The First/Most Important Step?

[Warp]

I would never plan to bug in in a major city. You need to get out early. Be the first to leave. Better to have a false alarm you can use as practice then stay too long and wake up one morning realizing you made a mistake. I could not imagine hiking out of a major city!

Problem is that that is likely to be far, far easier said than done. And you have to leave almost all of your stuff behind. And probably get stuck on the road with every other person. Sounds pretty horrible to me.

[Outlander Systems]

Problem is that that is likely to be far, far easier said than done. And you have to leave almost all of your stuff behind. And probably get stuck on the road with every other person. Sounds pretty horrible to me.

Several of my coworkers had to ditch their rides, and ruck home during SNOWMAGEDDON.

[Mr blasty]

Medical is a big one for sure. Best advice I can give is to source Antibiotics and other such meds you need a prescription for from online vet medicine vendors. It's not as good as human grade pharma, but I would rather have it in a pinch than nothing...

A good med kit, not just a first aid kit is definitely required gear. A copy of the "Physicians Desk Reference" is absolutely a MUST HAVE in my opinion.

And que the MD's coming in and harping how using a basic anti is life threatening without a full blood panel and battery of lab tests.

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[Mr blasty]

Medical is a big one for sure. Best advice I can give is to source Antibiotics and other such meds you need a prescription for from online vet medicine vendors. It's not as good as human grade pharma, but I would rather have it in a pinch than nothing...

A good med kit, not just a first aid kit is definitely required gear. A copy of the "Physicians Desk Reference" is absolutely a MUST HAVE in my opinion.

Honestly (and I'm not saying anyone should go out and break the law trying to get narco's) the most useful meds that I can think of based on the myriad of injuries I've sustained personally are basic anti's, lidocaine (and the knowledge and ability to safely use it), and something like vicodin or percocet. That said, I'm basing this off my experiences and what I've required the most in my life. I'm sure it can vary widely for everyone but these things make up the basic foundation of what has got me through the most in life. Should the shtf, these are what I'd be trying to source.

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[rcoodyar15]

Problem is that that is likely to be far, far easier said than done. And you have to leave almost all of your stuff behind. And probably get stuck on the road with every other person. Sounds pretty horrible to me.

Just


your stuff should already be stockpiled at your bugout location. Head out at the first sign of trouble. Just study what happened in New Orleans during Katrina and that was a local event. Look what is happening in Furguson now and those are just protest. Imagine if those people haven't had food or water for a week or two and it is nationwide. If you are bugging in in a city you better have a deep concrete bunker and no reason to leave it till the event is over or everyone starves.

[Turnkey11]

Figure out the most common disasters in the area you will live in and proportionately plan for those. If you moved to the gulf coast, be prepared for hurricanes and massive flooding, which would mean being ready to evacuate with not much notice. If you moved to Oklahoma, be ready for ridiculous storms and tornados. If you moved to California (I hope not!), they're expecting "the big one" earthquake at any time, so... yeah.

For Hawaii... get a plan to move to higher ground in case of tsunami if you live near the coastal areas, get a plan in case a once every 2-3 decade hurricane hits, and stock up on food mostly, since Hawaii has something like a 7 day back-stock of food if there aren't constant shipments from the mainland.

The emergency bucket of soup from Sams or Costco is what I kept in my house. Getting out of Ewa Beach during a Tsunami warning was a different story, might as well stay put and blow up your water wings.

[Warp]

Just


your stuff should already be stockpiled at your bugout location. Head out at the first sign of trouble. Just study what happened in New Orleans during Katrina and that was a local event. Look what is happening in Furguson now and those are just protest. Imagine if those people haven't had food or water for a week or two and it is nationwide. If you are bugging in in a city you better have a deep concrete bunker and no reason to leave it till the event is over or everyone starves.

What bugout location? It's great if you have one, and you know of it and can get to it but others can't, and it's in a direction that makes sense to go for the particular event that happens, but even then, you have to be able to get to it and saying "be the first to leave" is probably a lot easier said than done...and you still have to leave most of your stuff behind, or have most of your stuff away from you and not currently accessible. Neither bugging in or bugging out is the definitive answer until you know the precise situation that unfolds, both need to be options.

What is happening in Ferguson now??

Who is bugging in in Ferguson and not making it because they aren't in a concrete bunker?

[sevenhelmet]

As far as "bug out location" goes, I'd prioritize family or friends I could stay with, depending on which direction we had to go. I'd stay away from big cities, even outside the disaster area, as other people will tend to go there looking for food and a place to stay. Having a stockpile of supplies somewhere other than my house would be great, except I personally don't know where I could have one that would be accessible and yet safe from being looted. YMMV.

