Emergency Disaster Planning: Building a Bug-Out Kit

Article by: Soni Pitts

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 , Motion Detectors And Your Home Security even when they are reachable by rescue personnel.

Hopefully, few of us will ever be caught in such a widespread and devastating disaster , Staying Safe in the Tornado Season as Hurricane Katrina. But should a natural , Earthquake Preparation is Your Family Safe? or man-made disaster , Staying Safe in the Tornado Season threaten your family or force an evacuation, having a fully-stocked and easily-reached emergency , Motion Detectors And Your Home Security "bug-out" bag could help save , A Step-by-Step Guide for Choosing a Home Security System 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 , Alarm Envy or Just a Good Idea deposit box or other safe place , How To Improve Your Home's Security And Privacy - 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 , Home Security: How to Make Your Home Burglar-Resistant 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 , Disaster Preparedness: How to Get Safe Drinking Water in an 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 , Alarm System: Sirens 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 , A Step-by-Step Guide for Choosing a Home Security System or candy bar substitutes. You can also include dried foods , A Step-by-Step Guide for Choosing a Home Security System or hiking meals and other lightweight, easy to prepare and eat items such as nuts, small candies and oatmeal packs.

A water , Staying Safe in the Tornado Season purification kit or hiker's filter system. Bottled water , Eavesdropping and Counter-Measures: Technology and Techniques is bulky, heavy and goes stale quickly. Dirty water, , Body Worn Cameras You’d Never Guess while distasteful, can often be easily found, roughly filtered through cloth to remove large particulate matter and then sterilized for safe , Alarm System: Sirens drinking. In a worst-case scenario, boiling dirty water , Nanny Cams & Privacy for 15 minutes will serve until alternatives can be found.

A pre-paid phone , Outdoor Lighting Adds Security, Artistic Look To A Home card and a list of relatives, friends and emergency , Disaster Preparedness: How to Get Safe Drinking Water in an numbers. Check for expiration date and rotate out or renew as needed.

A non-battery-dependent, rechargeable flashlight, radio and cell phone , Securing The Safety of Your Home With The Ancient Chinese Art of Feng Shui charger, if you have a phone , Home Security - How Safe is Your Home and What Can You Do to Make it Safer? (alternatives include solar, , Protect Your Home With A Wireless Home Security System squeeze-charge or kinetically charged options). Even when phone , Outdoor Lighting Adds Security, Artistic Look To A Home service was available, many Katrina survivors could not call , Smart Home Security Measures For Your Windows out to get help or update relatives because their phones , Wall Safes: The Safest Walls On Earth were dead and there was no power. , Is This Pepper Spray Hot? Keep in mind also that even when phone , Home Security: Fire Safety 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 , Capture Details with Digital Voice Recorders and jury-rigs.

A small first aid , A Step-by-Step Guide for Choosing a Home Security System 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 , Home Security System Considerations for Your New Home lighter and a few small candles. Never light , Tropical Storm Isaac; Will It Grow these unless you are sure that there is no chance of an explosion from natural , Fireproof Gun Safes - Protect Your Right to Bear Arms By Protecting Your Family gas, propane or other leaking fuels. For safety, , Why You Need Covert Listening Devices use your flashlight for your primary light , Protect Your Home With A Wireless Home Security System source. Save , Why You Need Covert Listening Devices the lighter and candles for starting cooking or heating fires. , How to Find the Best Home Security Products

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 , Home Security Tips - Good Lighting Helps Prevent Crimes 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, , High Tech Spy Equipment 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. , Home Security - How Safe is Your Home and What Can You Do to Make it Safer?

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 , Choosing Wireless or Hard Wired Home Security Products 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 , Emergency Disaster Planning: Building a Bug-Out Kit additives, small paperback books, etc). Just keep in mind the weight and size of the final kit and that in an emergency , Nanny Cams & Privacy 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. , High Tech Spy Equipment Every member of the family should know where it is and to make sure it is part of any emergency , How To Secure Your Home With Surveillance Cameras evacuation. (It is important to stress, however, that no one ever go after any item, even the emergency , Tropical Storm Nadine bag, in the case of a house fire. , Tropical Hurricane Storm Depression Florence 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, , Home Security After An Earthquake it goes a long way toward ensuring that you and your family have the best chance possible of making it through any unforeseen emergency , Disaster Planning: Building a Bug-Out Kit as healthy , Home Security - How Safe is Your Home and What Can You Do to Make it Safer? and safe , Home Security: How to Make Your Home Burglar-Resistant 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 http://www.wordbrains.com>Wordbrains. Need copy? Email Soni at writer@sonipitts.com for more information. , Home Security - Low Cost Alarms That Work

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