too. Being LA, it was easy to end up too far from home to be able to run back for meds, tooth-brushing, change of shirt, dry socks, or some other minor emergency. You want to make sure that your car(s) all have a permanent set of all the charging cables, and maybe even a second set stored with your tools, so that nobody is running off with them so you're caught out short. Gas tanks were never below half.
The best exercise you can do is visualize your way through the kinds of emergencies you might experience and what you would need/want in those cases. If you have minor kids you might want to get more thorough with the paperwork bag to include their medical records, and put copies of your will and emergency POA in there. I would think about how to unquestionably put ID on the kids in case you get separated (personally I'd sharpie it on their arms so nobody nefarious can get it off them, but some of those un-tear-able mylar wristbands might also be good to have), and maybe make lanyards with laminated emergency contact information.
I'm not a big Prepper-prepper, but I am a camper and it's pretty cheap and easy to have basic supplies for bug-out OR shelter-in-place: water purification tablets, a stove (I love my dual fuel version and I strongly urge you to get the slightly more expensive option around 12K BTU instead of the smaller 8-9K, because the difference it makes in boiling water, which is the most important job it will have, is significant), a couple of tarps (very versatile), a rechargeable lantern or two. Even a tent wouldn't be the worst thing to have on hand if you can store it - I actually lived IN Northridge, well over a decade after the earthquake, but I thought a lot about how in my neighborhood people were kinda stuck living in their yards for days because the power was out and their houses were full of glass shards with no way to clean up.
I always kept a second 20lb propane tank for my outdoor grill, and instead of trying to maintain water storage cubes we just got a 5gal water jug rack and slowly rotated through them using the water for the coffee maker. Part of the Plan, if we were bugging out by car, was to throw at least one of those in the car along with a manual or usb bottle pump.
For anyone in hurricane country, I strongly recommend even a smallish (200-240w) portable power station, if not one of the bigger ones and portable solar panels.
Aside from basic needs and comforts, information and clean water and some power, really the important thing is to have Plans. Figure out what to do if there's a disaster (tornado is a good use case, or fire/damage on the major through-road) when y'all are split up/not at home. Figure out in a calm non-hurricane time where you set the evac trigger and what you will do when it is time. Get your paperwork in order. Have money set aside. Make sure the kids understand the Plans in a developmentally-appropriate way.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:54 AM on October 6
I live in an earthquake prone country (New Zealand). There is a role for the bug-out bag in some circumstances. You may be at your regular workplace and need to get home. My old workplace had emergency bags ready for staff. Or you may be at home, but home is unliveable now, and you need to go to a shelter. Or maybe there is a tsunami warning and you need to get to high ground NOW.
You want all the things you need in an emergency kit for home, but light enough you can walk for a couple of hours with it. Water, something to eat, a first aid kit, radio and a torch.
If you have family you should talk through where to meet and how to find each other in the event you have to evacuate and you are at different starting points.
Put an annually recurring task in your calendar to check, refresh and replace emergency supplies.
Re the home emergency kit, people who went through the Christchurch earthquake have told me that the biggest issue was water. It took several days for water tankers to get through. People pool food and have pantries and freezers full of defrosting stuff you need to eat or throw away, but water is a problem. Yes, you can survive on 2l per person per day for drinking, but if you want to cook food and wash your hands and do anything other than survival you want at least 5l per person per day, and several days' worth.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:00 PM on October 6
You want all the things you need in an emergency kit for home, but light enough you can walk for a couple of hours with it. Water, something to eat, a first aid kit, radio and a torch.
If you have family you should talk through where to meet and how to find each other in the event you have to evacuate and you are at different starting points.
Put an annually recurring task in your calendar to check, refresh and replace emergency supplies.
Re the home emergency kit, people who went through the Christchurch earthquake have told me that the biggest issue was water. It took several days for water tankers to get through. People pool food and have pantries and freezers full of defrosting stuff you need to eat or throw away, but water is a problem. Yes, you can survive on 2l per person per day for drinking, but if you want to cook food and wash your hands and do anything other than survival you want at least 5l per person per day, and several days' worth.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:00 PM on October 6
Under "Best Of," loquacious went full bore on the Ten Essentials under "Survival of the Witless." Very good information there by them and others.
The Deadly Rule of Threes are:
Three minutes without oxygen equals death by asphyxiation (drowning, mudslides and avalanches, burial under debris, playing with plastic bags, carbon monoxide poisoning.)
Three minutes of uncontrolled arterial bleeding equals death by blood loss.
Three hours in brutally cold weather equals death by hypothermia/exposure (faster if in soaked clothes or in water.)
