My Bug Out Plan

A previous post noted that I do not have a BOL (bug out location) or permanent fixed shelter for bugging out to in the event of a disaster. What I do have is a bug out plan. Here it is, subject to change, of course:

• My home. In the event of any kind of emergency or disaster, my highest priority, if it is possible, will be to remain sheltered in my home. It is well stocked with all of the food, water, medical supplies, etc. that we would need to survive for literally months on end. It is well equipped for security and has alternate water, heat, electrical, and sanitation systems. It is in a very good location, not excessively rural, not in the middle of the city, but miles from the city in an out of the way area, with a very good neighborhood of hard working, community-oriented people who don't get into your business but will help out any time there is a need. The area is also not prone to floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, or most other disasters however earthquakes are always a possibility. And the area is uniquely defensible. Nice.
• Hotels. In the event of a minor disaster, we do have our Bug Out Bags at the ready with plenty of funds to cover as many nights as needed in a hotel. This is usually an option in very specific instances, such as when the entire city is not looking to stay in the same cluster of hotels. Many people I know have gone this route including a friend whose home flooded and required weeks of rehab, when the husband of a friend was in the trauma center for an extended period of time in the city, and when a friend's family was hit with an extended power outage during a snow storm and their home was too cold to stay in for all of their small children.
• Homes of friends and family. We have friends and family all over the state, the country, and the world. There would be no problem either driving, taking public transportation, or flying to these various locations depending on the type of disaster, the location of the disaster, and the details of the disaster (ie: how long would we need to be away from our home, is it a disaster that would require us to resettle, etc). I would rather bug out to a hotel than have a prolonged stay with friends or family just because it is less of a burden on others. Knowing that we have these people to rely on, however, is an integral part of my bug out plan.
• An RV or boat. We have had both boats and RVs in the past but due to lack of use and lack of time, have sold them, not wanting the effort and expense of keeping them "just in case". These are, however, excellent options for people to use should they need a place to shelter during an emergency since they are portable and can often provide many of the comforts of home. Buying either a boat or RV in the future after a disaster may be an option such as in the case of Hurricane Katrina when there would be a fairly long term of living in an alternate shelter while rebuilding a house for example. Nine months in a hotel would be outrageously expensive whereas nine months in an RV that you can pick up used for about $5,000 would be a better option.
• Community disaster shelters. Right after a major disaster (or even winter storms in our area where shelters are opened for the homeless), the local or state department of emergency management or Red Cross is likely to open shelters if they are needed. This would be on par with the next option as I would seriously not relish living toe to toe with a bunch of strangers who I don't know and don't trust. In some cases, however, having a roof over your head may require that you stay at the shelters that are available.
• Living "out in the woods". This would be my absolute last option for bugging out. This puts you in a very vulnerable position on a number of fronts: you would be an easy target for assailants, the people who live where you plan to bug out to would not be very happy and may show their displeasure at the end of a shotgun, you would be more susceptible to illness and disease due to sanitation issues, and it's damn miserable to camp for days on end in the winter, during downpours, in freezing temperatures, etc. While it is very important that you know how to live in the wilderness (ie: multi-week backpacking trips are a good idea for this sort of practice), this wouldn't be a good long-term option, especially for families. Or maybe I am getting soft in my later years...

Bug out transportation:

Getting away from the disaster area is a necessary part of our bug out plan. Staying at home would mean you don't have to worry about this, however leaving your home would require some pre-planning as to the what and how of transportation. We have settled this in a number of ways:

• We keep vehicles that can be packed with crates of bug out gear (food, water, camping gear, etc) and driven away at a moment's notice. I also have fuel stored to ensure that we will be able to fill up the tank before we leave and have enough to provide an additional tank en-route. This mode of transport is only one transportation option as roads and highways can be gridlocked for hours on a normal holiday so an entire city of people trying to escape would be chaos and roads may not be passable. The idea here is to bug out early, ahead of the crowds, if possible. There is no such thing as "taking the back roads" when an entire city or large town is evacuating as those people will more than likely know the back roads as well. Another hindrance to driving away from disaster is that in the event of physical disaster such as an earthquake, overpasses, underpasses, and bridges will probably be down thus shutting down major roadways.
• Mass transit is an option but not very dependable. Local buses, national bus lines, trains, and airline travel are all good ways to escape from where you are but these will have the same problems as when you try to evacuate yourself--everyone else will have the same idea and these transportation options, if they are even running because the drivers/pilots/engineers will also be trying to evacuate with their own families, will probably be immediately overloaded with people as well.
• Walking, bicycle, motorcycle, etc. are last resort transportation options. Again, these modes of transportation where you are out in the open, schlepping your gear, put you in a very vulnerable position. There is no protection for you against the marauding hordes, or even the weather, if you are walking or riding a bike. These are, however, options to keep in mind as they may be your only means of escape.

