Emergency Disaster Planning: Building a Bug-Out Kit

Report after report comes in about how many people couldn't or didn't escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. More reports come in about the disorganized relief effort, the communications problems they're having and the difficulty in getting survivors to safety even when they are reachable by rescue personnel.

Hopefully, few of us will ever be caught in such a widespread and devastating disaster as Hurricane Katrina. But should a natural or man-made disaster threaten your family or force an evacuation, having a fully-stocked and easily-reached emergency "bug-out" bag could help save your life during the first stages, and help make rescue, recovery and a return to normalcy easier and more successful.

A bug-out bag is basically a duffle bag or other easy to carry luggage piece stocked with the following items:

• Photocopies of important documents such as birth certificates, drivers' licenses and so on for the entire family. Note: keep the originals in a safe deposit box or other safe place ? non-notarized photocopies cannot generally be used for official actions like getting a drivers license, but are more than fine for temporary ID in emergency situations. And don't forget insurance papers and other items you might need to begin rebuilding.
• A small sum of cash ($20-50) for immediate emergency use.
• A temporary supply of prescription drugs in their originally-labeled containers, regularly rotated for freshness. This is easily done by buying one refill ahead. As you finish your current package or bottle, take the next one out of the bag and replace with a newly purchased refill.
• A supply of meal replacement and energy bars. Look for items that are designed more for calorie and nutrient density, such as protein bars and hikers' meal bars, rather than those sold as snack products or candy bar substitutes. You can also include dried foods or hiking meals and other lightweight, easy to prepare and eat items such as nuts, small candies and oatmeal packs.
• A water purification kit or hiker's filter system. Bottled water is bulky, heavy and goes stale quickly. Dirty water, while distasteful, can often be easily found, roughly filtered through cloth to remove large particulate matter and then sterilized for safe drinking. In a worst-case scenario, boiling dirty water for 15 minutes will serve until alternatives can be found.
• A pre-paid phone card and a list of relatives, friends and emergency numbers. Check for expiration date and rotate out or renew as needed.
• A non-battery-dependent, rechargeable flashlight, radio and cell phone charger, if you have a phone (alternatives include solar, squeeze-charge or kinetically charged options). Even when phone service was available, many Katrina survivors could not call out to get help or update relatives because their phones were dead and there was no power. Keep in mind also that even when phone service is spotty, small text messages can sometime get through.
• A multi-tool (the kind with blades, pliers, screwdrivers and so on) for taking care of small but sometimes life-or-death repairs and jury-rigs.
• A small first aid kit containing at least bandages of various sizes, antiseptic ointment, sunscreen, a bottle of contact lens saline solution (good for cleaning injuries and flushing eyes) and OTC pain relievers.
• A safety lighter and a few small candles. Never light these unless you are sure that there is no chance of an explosion from natural gas, propane or other leaking fuels. For safety, use your flashlight for your primary light source. Save the lighter and candles for starting cooking or heating fires.
• An indelible, waterproof black permanent marker (buy new and keep in package until needed, to maintain freshness). Useful for many things including leaving notes for rescuers or others on whatever is at hand, marking your gear at a shelter, and writing ID and medical info on the arms of kids, the elderly, the ill or anyone who may become separated or are unable to speak for themselves. (There are also white markers that can be used for darker-skinned individuals, or simply write on a lighter area of their body). Sturdy hospital or nightclub-style ID bracelets are also handy for this purpose. Note: there is always danger in having children's ID plainly visible to strangers. Use your best judgment in each situation to weigh the various benefits and concerns.
• Don't forget the pets! Keep their carriers handy, clean and ready to go. Your kit should have any food, medications, leashes and important papers necessary for them, as well. Not all evacuation shelters will take animals. If you have pets, it is important that you know ahead of time where they can go and how you will take care of them in an emergency.

The bag should be checked and the edibles or expirables rotated at least every 6 months or as needed (schedule a regular check during daylight savings changeovers, when you also check your smoke alarm batteries and do other seasonal activities). Although this will cover most survival situations, you should customize it to fit your needs (toiletries, special gear, food additives, small paperback books, etc). Just keep in mind the weight and size of the final kit and that in an emergency situation you may have to carry it for a long time over rough terrain while tired, hungry or even injured.

Your bug-out kit should be placed near the main entrance and exit, or in an easy-to-reach central location. Every member of the family should know where it is and to make sure it is part of any emergency evacuation. (It is important to stress, however, that no one ever go after any item, even the emergency bag, in the case of a house fire. In that case, focus only on getting out as soon as you can.) Smaller versions of this bag can also be kept in offices and vehicles.

Although having a bug-out kit cannot guarantee your safety, it goes a long way toward ensuring that you and your family have the best chance possible of making it through any unforeseen emergency as healthy and safe as possible.

About the author

Soni Pitts is a professional freelance writer who provides copywriting, editing and related services in addition to her regular freelance work. She also covers the Networking beat as an associate writer for Wordbrains. Need copy? Email Soni at writer@sonipitts.com for more information.

