Having a Bug Out Plan

When it comes to urban survival having a bug out plan is super important. A bug out plan may sound like something only Doomsday Preppers would have, but this can save you and your family's life at the time when it is needed most. A bug out plan involves having supplies and back up materials waiting for you at an alternate location that is away from your city location or shelter. Any time when society crumbles and falls apart, looting and rioting will take over.

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Murders will happen abundantly as violence will break out in the streets. It will be a true testimony of only the strong will survive. Not only the strong will survive. The smart, prepared and those who plan ahead will also survive. A bug out plan is essential in getting you and your family away from a situation that is no good. Having gas on hand, money on hand, and basic supplies such as food and water are the most simple things involved with a bug out plan.

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Thoroughly thought out bug out plans will have an alternate shelter location that can hold a family for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. Having a bug out plan doesn't make you a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prepper. Have a bug out plan in place means you are prepared. You never know when something's going to go down in the city where you live and you're going to need to bug out to safety.

 

Living through two major earthquakes in urban areas (and I do mean urban) contributed to my decision to get the heck of out the city once and for all.

Thus, while the urban issues no longer apply to me, I humbly offer the bug-out plans I had while in the city:

Number One: Have an abundant supply of food and water, sufficient for at least three days, for every member of the family. Shelter is a no-brainer; at the very least, have a sturdy tent, large enough for the entire family.

Number Two: Decide on a common meeting place, and decide how each member of the family will get there, when disaster strikes.

If you are living in an urban area, chances are that at least one family member will be working outside the home. If there are children, they may very well be at school.

Our plan, when I was living in Los Angeles, was simple (bear in mind, we did not have children):

My primary vehicle was a 4-wheel drive, so my significant other was to stay at work (or wherever), and wait for me to get there. I would first go to our home, collect our pets (if possible), gather our emergency food, water, and first-aid supplies, and our extra clothing (which, of course, we already had waiting and ready to go), and then meet my S.O. (who was most likely at work, if not at home).

From there, the plan was open. Ideally, we would get on the I-15 and head as far into the Nevada desert as possible. If the way out of the city proved to be like the on-ramp scene in Dante's Peak (if you hasn't seen it, then watch!), we would not be deterred; my 4WD was capable of conquering hill and dale, even if the highways were clogged.

Beyond that, we didn't know what awaited us. All we knew was that we would survive.

Sometimes, you may just have to kiss your home goodbye. And that's OK, as long as you have life.

 

@Homanda Range That's interesting, is it really better to be in a rural area than in a city during an earthquake? I admit I have no idea about earthquakes as I live in a geologically stable region, but I would naively put my money into city in this event. I mean, the biggest danger is from the seismic shocks, which will be no better in the country, and while it's easier to avoid hig-rise buildings in the rural areas, there's the problem with rescue if you're trapped (and this can happen even in a casual house) in an area with a low population density. Also, I imagine that rescue services such army or firefighters will be first directed to population centers, and only after that to the calm villages.

 

True, basically counting mass panic and people who benefit by mass panic, the city becomes a cleistophobic site too quickly. Stampedes, people running over other people, murder and whatnot.

Also take under consideration that hospitals and primary healthcare centres might be too far out of reach.
When living in rural areas, it's best to plan for these kinds of things. If you live in a house with one or two stories, you can either exit quickly or stand in the most resillient parts of the house's structure, like under door frames and near the fundamental pillars of the house. If you've no idea about the structure of your house, just pick a table that's easily accessible from the outside, like near the outer walls or the door.
Best thing to do is getting out of the house. Maybe grab a gun if you have one to fend of pillagers, but other than that don't worry about your things too much.

 

I think there a few important elements that relate to choosing an appropriate big out plan. Here is my beuatiful list with no specific order:

• Choose an appropriate bug out spot. It's important to make sure that's it's far away from the public, preferably away from main roads where people would come across. It's also important to make sure the area is concealed as the disaster worsens, people are more prone to committing activities they may not usually do, which is why it's important to hide for the most part.
• Making sure your bug out location is durable and actually serves as a long time residence, or just a place for a few days or weeks. In many cases, a bug out spot is simply a spot where you go to in the scenario of a disaster so you can plan out where to go from there, rather than staying there indefinitely.
• Choosing a meeting plan. How will you meet up with your beloved ones and how will you all reach that spot? Is there more than one or two routes to get there in case one of them was blocked off for whatever reason?

There really were my small tips on bug out plans. I think one of the main points to realize is that a simple bug out plan can get you far.

 

Yeah, I see your point. How likely is the city will turn so nightmarish after an earthquake, however? When you read the stories from Japanese tsunami a few years ago, there was actually no chaos or a crime wave (only petty crimes like minor theft increase, AFAIK there was even less violent ones than normally), and that disaster actually affected some urban areas. Perhaps, if you live an safe and orderly area, it's better to stay in a more populated town, so you can count on organized help arriving earlier.

 

It has always occurred to me the notion that having several hidden bunkers would be a detrimental key to survival in the wake of a catastrophic event. If you can stock each one with non perishable food, survival and safety kits then you are most likely better prepared to hold off against any opposition that catastrophic times will convey.