Bug out info:

• You should always have a Bug Out Bag at the ready.
• You should have multiple sources of money on hand (cash, credit cards, checks, gold, stuff to barter with, etc).
• You should have a plan made in advance if you plan to bug out with friends or relatives. A pre-arranged pact to shelter you (and vice versa) made in advance of a disaster is better than just showing up on someone's door step.
• A bug out plan that works for your circumstances. In my case, I have two people to worry about (the spouse and myself) and we are both physically able to walk, bike, or even run if necessary. For other people, they may need to consider small children or babies, pets, an aging or inform relative, or a family member with serious health conditions which would need to be addressed in their bug out plan.
• Bugging out with a lot of cool, useful gear may make you a target for theft, robbery, etc. Plan accordingly.
• Listen to the local radio station before, during, and after you evacuate as important evacuation information is often provided this way.
• Firearms and pets are often not welcome in community shelters.
• When evacuating your home, bring as much useful stuff (food, water, camping gear, etc) that you can reasonably stuff into your car or carry on your back. If nothing else, it will be a good way to ingratiate yourself with those who are taking you in.
• Take as much important stuff as possible. Prescription meds, copies of important documents, insurance info...all of these things will be important either during or after a disaster.

The bottom line is that there is no perfect "bug out plan". It simply doesn't exist due to the many and varied ways that disaster can strike. What you can plan for, however, is being able to take care of yourself, no matter where you end up, for as long as possible. The thing you don't want to do is end up walking away from your unlivable home, showing up at a shelter or family member's home with no cash, none of your important prescription medications, and only the clothes on your back. You will probably survive anyway but it won't be pleasant. Better to put some forethought into what things you absolutely need to live and get these things packed and ready to go. After you get your bug out bag together, determine what places you could bug out to then think about how you will get there. Even doing these simple things will put you miles ahead of the crowds.

15 Reasons Why I Don't Have a BOL and 5 Reasons Why You Might Want One

Many hard-core preppers and survivalists feel that having a BOL (bug out location) is right up there with flashlights and stored food when it comes to things to have to survive a disaster. Although I have a bug out plan, I have not set about creating a specific bug out shelter for a number of reasons, including:

1. Financially it doesn't make sense (for me) to support my current home and a secondary home/cabin/land/etc. I've done this before and like with boats, RVs, and vacations homes, you end up spending an inordinate amount of money supporting a place that you don't use nearly as much as you do your main home.
2. I often wonder how people who have cabins a good five or six hours (on a good day) from where they live will make it when, even on major holidays, traffic on major, and minor, roads can slow to a crawl. Crawling for 10-15 hours sounds like misery personified.
3. Should there be an earthquake (a very real possibility in these parts) getting anywhere will be tough as there are many bridges, overpasses, underpasses, tunnels, etc. within a dozen miles of here.
4. Leaving a bug out cabin stocked with supplies is an open invitation to theft, vandalism, and burglary....something I really don't want to worry about.
5. The usual places where you would locate a BOL are generally very rural and often don't have even basic infrastructure (medical services, pharmacies, law enforcement, etc) that most people, myself included, have come to rely on.
6. I am not a "back to the lander". I've tried this before too (when I was young and idealistic) and while the notion of having a rural home with its own well, chickens, and vegetable garden seems nice in thought, actually creating a homestead from scratch is A LOT of work, more work than I would want to do.
7. Everyone else will have the same idea...after a disaster. The locals won't be happy about this. After a major disaster, a whole bunch of people will get the idea to run for the hills. First of all, people are already living in the hills right now and they won't take kindly to strangers over running their land and their small towns. Second of all, you won't have the social structure (like friends, family members, and other people who make up your current community) that you can rely on. Third of all, YOU (not the local police) will be responsible for defending your bug out location from the marauding hordes.
8. I like to remain light and portable. I do this when I backpack, I do this when I travel, and I do this in my home. The number of things that I actually need to survive are quite limited in number and quite portable so the thought of having a lot of money, time, equipment, and supplies tied into my bug out location would significantly limit my options for relocating (ie: leaving behind one set of stuff at my home is enough to worry about).
9. I feel like there are enough resources in my general vicinity that I could survive off of what I can find wild and what I could scrounge than what I could find in the wilderness. Granted most places of significance would be looted in a hurry but I figure that if I can batten down where I am for a few months, that would give those who were much less prepared time to die off.
10. After a disaster, society will restructure itself. I would rather be in on the ground floor of this restructurization than wandering out of the woods some time later and try to figure out what is going on.
11. If worse comes to worse, I could take off and live in the mountains on a moment's notice. It wouldn't be too comfortable but I could, of course, do this.
12. I like the idea of having multiple locations to bug out to, around the country and around the world. It's very difficult to plan for every eventuality. Should your current home and bug out location five hours away all be impacted by the same disaster, you will end up with nothing. Better to have a multi-faceted bug out plan which will allow for you to utilize a number of locations depending on the circumstances.
13. With kids and family spread out all over the country and the world, I wouldn't feel very good being holed-up in a bug out cabin not knowing what is happening with everyone else that I care about.
14. I am, as a rule, super busy on a daily basis. Keeping my home stocked, prepped, and ready for disaster is a top priority, however doing this times two is not something I want to schedule into my busy day.
15. It is my own opinion that having a BOL is a better theory than an actuality. I run across this a lot...many ideas seem excellent in theory and on paper but when you actually do them/drill them, you find out that the actuality of what you are doing doesn't quite measure up with what you theorized would happen.