Here's how I would prioritize for "bugging in":

1.) Water - enough to drink and cook with for at least one week, preferably two weeks or longer. A good rule-of-thumb is 1 gallons per person, per day for drinking, and double it for cooking. I would have a large container in the basement or garage, along with a siphon or pump. Treat with bleach, or rotate every 3 to 6 months. Can be emptied and moved with your household goods. Don't count on water sources or using what's in your hot water heater in case the supply/source is contaminated. A microbial filter is good to have around to bolster your supply if you can find a natural water source.

2.) Food - Enough for at least one week, preferably two weeks or longer. Have a variety, not all of which requires prep. Deep stock your pantry with a variety canned and dry foods that won't go stale quickly, and then use them periodically to rotate (one technique is to put new items at the back and rotate forward). A combination of MREs, #10 cans (or similar) of freeze-dried food, and some emergency survival "cookies" is a good start for emergency food. Think mainly about protein and carbs. Vitamin pills are not a bad idea either.

3.) Medical - Think about prescriptions first. Is anyone in your house on any medication? Have enough for a bare minimum of two weeks, longer if practical. This can be difficult with some prescription meds, so it bears planning ahead. Common injuries in a crisis are lacerations, abrasions, burns, puncture wounds, sprains, and broken bones. Have what you need on hand to treat them for the number of people in your home.

4.) Temperature - Live in a cold or hot climate? What time of year is it likely to be when disaster strikes? Have blankets, layers of quality clothing, and alternate heat sources as a means of heating up food and water. Most people probably have this covered reasonably well already. For heat, water is paramount, so add a fudge factor to your water storage if you anticipate a lot of heat, plus have a plan to limit activity and stay cool during the day.

5.) Protection - Every prepper's favorite. Having a gun. Remember, this is for defense, not Rambo, zombies, or vigilante justice. IMO, you don't need thousands of rounds (although you might have them for other reasons we routinely discuss on this forum). A gun you are comfortable with is good, at least one handgun, more if you can afford or already have them, and a decent supply of ammo: 100-200 rounds per defensive firearm is a place to start for a local/regional crisis, and adjust from there. More if you're worried about a protracted/larger crisis or if you plan to hunt when food supplies get low. I wouldn't have additional guns at the expense of food and water though.

6.) Tools - Knives, a shovel, crowbar, hammer, wrenches, duct tape, etc. Good leather work gloves and stout work clothing. Stuff breaks in a crisis. You may be forced to dig through debris to get something or someone. Maybe you have to fix your generator, your gas stove, or your car, or your bicycle (go ahead and laugh, but it might be a good way to get around your locale). Maybe you have to dig an outdoor latrine to keep your house livable. Most independently-minded folks have a decent number of tools and hardware on hand already. You don't need to have a garage that looks like a Snap-On sales convention. Just don't be the guy who has to go to the hardware store or call a handyman every single time something breaks or needs adjustment.

7.) A bug out plan in case you end up having to leave anyway. Enough fuel to make it where you need to go, plus a healthy reserve. Don't wait until supplies run out to leave, either.

8.) Miscellaneous stuff that everybody forgets like toilet paper (runs out FAST!), Flashlights, Lanterns, Soap... other stuff I forgot?


Remember, mission drives gear. Lots of cool stuff is available on the market, but do you need it? It should fill a niche, and ideally be something you use on a fairly regular basis so you are familiar with it and know its working when you need it in a crisis. A good "test" for a local/regional crisis is don't go to the store for a week. What did you run out of? Was it critical, could you come up with a workaround, or was it just annoying?

[rcoodyar15]

What bugout location? It's great if you have one, and you know of it and can get to it but others can't, and it's in a direction that makes sense to go for the particular event that happens, but even then, you have to be able to get to it and saying "be the first to leave" is probably a lot easier said than done...and you still have to leave most of your stuff behind, or have most of your stuff away from you and not currently accessible. Neither bugging in or bugging out is the definitive answer until you know the precise situation that unfolds, both need to be options.

What is happening in Ferguson now??

Who is bugging in in Ferguson and not making it because they aren't in a concrete bunker?

well everyone needs their own plan. If it is stay put that will be fine with me.

leaving all that stuff would be the hardest thing. Good reason to stay put.....

as far as Ferguson that is just a small scale protest. You still wouldn't want to get caught up in it though. Imagine that throughout the entire country.

Local events like , floods, hurricanes, tornados, even rioting are short lived and easily prepared for. A little discomfort for a few days and it is over. Not what I was talking about.

you let the trucks stop running to the grocery store and the gas stations empty all across the country. after about two weeks people are getting hungry and disparate. Probably never happen but in that scenario....

[JusticeM4]

That's along the lines of what I've started. I just don't like the fact that there are over 1M people on one tiny island, thousands of miles from everything.

If there's even a hint of some kind of natural occurrence, there's no such thing as back-stock. That's part of what got me thinking about all this in the first place.

Best of luck to you and I hope your move goes well. Its good you are planning ahead now. Out of curiousity, where do you plan to move?

I've never been to Hawaii but always wanted to vacation there. I heard everything is expensive there, which also makes your prepping expensive.