A statistic is not given for hyperthermia or heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Three days without drinking water equals death by dehydration.
Some lists add cognitive difficulties and poor decision making at around 72 hours, but I wouldn't put much faith in that except to say that stupid decisions can lead to the earlier mentioned life-threatening situations.
Sit down, hug a tree, and wait for rescue.
And finally, three weeks without food equals death by starvation.
Therefore, don't climb a tree looking for bird eggs. Don't cross that raging stream to get to that convenience store. Don't eat those "mushrooms."
If you can breathe, are not bleeding, have drinking water, and can keep your body temperature between sweating and shivering, then you can wait for help to arrive.
This assumes that you are in a safe location (wildfires, rising flood waters, etc.) and that no one is in a health emergency.
posted by TrishaU at 12:43 PM on October 6
The Deadly Rule of Threes are:
Three minutes without oxygen equals death by asphyxiation (drowning, mudslides and avalanches, burial under debris, playing with plastic bags, carbon monoxide poisoning.)
Three minutes of uncontrolled arterial bleeding equals death by blood loss.
Three hours in brutally cold weather equals death by hypothermia/exposure (faster if in soaked clothes or in water.)
A statistic is not given for hyperthermia or heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Three days without drinking water equals death by dehydration.
Some lists add cognitive difficulties and poor decision making at around 72 hours, but I wouldn't put much faith in that except to say that stupid decisions can lead to the earlier mentioned life-threatening situations.
Sit down, hug a tree, and wait for rescue.
And finally, three weeks without food equals death by starvation.
Therefore, don't climb a tree looking for bird eggs. Don't cross that raging stream to get to that convenience store. Don't eat those "mushrooms."
If you can breathe, are not bleeding, have drinking water, and can keep your body temperature between sweating and shivering, then you can wait for help to arrive.
This assumes that you are in a safe location (wildfires, rising flood waters, etc.) and that no one is in a health emergency.
posted by TrishaU at 12:43 PM on October 6
I remember reading that the most important emergency prep you can do is build relationships with your neighbors. No one can be 100% prepared, and no one can foresee every need that will arise. But if you band together with people nearby, you have a greater chance of having the things and the skills you really need in a crisis.
(Of course, do this in addition to gathering some supplies so you're not completely caught with your pants down. But you get the gist.)
posted by nadise at 12:55 PM on October 6
(Of course, do this in addition to gathering some supplies so you're not completely caught with your pants down. But you get the gist.)
posted by nadise at 12:55 PM on October 6
The best exercise you can do is visualize your way through the kinds of emergencies you might experience and what you would need/want in those cases.
This is it. I live in NYC so most likely I'd be walking to New Jersey to sleep in a football stadium or something. My go bag is geared to those needs. But if you live in the middle of rural nowhere, you'd want a significantly different set of stuff. Water, though: you're always going to need more water than you think.
posted by praemunire at 1:05 PM on October 6
This is it. I live in NYC so most likely I'd be walking to New Jersey to sleep in a football stadium or something. My go bag is geared to those needs. But if you live in the middle of rural nowhere, you'd want a significantly different set of stuff. Water, though: you're always going to need more water than you think.
posted by praemunire at 1:05 PM on October 6
I have our basic camping gear packed in a rubbermaid tin at the front of the garage, with tent and sleeping bags grabable. Then I have a bag with chargers, paperwork copies, water purification tables, first aid, trail mix (just to get family over hurdle, not to live on), etc., near the door. Dog stuff was added once we got a dog. I do need to make sure we have cat carriers on hand. I think that's about it. We have bottled water in the basement but also live next to a lake.
posted by warriorqueen at 1:06 PM on October 6
posted by warriorqueen at 1:06 PM on October 6
I live in a fire and earthquake zone, and my bugout bag is just "put my phone and charger in my pocket and head to a friend's." So I'm a minimalist. But I think a big part of the prep is: where will you head, what's the climate, and what is the absolute minimum you need.
For a family of four my bugout bag would just be what I would pack for a family of four for a hike, times several days: water, snacks, wipes, sunscreen, change of clothes, soap, small first aid kit. Throw in ponchos and a lightweight blanket depending on climate and season.
You can go further, but I think there are diminishing returns to trying to cover all possible cases.
posted by zippy at 1:52 PM on October 6
For a family of four my bugout bag would just be what I would pack for a family of four for a hike, times several days: water, snacks, wipes, sunscreen, change of clothes, soap, small first aid kit. Throw in ponchos and a lightweight blanket depending on climate and season.