Well, those are my personal reasons for not having a bug out location. There are a number of people I know who feel that having a pre-set bug out location is a great idea. In the following circumstances, you may decide to have a BOL of your own:

1. You have the money and time to support two locations (your home and BOL).
2. You either are a back to the lander or you enjoy camping/hunting/other outdoor activities to the point where a bug out cabin a ways from your home would be well used and well cared for.
3. You have a BOL in an area where you are tied into the community and you have a plan for using the BOL to shelter you, the spouse, the kids, and other people who are important to you (there's safety in numbers and you generally want your kids, at least, with you in such a situation).
4. You have a reasonable chance of getting to your BOL (a few people I know have helicopters which they will use to access their BOLs).
5. You have put a lot of time, effort, thought, and action into creating your own infrastructure for your BOL (water, septic, security, food sources, etc).

15 Ways to Get Out of Dodge

Do you have an evacuation plan? If you had to quickly get away from your home, maybe out of your town, possibly even out of your state, how would you do it? Here's some of my ideas:

1. My car would be first way I would consider evacuating. This is a good alternative because I would be able to control where I was going, there is plenty of room for everybody, I could pre-pack it with all of the supplies I would need, and the range I could travel in it would be limitless. Some of the negatives about this form of evacuation: the high price of gas which could limit our range of travel, the possibility of no gas being available, and most distressing, traffic congestion when everyone else has the same evacuation plan in mind. This goes for vans, trucks, and RVs as well.
2. Walking is always an option. Of course the range would be limited on a daily basis, especially carrying a heavy pack. Some good points would be not having a need for gas and congestion wouldn't be an issue. A bad point is that this form of transportation exposes you to everything (the weather, other desperate people, etc).
3. Bicycling is a consideration. Again, the need for gas and congestion wouldn't be issues and travel range would be longer, however once again this form of transportation exposes you to the weather and other people.
4. Other motorized vehicles such as a motorcycle, ATV, or a snowmobile may be good options, only limited by a few factors such as the need for fuel and, in the case of snowmobiles, the need for snow. Motorcycles will be an optimal choice if you are looking for something more maneuverable and more gas efficient than a car but less taxing than a bicycle. The range with these, provided you have enough fuel, is also exceptional.
5. How about leaving by horse? It sounds funny now but for millennia, this was the transportation mode of choice. You need to be able to feed the critter, and of course you will be exposed to the elements and other people, but this is not a bad option.
6. Ride sharing. This could take many forms including hitch hiking or getting a ride from someone on Craigslist or a neighbor who is also heading out of town, etc. I haven't hitch hiked for decades and certainly wouldn't recommend it now unless it was a dire emergency. In that case I would of course be well armed. Also, during an evacuation I am guessing that people would rather fill their cars with supplies and food instead of other people.
7. Having someone come and get you. This happened in a few recent disasters. People would phone friends and relatives from way out of town during Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires to come and get them so they could evacuate. Depending on the type of disaster going on, this may be an option.
8. Public transportation. Generally during a disaster, public transportation (city bus, subway, etc) will either be shut down or commandeered by the authorities. However just prior to a full-fledged disaster, you may still be able to use this form of transportation to escape.
9. Commercial aviation. This may or may not be a good option. Of course you would need to be able to afford the ticket and then be able to get yourself to the airport and then have a destination in mind. This would also most likely need to be done pre-disaster. As we saw during the World Trade Center disaster, due to the type of attack, no one was flying for a few days afterwards.
10. Hopping a train. I used to do this in my younger days (we are talking quite a while ago) as a quicker way to get to the next town than my own two feet could carry me. At the time I didn't realize that it was both dangerous and illegal. Also, I don't know how much security has improved since then and other than as a last resort, probably wouldn't want to find out now.
11. Private aviation. If you have friends in high places (ie: the local sky ways), you may want to consider the option of being able to use a private plane or helicopter to get yourself out of the danger zone. While a MOU for this situation would be presumptuous and not likely to hold up in court after the fact, you may want to start having conversations now with friends who could provide this service to you in the event of an emergency. Better yet, if you have the time, money, and inclination, you may want to look into becoming a pilot and purchasing an aircraft yourself.
12. Boat. Whether by canoe, kayak, or power yacht, if you are in certain locations where this would be feasible, this may be an option. This would probably be one of my lower rated options for evacuation due to the limited amount of gear you could bring with you (depending on the boat of course), limited range (under your own power this will be pretty short), need for fuel (on any boat with a motor), and exposure to both the elements and other people.
13. Stowing Away. Again, another last resort. Somehow getting on an aircraft, ship, cargo truck, etc will only be your first challenge. Keeping hidden and not dying from a variety of causes (exposure to the elements, carbon monoxide poisoning, etc) will be your next.
14. People Traffickers. Funny that no matter what kind of country you are in--even communist countries and dictatorships, the free market law of supply and demand will always produce a way to fill people's needs. If you need to be trafficked from one country to another when it would otherwise be illegal or very dangerous (ie: at this particular time from Mexico to the US and during the any war--Vietnam, WW 2--out of the danger zone) there will be people who will fill this need for a price. This is also one of these very, very last options. You basically don't have any control over the situation, the people you pay will be just as likely to rob you and leave your carcass by the side of the road, and going about finding a "good" trafficker at the last minute will be quite difficult.
15. Anything with wheels. Some people have said "hey, I'll just use my rollerblades/skateboard/scooter to get around like I always do". Um, I say good for them and good for the orthopedist that would need to put me back together, but bad for me personally. Some people do rollerblade to work or skateboard to school, but again, this is good for a very limited range and I just can't picture this happening for the majority of the population, with or without a heavy pack on their back.

