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What do you have in your bug out bag?

(14 posts) (8 voices)
  • Started 1 year ago by Claycat
  • Latest reply from Claycat
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Overall Rating: votes

Tags:

  • bug out bag
  • disaster
  • emergency
  • evacuation
  • food
  • prepared for emergencies
  • survival
  • survival gear
  1. Claycat
    Member

    This is something we need to think about, especially those of us that live in disaster prone areas.

    Right now, there is a very serious condition growing in the Gulf. The oil spill is far worse than they are telling you! According to what I'm hearing, this oil well was drilled far deeper into the strata than any has ever been drilled. The pressure per square inch compared to a normal oil well is astronomical. New fissures have been reported up to 20 miles away. There is a possibility that this is a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. They are testing the air, and there are toxic chemicals in high amounts being released, one of which is benzene.

    There is a very real possibility that people who live on or near the Gulf will have to be evacuated. That is why I have posed the question, what do you have in your bug out bag?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  2. bandicoot
    Member

    this is a good question.
    we went through a genuine cyclone disaster in 2006 and we were woefully unprepared for it.
    however, we had candles and matches and a gas barbecue. we had a wood stove and plenty of chopped wood. we live on rainwater tanks anyway, so water was not a problem.
    electricity to pump the water WAS a problem.....so we had bucket baths with water we heated on the woodstove.
    we had some canned food, not much, and nothing to speak of in our small freezer.....which would have been spoiled in a few days anyway.
    we managed without electricity, fuel or town water for over a week.

    afterwards, we bought a petrol generator and upgraded our wood stove.
    we always have fuel on hand now.
    i keep a week's supply of canned food and we grow a lot of food as well.
    i've got emergency lighting that is powered by rechargeable batteries.
    we won't bug out, but we'll be ready for refugees!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  3. MellieTX
    Member

    Glad you brought this up. Enjoyed the quiet hurricane season last year and hoping for another. Had not thought about having no choice but to leave.
    I have:
    Garage full of bottled water

    Closet with non perishable food for a week (Grocery shopping was an adventure for up to 3 wks after Hurricane Ike and I'm inland a bit.)

    Somewhat empty freezer (rotting meat and lack of garbage pick up do not complement one another)

    Propane for the grill (cooked food was nice after Hurricane Ike)

    Batteries, matches and various light sources

    Full gas cans to clear the evacuation madness, in theory anyway (Evacuated for Hurricane Rita- anyone ever seen War of the Worlds? I actually got choked up upon seeing the words "Begin Fueling" at a station outside of Austin 11 hours after leaving my home in Houston, but I digress)

    Radio that runs on batteries

    Boots for cleaning up debris

    First aid "stuff"; separate tupperware with pet meds, etc.

    Portable file box for the important papers if we need to leave

    What am i forgetting?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  4. Claycat
    Member

    Wow, bandicoot, you will be ready next time. I hope there won't be a next time, but you are fairly close to the coast, aren't you?

    Mellie, my nephew and his family came here during Hurricane Rita. They were on the road 24 hours, and this is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. It was awful for them. Then my nephew lost his cat here, because he let it out during the night. That was really sad.

    You sound prepared, too.

    We all need to think about what we would need if we had to leave suddenly or attempt to survive where we are.

    I have a bug out bag, but I need to go through it and organize it again. I used to keep packets of seeds in it, but bugs got into them, so I guess I would have to keep them in the refrigerator and add them later.

    I have a hunting knife that has fishing line and matches in it. I have two of those reflective blankets that fold up tiny. I have a small flashlight and one of those tools that has several functions. I have a book telling how to survive outdoors in different areas. I need to add a good first aid kit. I will look to see what else I have.

    This topic is another very good reason to be uncluttered! If you have to leave in a hurry, it pays to know where everything is.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  5. bandicoot
    Member

    claycat, our area is supposed to be sheltered from cyclones, thanks to the mountains between us and the coast.
    the last one was over a hundred years ago.
    in 2006, it hit the coast at the exact place where there was a narrow valley mouth.
    it rolled up the valley (absolutely stripping the forest horribly en route) and unleashed itself upon us.
    nobody was expecting it.
    we woke up to it at 6am.
    i've never been so frightened by anything in my life.

    o yes, full gas tanks are a must.
    we now keep three in rotation, so there are ALWAYS two full ones.

    if you've got fuel, food, water, medicine covered for a couple of weeks, you should be pretty much covered for anything.
    i worry about my cats, but if push came to shove, they'd survive better than i would!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  6. chacha1
    Member

    Great question, especially for someone like me who doesn't even HAVE a bug-out bag (great term, too!). Living in Beverly Hills for 15+ years, we have not experienced fire, mudslide, or earthquake damage despite plenty of local crises. We have gotten a little complacent.