You can go further, but I think there are diminishing returns to trying to cover all possible cases.
posted by zippy at 1:52 PM on October 6
I grew up in hurricane country and there's nothing in the world that would motivate me to ever move back. Not keen on experiencing other natural disasters, either. So I live in Chicago.
Things that make me feel safe/prepared:
-the great lakes region generally being disaster stable
-a gas stove that can be used even if the power is out
-always having a case of bottled water
-keeping a power brick charged
-shelf stable food like tinned fish
-plenty of blankets
And finally, really the most important thing here:
-I live somewhere densely populated enough that the city will make sure my neighbors and I have resources and quickly restored services should shit really hit the fan
posted by phunniemee at 5:22 PM on October 6
Things that make me feel safe/prepared:
-the great lakes region generally being disaster stable
-a gas stove that can be used even if the power is out
-always having a case of bottled water
-keeping a power brick charged
-shelf stable food like tinned fish
-plenty of blankets
And finally, really the most important thing here:
-I live somewhere densely populated enough that the city will make sure my neighbors and I have resources and quickly restored services should shit really hit the fan
posted by phunniemee at 5:22 PM on October 6
I HIGHLY recommend Tokyo’s English language disaster preparation documentation for its citizens. While it clearly has an earthquake focus, it covers a lot of scenarios in depth that will probably apply to you. (If only the US was a tenth as prepared as Tokyo… Japanese disaster preparation infrastructure blows my mind both in quantity, thoroughness and just how well thought out it is.)
Here’s their main disaster preparation pdf in English, with detailed checklists of what to have on hand and actions to consider taking prior.
The other chapters are also worth a read, and cover everything from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 5:35 PM on October 6
Here’s their main disaster preparation pdf in English, with detailed checklists of what to have on hand and actions to consider taking prior.
The other chapters are also worth a read, and cover everything from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 5:35 PM on October 6
At risk of not answering the asked question... beyond just making sure you have adequate supplies to survive, I'd recommend you // your family take a first aid course, like those offered by the Red Cross. That knowledge, plus a good kit, will help make sure you can keep moving.
posted by isauteikisa at 8:54 PM on October 6
posted by isauteikisa at 8:54 PM on October 6
Add your ID, passport, birth certificates and copies of your most important papers, in ziplock bags.
posted by citygirl at 5:06 AM on October 7
posted by citygirl at 5:06 AM on October 7
Mine includes a small portable hard drive with a backup of my computer. My life is on there, and everything I've written.
posted by metonym at 8:41 AM on October 7
posted by metonym at 8:41 AM on October 7
I live in Asheville. What helped me was a power station with solar panel, and a camping stove and/or small grill that uses same/similar fuel, for preparing dry/canned food and boiling unsafe water. Having a full tank of gas was great. I've since gotten an emergency radio (charge via crank or solar) with weather band and alert band but that won't be handy until a next time that I hope never happens.
What I hadn't prepared for was long lack of water, so aside from stored water (that'll still only realistically last long enough to decide to evacuate or make use of disaster relief), I've ordered multiple large multi-gallon containers for water, a camping shower, and will probably get a manual laundry spinner thing.
In general I'd say a month's worth of anything important like medication, as well as dry/canned food is a good idea, and to keep this updated as time goes on. A decent amount of cash would be very handy as well. Pet food is apparently in really short supply, too, so if there's any pets I'd make sure to have them sorted for a month or more. Flipflops/sandals/slippers in case you need to make use of shared shower facilities.
I plan to make a list of what exactly worked well and didn't work well but I'm still in the middle of it, so this'll have to do for now. Keep in mind that some disasters do not allow you to bug out/evacuate, so it's good to think about what it'd take to 'hold down the fort' OR leave with.
posted by destructive cactus at 10:25 AM on October 7
What I hadn't prepared for was long lack of water, so aside from stored water (that'll still only realistically last long enough to decide to evacuate or make use of disaster relief), I've ordered multiple large multi-gallon containers for water, a camping shower, and will probably get a manual laundry spinner thing.
In general I'd say a month's worth of anything important like medication, as well as dry/canned food is a good idea, and to keep this updated as time goes on. A decent amount of cash would be very handy as well. Pet food is apparently in really short supply, too, so if there's any pets I'd make sure to have them sorted for a month or more. Flipflops/sandals/slippers in case you need to make use of shared shower facilities.