Anyway, those are some quick options to consider should the need arise to evacuate. Of course you can just wait for the government to tell you what to do, but we saw how effective that was for the people stuck in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It is ALWAYS a better option to keep the situation under your own control as much as possible.

Reviewing My Bug Out Options

This is kind of a follow up on my last post about bugging out. Although each situation will require a unique bug out plan, these are some of my thoughts about my bug out options.

• House. PROS: This would be an optimal location to bug out (I guess that would be bugging in?). My house is fully stocked with everything my family and I would need to hunker down for a good eight months to a year. We have a garden, water is generally plentiful, it would be fairly easy to defend, and the general location/neighbors are good. We are located close enough to an international airport yet far enough from the big city so as to feel relatively secure. Lots of gun owners in the area :) CONS: Generally "bugging out" means you need to leave for some reason. Obviously, such as in the case of a flood, tornado, earthquake, fire, or other disaster that would obliterate my home, staying here would not be an option. In the case of socio-economic collapse, it may make a good target for the desperate.
• Office. PROS: My office is a ways from my house so it may remain standing should our home be unlivable. My office is fairly easy to access, has heat/water/food and would be a roof over our heads. It would be a comfortable place to hang for a while. CONS: The building would not be very easy to defend. We would need to basically live out of our BOBs as it is geared for working, not living. Once food and water runs out, that would be it--I would need to find a way to acquire more of both. The neighborhood isn't the greatest.
• Family who live on the other side of the state. PROS: Would be an excellent place to live, having basic supplies/food/water for a short period of time. Where they live would have options for hunting and foraging, and there is plenty of water. CONS: Getting there would be nearly impossible if everyone else were evacuating at the same time...the freeway is nearly at gridlock during the normal, everyday rush hour. This may or may not (I really think not) be a long term option as the people we would be living with have very little desire/knowledge/skill to be prepared for anything...and aren't all that dependable on a good day.
• Family who live on the other side of the country. PROS: There is a large group of close family members who live in near proximity to each other on the other side of the country. Some family members have excellent survival skills (one is a dentist, one is a self defense expert, most all have experience living in third world countries). CONS: Getting there would be difficult depending on the situation (for a localized disaster, flying there would not be a problem, however a country-wide situation would make getting there near impossible).
• Friends. PROS: We have many friends all over the country and the world. Some would make excellent team members in survival situations due to their skills and experience. CONS: Getting to where they are may be difficult. Since we haven't actually lived with these people there could be issues that come up such as when any diverse group of people live together (think Survivor).
• The RV. PROS: Is a complete home on wheels. It's portable so we could change locations when necessary. Can bring along a stock of supplies/food/water with ease. Would be good to use in the case of a localized disaster. CONS: Requires fuel. Is as big as a bus so no way to keep a low profile there--I'm guessing it would stick out like a very big target.
• The Boat. PROS: Basically the same as the RV except for lots less space. Great access to fishing! CONS: Requires fuel. Would be hard-pressed for any ocean-going travel. Also, generally is quite easy to see thus making hiding our location nearly impossible. No real way to be self reliant and provide for food, water, etc.
• The wilderness. PROS: Away from the city and crowds. Fishing, hunting, and foraging opportunities galore not to mention easy access to water. CONS: Any country-wide disaster will inspire many to "head for the hills" which will create quite a few problems (whether from the unprepared dropping like flies to the unprepared trying to take what others have built in the woods--such as a homestead--for their own use). Takes quite a while to set up a location there (gardening, hunting, and fishing are not sure sources of food at least right away) and making your home with your bare hands is no quick activity either. Truly living off the land is rarely done for obvious (and many) reasons.
• A foreign country. PROS: Could be much more stable (politically/financially/socially) than our country depending on the situation. Could be able to set up a home and easily access food/water/medical care/education/etc (depending on immigration rules). Would be a good base from which to help save America depending on the situation. Would be a good temporary option to wait out certain disasters. CONS: During a country-wide disaster many others will be thinking the same thing. Will require a good supply of cash or the equivalent to get settled. Could make you feel like you are unpatriotic for abandoning your country. You know all of the problems that beset immigrants to America (racism, taking advantage of them, treating them like second class citizens)? Well in this case we would be the immigrants.

