Getting out of Dodge quickly means being prepared
We talk a lot about the two possible scenarios you will face if a disaster strikes. One is hunkering down in your home, which is preferable if it is a possibility. The other is bugging out if that’s what the situation dictates. This would be a major inconvenience, but would be much more doable if you have bug-out bags packed and ready to go.
What we don’t talk about as often is being as prepared as possible to leave your home in a hurry. It’s one thing to receive a four-day warning about an approaching hurricane, but it’s quite another to get a four-second warning about an earthquake or a terrorist attack.
If the average family found out they had only a few minutes to get out of Dodge – even if they had bug-out bags packed and ready – they’d be running around their home like chickens with their heads cut off. The key to being able to leave your home very quickly in an emergency is thinking about it in advance and having a step-by-step to-do list posted that you can follow.
Why is it important to get out quickly? Well, the crisis itself might make that necessary. But even if it doesn’t, it might be an emergency that puts a lot of cars on the roads right away. So, any head start you can get on people in your town will allow you to escape while they end up getting stuck in traffic because they waited too long. And if you have to make a quick stop for gas or food, you’ll be able to get to a gas station before they start long lines build up and you can get to a store before the shelves go bare.
There’s going to be a lot of panicking going on when people have to bug out in a hurry, but following a checklist will keep you and your family from wasting time trying to think of what to do next as you prepare to get out of your house. Here are some of the things you’re going to want to include on your checklist, most of which you can move quickly to your car:
- Turn on a radio so you can listen to emergency broadcasts.
- Grab evacuation maps with different routes that you have prepared.
- Grab any bug-out bags you have prepared, including the ones for pets.
- Grab your emergency food supply that you’ve stockpiled.
- Grab water containers that you’ve stored.
- Grab other essential items that are not in your bug-out bags.
- Grab the batteries that you have charged for just such an occasion.
- Grab any weapons and ammunition you have in your home.
- Grab any coats or extra clothing you think might be needed.
- Place your pets in their cages and put them in your vehicle.
- Turn off your home utility mains – gas, water, power.
- Lock up your home to the best of your ability.
- Once you’re in your vehicle and on the way, grab your contact list and make sure they know where you are headed.
While reading through that list, did you find any items that you haven’t already considered and prepared for? If so, work on getting those ready so you can just grab them when the time comes. It will make a world of difference if you ever have to bug out quickly.
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If your car is disabled, you can’t take all this stuff. A back pack is the final item and see that it is chocked full and sitting at the door. I have so much stuff that I would concentrate on the back pack and forget about the other stuff. Life and death means take only stuff to sustain life!! This is most important. all other stuff can be replaced.
I’m sure someone’s addressed this, but I’ll add my two cents. Your identification. What if you don’t have your wallet or purse with your ID? With today’s super high quality printers, it’s easy to copy your ID. I have several pieces, including my DL, that I keep in the truck. They look real, but to avoid accusations of counterfeiting, I’ve stamped “COPY” on them. It’s enough to get you by, and if necessary, convince an “authority” that you’re who you say you are. Worst case, it’ll help ID your body….
It’s hard to have absolutely every base covered for every possible emergency. But I try to stay abreast of what’s happening, both in my area and the broader scene, to hopefully get a head start on whatever might come down. I try to keep my vehicles gassed up. With enough time and a clear way out, I would take off in my motorhome to a safe place. I have several of these in mind, depending on the emergency. If I need to flee in my truck, I have a bugout bag in there, and a list of what items to grab and take with me. If I’m forced to flee on foot or by bicycle, I’ll have to make do with the bugout bag and the list. I’ve had some “fire drills” to rehearse each scenario, and have tried out all the equipment, food packets, improvising for shelter & fire, etc., so as to be a little bit prepared…. but the “real thing” would still be a shock, I’m sure….
In my home I have three-five gallon cans of gas at the ready. I would suggest that you include any fuel supplies that you may need, including any butane cans that you may need for cooking. Also, I would include rope so that you can tie off the fuel cans so that they will not fall over or contaminate any of the supplies or items in the trunk. Note: rule of thumb always leave your car with at lease a half a tank of gas. Just think about it, how many times has your car’s fuel gauge sat on E while your car was sitting in your driveway. You knew that in the morning that you would fill your car up, but suddenly you had to bug out. How far would you get when your fuel gauge needle is screaming at you that it is sitting on E? Keep your car half filled. Make it a mandatory habit and save yourself some grief.
Just for kicks and giggles, you should have a small bug-out-bag, BOB, in your car already. You should have your get-away maps in your glove compartment along with a fire starter source, flashlight, paracord or rope in your trunk along with several plastic bags, the ones you get from the store and a few 30 gallon garbage can size bags.
In your glove compartment, I would keep an extra contact list in case of an emergency. I would also have a re-charger for my cell phone, (or an extra one), in my glove compartment.
In your trunk you should have the basic tools that you may need like a hammer, flat-head and Phillips-screwdrivers, pliers and vice-grips and a standard and metric wrench(s), and lets not forget the multi-purpose duct tape.
I have a chest filled with extra clothes, shoes, jackets, socks, underwear and so on for every person in my family sitting near the garage door for that quick grab. The clothes may be a bit old and used, but at lease they still fit and can be used in case of a pending emergency situation.
Another important item to grab is your emergency stash of cash, personal papers and family photographs. Some things are difficult to replaced, others never can be replaced so keep them in a place where you can grab them on the run like a closet near the front door. I hope this help you folks out.
Running from a wildfire taught me the value of having a bug-out list made up well ahead of time, before things start to happen. I am thankful that I read about doing this on a survival site and had mine ready to go. This list should include all the things you will not have in your bug-out bag. Who stores their prescriptions and other things they use on a regular basis in their bag? Most likely very few people, since it’s easier to have them somewhere more convenient. I’d suggest taping a paper to the fridge for a few months and adding items as they come to mind. When the threat becomes serious you can just grab the list and get ready to evacuate. Your brain will be going in many directions at once as the crisis bears down on you. And you might want to include shutting off the utilities and checking on elderly and handicapped neighbors to your list. Make sure everyone in your household and your neighbors know how to shut off the gas and electric. An explosion next door can do damage to your property, too. Take the pets with you, and plan for them. Fortunately for us, the wildfire turned off in another direction, but I can easily walk to the burned-out area. It was that close. You will need your list, there will be so much going on that it would be easy to forget something important.
Prescriptions medications needs to be added to the list
DO NOT FORGET MEDICATIONS ALSO