I plan to make a list of what exactly worked well and didn't work well but I'm still in the middle of it, so this'll have to do for now. Keep in mind that some disasters do not allow you to bug out/evacuate, so it's good to think about what it'd take to 'hold down the fort' OR leave with.
posted by destructive cactus at 10:25 AM on October 7
For those with chronic illness or family members with such needs, you need to have prescriptions on hand, even if it's just the remaining supply of your monthly medications. If you can, and I know it's hard to do, build a stash of 15-30 days extra supply of your most necessary meds. I was able to do this by switching to a mail order pharmacy that gave me a 90 day supply, and renewing scripts at the earliest possible date and then setting aside whatever was left when the new one came in. It's very hard to do this when you only get approved for 28-30 days worth per prescription like most ADHD and pain meds, but you will need these when dealing with emergency situations. Keep rotating out the saved meds as you can with the latest prescription fill so they are not outdated when you need them.
If you need medical equipment, like a nebulizer for asthma, have that and the meds for it stored someplace easy to grab, along with a power source for recharging the battery. If you are using insulin, most of the current types can go unrefrigerated for short periods and lose effectiveness over longer periods, but are still useful. Have a set of needles, etc., stashed with your other meds.
Keep copies of what your prescribed meds are, as well as what you take OTC so you can get them refilled whenever you land someplace safer. Same for your pets if they are on chronic meds.
posted by drossdragon at 10:31 AM on October 7
If you need medical equipment, like a nebulizer for asthma, have that and the meds for it stored someplace easy to grab, along with a power source for recharging the battery. If you are using insulin, most of the current types can go unrefrigerated for short periods and lose effectiveness over longer periods, but are still useful. Have a set of needles, etc., stashed with your other meds.
Keep copies of what your prescribed meds are, as well as what you take OTC so you can get them refilled whenever you land someplace safer. Same for your pets if they are on chronic meds.
posted by drossdragon at 10:31 AM on October 7
I learned a lot from the big fire in Jasper this summer. Even with five hours of advanced warning and only a population of 4,000 (plus 12,000 tourists) it took 6 hours for people to drive 120km west to the next nearest town.
The big takeaways for me were:
1. 1/4 tank of gas is not enough, I live 120 km from the nearest city, 30 km from the nearest town, and can do both easily on 1/4 tank, but not if I'm idling/start/stop for six hours. So now I fill up as soon as I hit 1/2 a tank.
2. pack snacks, water. drinks with you. I don't think it means I need to keep a 24 of bottled water in the trunk, we all have nalgens that we use, filling them is likely enough, but also leads me to the next point:
3. Your camping gear is a bugout kit if you have it ready: I have a 30L ultralight setup with water filter, stove, tent, sleeping bag, first aid kit, headlamp, etc Might as well keep it pre-packed with a change of old clothes and take it with me when I need to bug out. It can go a long a long way to covering any adverse situation, and if I lose everything I still have that.
4. I had my documents in one place, but my emergency cash was elsewhere and I totally would have forgotten it, so I've consolidated those into my travel bugout kit. I've also dialed back my emergency docos into something simpler. All the key docs have been scanned anyways.
5. Allow for one big blue ikea bag of sentimentals. I tried doing a mental exercise of what sentimental items I would take with me, and nothing really struck a cord, but if I were to do a mad shopping dash in my house with a big blue ikea bag I'm pretty sure I could fill it up quickly, and those items would have meaning for me the rest of my life.
posted by furtive at 1:37 PM on October 7
The big takeaways for me were:
1. 1/4 tank of gas is not enough, I live 120 km from the nearest city, 30 km from the nearest town, and can do both easily on 1/4 tank, but not if I'm idling/start/stop for six hours. So now I fill up as soon as I hit 1/2 a tank.
2. pack snacks, water. drinks with you. I don't think it means I need to keep a 24 of bottled water in the trunk, we all have nalgens that we use, filling them is likely enough, but also leads me to the next point:
3. Your camping gear is a bugout kit if you have it ready: I have a 30L ultralight setup with water filter, stove, tent, sleeping bag, first aid kit, headlamp, etc Might as well keep it pre-packed with a change of old clothes and take it with me when I need to bug out. It can go a long a long way to covering any adverse situation, and if I lose everything I still have that.
4. I had my documents in one place, but my emergency cash was elsewhere and I totally would have forgotten it, so I've consolidated those into my travel bugout kit. I've also dialed back my emergency docos into something simpler. All the key docs have been scanned anyways.
5. Allow for one big blue ikea bag of sentimentals. I tried doing a mental exercise of what sentimental items I would take with me, and nothing really struck a cord, but if I were to do a mad shopping dash in my house with a big blue ikea bag I'm pretty sure I could fill it up quickly, and those items would have meaning for me the rest of my life.
posted by furtive at 1:37 PM on October 7
[ This helpful and timely question has been added to the sidebar and Best Of blog!]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:01 AM on October 9
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:01 AM on October 9
I've just remembered a critical component to your bag-packing: all the paper (paperwork, passports, money etc) and stuff like medication that could dissolve should be in zip-top baggies, and I actually recommend leaving a smidge of air inside each baggie so that they'll float for at least a minute or two if dropped. Even if you're not in a rain-specific event, it could be raining OR there could be busted water lines OR the fire department could be spraying water OR something spills in the bag.