The bottom line is that each and every survival situation will require a plan. No two situations will use the same plan so it is nearly impossible to say "my bug out plan is X and that's it". Also, people react differently in each situation so anticipated problems in your plan could turn out to be nothing and the "pros" that you count on could not work out the way you expected thus causing you to rethink your plan on the fly.

My generic bug out plan is to gather the family, gather the BOBs, then decide on the best course of action depending on the situation--we may "bug out" to a hotel, in the RV, stay with friends or rent an apartment if a fire ravages our home, on the other hand, if the economy collapses we may weather the initial days in our home then make decisions on a day by day basis based on the best information we can get. Or not. If it looks like an American version of Baghdad/Sudan/Kosovo is coming to a town near me, I may determine it is best to remove my family from this country all together and live to fight another day.

My Two Cents on Bugging Out

I just got back from a survival/preparedness conference and there was a lot of information about bugging out during a disaster. There were even more vendors selling stuff (everything from books and tools to land) for this same purpose.

I am not a hard-core, "head for the hills" survivalist. Not that I don't think having the land, skills, education, and ability to perform every subsistence task necessary to keep you and the family alive for decades isn't valuable, but for me it just isn't very feasible. As a rule, I am BUSY. I run two companies, travel a lot, and have dozens of other projects to work on each day (this website/blog for example). So here is how I balance the need for survival/preparedness/bugging out with the need to have a pretty "normal" life:

#1--My motto is to be prepared for anything. I keep things organized, updated, and flexible. In addition, I take any class/opportunity/experience that comes up because sooner or later the information you learn will be valuable in itself or relatable to another circumstance. Whenever or where ever a disaster strikes, I know that I always have with me basic survival skills and supplies so that any plan I come up with would be "do-able" whether I need to evacuate from a place where I am vacationing or travel surreptitiously from the office to my home.

#2--My house will be my primary bug out location. It is in a good suburban to rural area, is well stocked, easily defendable, has many natural water sources that are close by, plenty of woods nearby for fuel and small game hunting, and has many escape routes should the need arise. Conversely, I am not so tied to my house that I wouldn't leave it in a heartbeat if it became too dangerous to stay in.

#3--Bugging out to the wilderness will be my last resort. I would rather bug out to a foreign country which has a relatively stable infrastructure (think Nazi Germany--should a Jew have tried to live in the woods there or head for America?). I also generally avoid following the crowd (and there will definitely be a crowd out in the wilderness should things turn particularly terrible). And finally, I don't believe it would be particularly realistic or advantageous to try to grow my own grain while simultaneously fighting off marauders, bandaging up a broken leg, and reloading my ammunition (because you certainly can't carry all of the ammo you would need to your bug out cabin which is 20 miles from the closest road).

I guess the bottom line is that each person has to decide for themselves what degree of prepared they need to be for whatever may happen in the future.