---

How to Keep Your Postal Mail Private and Secure

Surreptious opening of most envelopes sent through the mail takes little effort and only minimal skill. Instructions are readily available on the Internet and in books suc as "CIA Flaps and Seals Manual"... Read More

How to Buy a Safe for Your Home

The first step is to determine who or where you will buy your safe from. There are many places to buy a safe today, you can buy from a "big box store", an... Read More

Securing Home Water Supplies; Conservation of Water Planning

Generally when it rains the water runs off the house and yards into the gutter and into pipes or storm drains which feed it into the river, stream or ocean. This conventional approach... Read More

Emergency Disaster Planning: Building a Bug-Out Kit

Report after report comes in about how many people couldn't or didn't escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. More reports come in about the disorganized relief effort, the communications problems they're having and... Read More

Who Abducted the Missing Child?

What is going on with these people who feel they can walk onto your property or in front of your home and abduct your child? If those parents had installed a hidden camera... Read More

Alarm System: Sirens

Alarm Sirens- There is both inside and outside sirens. Many towns have a noise ordinance, which should prevent your installer from putting yours outside, unless you are on a ranch where you need... Read More

Six Common Criminal Types And How To Avoid Them

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" that saying is as true for crime, as it is for health. After taking literally thousands of reports over the years I spent... Read More

Tips for Keeping Your Home Invasion Free

Home invasion formerly known as burglary is the type of crime that you can do something to prevent. Home invasion falls into two categories burglary and robbery. In my book "Crime Awareness 101"... Read More

Handling Weather Emergencies: Part 1 - Forward Planning Makes The Difference

IntroductionAt some time in our lives, many of us will face an emergency. Most will involve personal illness or injury, but severe weather, including hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and heat waves, is a very... Read More

Garage Door Openers--Buy the Best Gagage Door Opener only

Buying the right garage door opener has not never been more simpler.Whether you want to buy one for residential use or the commercial use read the tips below and buy the garage door... Read More

Alarm Systems & Automobile Tires?

What do alarm systems and automobile tires have in common? This may sound like a strange question to the untrained ear, but lend me yours and I will make sense of it.The reason... Read More

Kevlar Sheets for Your Home Walls

Home security is more important today than ever. You may have even considered Kevlar Sheets for your home or car. They are available and there are some companies who specialize in these things.... Read More

Avoiding Pickpockets

Every year, thousands of senior citizens fall prey to the quick and clever tactics of pickpockets and thieves. What may take thieves a moment to "lift" from your pockets (passports, credit cards, and... Read More

Alarm System: Contacts (Window & Door Switches)

Alarm Contacts- Contact switches are magnetic switches used to protect doors and windows for the most part. There are three main styles that are used by most alarm companies. They are recessed contacts,... Read More

Is America Safe?

As the devastation and death toll from deadly Hurricane Katrina becomes more apparent, it is a grim reminder that we live in dangerous times.Every year, millions of people around the world lose their... Read More

Alarm System: Glass Break Detectors

Alarm System Glass-break detectors- Glass-break detectors are also known as "Audio Discriminators". They are a perimeter device because they catch a burglar attempting to make entry into your home or business as opposed... Read More

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher

Millions of people everyday rely on fire extinguishers to put out minor fires which start in the home. Fire extinguishers contain a powder which is known to instantly put out a fire and... Read More

Alarm Controls are the Brain of your Security System, Use Yours When Choosing One

The alarm control is the brain of your security system. It is typically placed in an area that is out of the way like a basement, attic, closet or office. The motherboard and... Read More

Alarm System: Smoke and Heat Detectors

Smoke & Heat Detectors- Smoke detectors are available that will interface with your security system. The smoke detectors that are already in your home can't be tied into your security system. The device... Read More

Infoscams

In this article I am going to talk about those infomercials that are obvious scams. Which ones are they? They are the ones promising you, that by following their system you will make... Read More

Alarm System: Window Screens

Alarm System Window Screens- Window screens are the ultimate perimeter device. The windows in your home look as if they have normal screens on them, however the actual screen mesh is an alarm... Read More

Eavesdropping and Counter-Measures: Technology and Techniques

You need to know how to protect yourself, since your security department or any consultant may not be truly aware of these threats and therefore not dependable. Since September 11th, a number of... Read More

The Case for Personal, Estate, Corporate and Child Abduction Security in today?s World

When one considers the historical nature of security applications and programs of any type, i.e., CCTV, intrusion detection and alarm systems, corporate policies and programs and countermeasures of any type, the phenomenon of... Read More

Turn Your Home Into A Fortress

The best way to turn your home into a fortress is to carefully and strategically consider all your options. First you need to make a layout of your property and look at an... Read More

Neighborhood Mobile Watch Patrol

Have you found yourself disgusted with the crime lately. You know much of it is gang and drug related yet cannot understand how it has infiltrated your quiet town or how it has... Read More

Alarm Systems: Not Just For The Wealthy Anymore!

Over the last 22 years that I have been involved in the security alarm industry, I have seen quite an evolution. Changes have not only taken place in what type of equipment is... Read More

Who Has Keys to Your Castle?

One area of home security that is often overlooked, and one of the most visible, is the common key. Even if you are the owner of a new house, or the first tenant... Read More

Someone Spying?

Someone Spying? So are the Teddy Bear and the Potted PlantSee the cuddly teddy bear over on the shelf? Well, it sees you too. "Right here in the camera, behind the left eye."... Read More

Surveillance Camera Positioning

It is a known fact that advertising is made to attract our eyes. Marketers work very hard to plant visual memories in your mind. They use anomaly phrases, rhetorical questions, sexy images and... Read More