And just baggie stuff up for organizational purposes.
There's a thing going viral right now about putting critical items in your dishwasher because it's sealed, but they are not sealed - they have hoses going in and out. But if you have stuff in dry bags or waterproof items you just don't want to float away or get crushed and will likely be where you left them when you come home, you can store things in there before evacuating for floods or hurricanes since they are unlikely to travel far (assuming the house itself is mostly standing).
Anything in your house that you wouldn't want damaged in a water event (including fire department water, which is still a risk to you even if it's not your actual house on fire) should go in storage bins with watertight lids, and the more valuable the contents the higher up they should go. There are a million reasons not to store stuff in cardboard boxes (roaches love 'em, so do rats) but moisture is the #1 reason.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:02 PM on October 9
And just baggie stuff up for organizational purposes.
There's a thing going viral right now about putting critical items in your dishwasher because it's sealed, but they are not sealed - they have hoses going in and out. But if you have stuff in dry bags or waterproof items you just don't want to float away or get crushed and will likely be where you left them when you come home, you can store things in there before evacuating for floods or hurricanes since they are unlikely to travel far (assuming the house itself is mostly standing).
Anything in your house that you wouldn't want damaged in a water event (including fire department water, which is still a risk to you even if it's not your actual house on fire) should go in storage bins with watertight lids, and the more valuable the contents the higher up they should go. There are a million reasons not to store stuff in cardboard boxes (roaches love 'em, so do rats) but moisture is the #1 reason.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:02 PM on October 9
Hello from soggy Florida! Ditto to all of the above, plus:
Relatively recent map of roads or terrain if you’ll be evacuating. If you lose cell service, what will you do? Also a *printed* emergency contact list for yourself in case your phone is lost or damaged.
Cash was mentioned before, but enough cash to last a week or so if you can manage it. I remember being unable to buy anything with a credit card (including gas for evacuation!) because service was down for most of the county.
I was scrambling around today to get my dogs medicine. I thought I was pretty well covered, but had that two for down on my list, and there was a problem with my local vet being able to fill it. I had to find a place at the evacuation location to communicate with them long distance. And then we had to go to two separate places to find someone who could fill it, while the storm winds were getting worse all the while.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 2:14 PM on October 9
Relatively recent map of roads or terrain if you’ll be evacuating. If you lose cell service, what will you do? Also a *printed* emergency contact list for yourself in case your phone is lost or damaged.
Cash was mentioned before, but enough cash to last a week or so if you can manage it. I remember being unable to buy anything with a credit card (including gas for evacuation!) because service was down for most of the county.
I was scrambling around today to get my dogs medicine. I thought I was pretty well covered, but had that two for down on my list, and there was a problem with my local vet being able to fill it. I had to find a place at the evacuation location to communicate with them long distance. And then we had to go to two separate places to find someone who could fill it, while the storm winds were getting worse all the while.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 2:14 PM on October 9
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My new discovery is that I do have a truck that has an electrical outlet and I just ordered a couple of electric tea kettles - I could plug into my car to boil water for drinking. That is *IF* I still have access to my truck and some gas.
I have a metal pot and lighters/ matches if I don't have access to my truck and I have to start a fire to boil water.
3rd option is I have those clorine tablets and a "lifestraw" for if I can't start a fire.
I can see maybe distracting children about food - learn what is edible where you live. I would even learn about your trees - find out which twigs are safe to gnaw on while you wait to get food. But I can't see telling a child "we have no water". You are going to need to find water.
In Helene all the water is too contaminated to even filter. ANd if you have water stored it may very well have washed away. Personally, if I lived there I would probably figure out how to store some water outside anchored somehow (with cement?). It would still need to be purified. What are people there doing to find a water source if they are not receiving bottled water? I have no idea.
Other things I have heard: you can't buy a gas can anywhere. So again, I would have certain "stations" at my homestead - stored water anchored down - and gas cans also anchored somehow.
Have one of those cheap ham radios and learn how to use it. There is controversy right now that nerdy ham radio operators are gatekeeping ham radio. This is not right - if you don't have a license you can still use ham radio in an emergency. but learn how to use it now.
posted by memoryindustries at 10:36 AM on October 6