bug out

!HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!!

backpack view.jpeg

"WHEN IT GOES DOWN I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE AND GOING TO THE WOODS/HILLS/FOREST/MOUNTAINS!!!"

"I'LL JUST GRAB BY HUNTING KNIFE/RIFLE/MACHETTE/SLINGSHOT AND MY WATER FILTER AND GO AND LIVE OFF THE LAND UNTIL THINGS CALM DOWN!"

When discussing what steps to take during a large scale emergency or disaster, we often hear people say they will head for the hills and live in the woods or mountains because there will be a better chance of survival. The quotes above are all things good intentioned folks have said when talking about disaster preparedness. What many don't realize is that living, surviving and actually thriving while doing so is a huge undertaking that will severely challenge even the the most highly trained and heartiest of people. As a matter of fact from personal experience, simply living in the mountains is tough even with all of the amenities, comforts and necessities currently available.

Why would or wouldn't you leave your current location and relocate to a different place during a disaster? One reason why would be an official mass evacuation. Normally mass evacuations are an organized effort involving the coordination of local, state and federal resources. They rely on strategic plans and logistics to secure places for evacuees to go if there is a longterm need.  There are usually resources available for evacuees during the duration of the process, and many things, including longterm housing are concerns that are addressed. Our advice is that if an evacuation has been called for, then by all means leave the area if you can. Often, rescue attempts to save those who did not leave a danger zone are a drain on resources and can put more people in danger during these rescue attempts. 

If an area is unsafe IT IS NATURAL TO WANT TO LEAVE. But one must consider the full picture before making the decision to leave an area if a mass evacuation has NOT officially been called for.  Actually heading out and living off of the land is a lot harder than it seems. It is best to take more realistic steps to prepare and plan for surviving a disaster. 

If you desire, it would be beneficial to invest time in learning specific skills like hunting, trapping, butchery, curing meat, fermentation and pickling. These skills will not only be useful in long term emergencies, but also will serve you well in everyday life. If you hone these skills now, you will find that they will end up saving you money now and in the longterm, and also give you some positive hobbies that you can share with friends and family. 

Have fun learning the skills you want to, but also prepare realistically. Have kits and plans ready for plans and outages. Plan for evacuations, think about what you would need and what you absolutely must bring. If the time comes to leave, make sure you are ready and have a realistic plan of action.

Be smart, be ready and be aware!

HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!!

backpack view.jpeg

"WHEN IT GOES DOWN I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE AND GOING TO THE WOODS/HILLS/FOREST/MOUNTAINS!!!"

"I'LL JUST GRAB BY HUNTING KNIFE/RIFLE/MACHETTE/SLINGSHOT AND MY WATER FILTER AND GO AND LIVE OFF THE LAND UNTIL THINGS CALM DOWN!"

When discussing what steps to take during a large scale emergency or disaster, we often hear people say they will head for the hills and live in the woods or mountains because there will be a better chance of survival. The quotes above are all things good intentioned folks have said when talking about disaster preparedness. What many don't realize is that living, surviving and actually thriving while doing so is a huge undertaking that will severely challenge even the the most highly trained and heartiest of people. As a matter of fact from personal experience, simply living in the mountains is tough even with all of the amenities, comforts and necessities currently available.

Why would or wouldn't you leave your current location and relocate to a different place during a disaster? One reason why would be an official mass evacuation. Normally mass evacuations are an organized effort involving the coordination of local, state and federal resources. They rely on strategic plans and logistics to secure places for evacuees to go if there is a longterm need.  There are usually resources available for evacuees during the duration of the process, and many things, including longterm housing are concerns that are addressed. Our advice is that if an evacuation has been called for, then by all means leave the area if you can. Often, rescue attempts to save those who did not leave a danger zone are a drain on resources and can put more people in danger during these rescue attempts. 

If an area is unsafe IT IS NATURAL TO WANT TO LEAVE. But one must consider the full picture before making the decision to leave an area if a mass evacuation has NOT officially been called for.  Actually heading out and living off of the land is a lot harder than it seems. It is best to take more realistic steps to prepare and plan for surviving a disaster. 

If you desire, it would be beneficial to invest time in learning specific skills like hunting, trapping, butchery, curing meat, fermentation and pickling. These skills will not only be useful in long term emergencies, but also will serve you well in everyday life. If you hone these skills now, you will find that they will end up saving you money now and in the longterm, and also give you some positive hobbies that you can share with friends and family. 

Have fun learning the skills you want to, but also prepare realistically. Have kits and plans ready for plans and outages. Plan for evacuations, think about what you would need and what you absolutely must bring. If the time comes to leave, make sure you are ready and have a realistic plan of action.

Be smart, be ready and be aware!

Evacuation in emergencies

evac highway.jpg

At this point in our world, it can be assumed that nearly everyone has heard of the term "evacuate" or "evacuation". Merriam-Webster's defines evacuation as "to withdraw from a place in an organized way especially for protection". Basically, it means to purposefully leave a specific geographic area and relocate to another safer area, due to some sort of hazard. There are a variety of reasons why one would evacuate. Natural disasters and human made disasters are generally the reasons why we would evacuate (also known as evac), and those are the reasons we will discuss in this post. When it comes to evacuating a populated area under the direction of local, state or federal authorities there are two types of evacuation. These are voluntary and mandatory. Most of the time a voluntary evacuation will be initiated when there is a known hazard and there is a great possibility that staying in the area will be hazardous to life safety. A mandatory evacuation will be initiated when there is an extreme impending hazard that will definitely impact life safety for any and all who remain in the area. 

The laws and statutes that designate the authority of who can authorize an evacuation vary. Generally it is law enforcement chiefs, Emergency Managers, Mayors, County Commissioners or County Managers can make this decision at the local level. At the state level it is the governor or other designate policy group. Going from past experiences, whenever there is an evacuation, whether voluntary or mandatory it is best to get out when/if you can. It is often seen that responding agencies have to dedicate significant resources to send rescue to people who did not evacuate when they had the chance to, preventing these responders from attending to other duties. It is important to recognize that not every household has the resources to pick up and go when there is an evacuation order. Many times these are the folks who are forced to stay because they have nowhere to go, or don't have the resources to safely get out when they need to. This is where local emergency management and evacuation plans come into play. Local plans should indeed address those who cannot evacuate, whether due to access and functional needs or lack of resources. Contact your local Office of Emergency Management if you have questions about your local evacuation plans and what the plans mean for your household. 

Recently, we have seen evacuation orders sent out in Florida, Georgia, Texas and California due to hurricanes, flooding and fires. Most of these evacuation orders were sent out using some type of public notification system. The providers of these systems may vary from county to county and state to state, but generally they all have similar capabilities of sending voice, text and email messages to the people who are registered in their jurisdictions. Check with your local Office of Emergency Management and inquire about the notification system they use. If it is one you have to register for, go ahead and sign up!

We all should have some sort of plans for evacuations. Things you will need to think about are an emergency kit, some monetary savings, and knowing the different routes in and out of your area. World aware can help with emergency kits, and making solid plans to keep you safe during an evacuation.