    Our biggest problem in the event of a TRUE disaster would be that it would be nearly impossible for us to get out of town. And there's not much we can do to plan around that, but we certainly could do more than we have.

    Thanks for the reminder.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  7. HappyDogs
    Member

    I keep an external hard drive backup on my MacBook, the plan is to leave all the papers and just grab that. Thanks to Unclutterer, most of my papers are scanned and on that HD, so that is one less thing.

    I keep a bag with dog food, spare bowls, and leashes in the garage, next to a bunch of water jugs. I keep a minivan with 3 dog crates in it. If need be, we can all bug outta town in the Sienna and sleep in it. A smaller car would be more fashionable and less cluttered, but it wouldn't fit in with my disaster plan. I also never let the van get less than 1/2 full, just in case.

    The last time my car was running on fumes was when power all over the Western US went out for 8 hours, and I couldn't fill it up. I had to leave it parked and walk home. Never again.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  8. ArtGal
    Member

    We experience a lot of tornado activity, so I keep the following items in 2 Rubbermaid tubs in the basement (next to a water source in the corner) and switch them out once a year (prior to tornado season.)

    Canned and dried food (beans, tuna, vegetables, jerky, dried fruit) and can opener, 2 spoons, 4 towels, a first aid kit, heavy duty work gloves, toilet paper, battery powered radio and extra batteries, a small safe with important papers (birth certificates, credit card numbers, etc.) and sentimental photos, water in bottles, multi-tool (big, fancy pocket knife,) large plastic garbage bags, 2 changes of clothes each, 1 pair extra shoes each, dog food and leash, flashlights with extra batteries (no candles or matches as our gas furnace is also in the basement,) 2 blankets, 3 good books, and an air horn (maybe excessive, but it would be loud enough to attract attention for sure :)

    In the event of a tornado...hubby is to grab dog and wallet, I am to grab computer and purse (with cell phone)...and RUN for the basement!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  9. Claycat
    Member

    Excellent plans! I'm impressed with how you are all prepared!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  10. bandicoot
    Member

    artgal, you are beautifully organised.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  11. ArtGal
    Member

    Thanks bandicoot! It stems from actually being in a tornado about 20 years ago (thankfully no injuries, just house damage)...I remembered what I wished we had and didn't and that became my now "bug-out bag" :)

    Posted 1 year ago #
  12. trillie
    Member

    Wow, you are all really organized and prepared for emergencies! I'm in awe.

    I am not prepared for anything like a tornado... Then again, I live in Berlin and chances are that the worst thing happening to my home would be a fire or burglary, I think. I always thought having uncluttered so much that I finally know where everything is is already "prepared enough", but I guess I will add "scan important documents and put them in an online backup" to my to do list now :o) Thanks for the reminder!

    Posted 1 year ago #
  13. GirlOverboard
    Member

    My husband and I are working on becoming avid hikers - as such, we have a decent number of supplies that we always keep in our packs so that we know where they are at all times. Among these supplies we have a jetboil flash cooking system, extra fuel, stormproof matches, a cookset with two pans, first aid and cold weather hiking gear (wool socks, hats, gloves) that we only use when hiking. We always try to stay stocked up on freeze dried food as well, but we keep the bulk of our supply in the pantry so we can clearly see what we have and to prevent foods from being crushed and packages from being punctured. We also have a decent number of supplies (tools, water, first aid, "space" blanket, more freeze dried food) in the car as well.

    Additionally, I married into a family that owns a lot of guns, so we have many here in the house. As much as I hate to say it and I hope to high heaven that I will never need to use one against another human, they would come with us. Not only would they be on us for defensive purposes (which reminds me, I need to get my license to carry) but if there were a situation so catastrophic that we had to hunt for food, we would be prepared. We have plenty of rabbits out here in the warmer months and deer year-round.

    With the growing popularity of the internet and social networks, many of my photos are now online and I plan on scanning all of my old photos to put on Flickr as well as a backup drive. This way, if we need to get out but I am in a panic (such as in, say, a flood), I don't waste time trying to salvage old photos. I do, however, keep my childhood teddy bear on the dresser near the door - if I ever need to get out really fast (read: fire), I can grab him on the way out. ;)

    edited to add: I think I've been inspired to scan all of my old photos and important (but not necessarily "sensitive data") documents tonight after my yoga class! It'll be a good way for me to relax but still accomplish some organization in my life.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  14. Claycat
    Member

    That's great GirlOverboard, your hiking gear is your survival gear! (We have guns for that same reason.)

    Posted 1 year ago #

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