Bugging-in keeps you near several important resources: your house, emergency supplies, friends and family.  However, many emergencies can cause your area to become either uncomfortable or even unsafe to live (for example, destruction from natural disasters).

Bugging-out means packing up the essentials (you, your family, and a small amount of supplies), and heading out of the area temporarily.  Doing this at the right time can remove you from harm, but you have to be aware of the potential problems you may encounter after leaving.  We’ll be discussing this option further in the next post.

Bugging-In

We all have the basic desire to protect what’s ours, and bugging-in gives us the opportunity to stay close to all of our belongings.  For many emergencies, bugging-in may be the safest choise.  That said, you need to understand the tradeoffs, as well as the situations where bugging-in will be your best option.

Here are some of the pros and cons of Bugging In:

Pros of Bugging-In:

• You don’t have to actively do anything – just get to your house and stay put
• Your house gives you built-in shelter and the essentials as long as they haven’t been cut off (water, power, etc)
• All your emergency supplies are nearby
• The rest of your belongings are nearby, and you can protect them
• You’re probably near your friends, family and neighbors, so you can give each other support
• By the same token, you may be able to help those less-prepared

Cons of Bugging-In:

• You may be putting yourself in danger’s path (for example, destruction from a natural disaster)
• You may be forced to leave by local authorities at some point anyways, and at that point you probably won’t be able to take much with you
• Will your supplies last long enough?  What will you do as you run low on essentials?
• If you change your mind and want to leave at a later date, it might be harder at that point (for example, natural disasters destroying roads)
• While you are in your own home, it probably won’t be as comfortable as normal every-day life (for example, if the power is gone or your heat is out)

When to Bug-In

The decision of whether you’re going to bug-in or bug-out can’t be made before the disaster strikes.

You can, and should, prepare to take either action as necessary when the time comes.  For example, if high winds take out the power lines in your area, you should be able to bug-in with a small amount of supplies until the repair crews are able to turn your power back on.  On the other hand, if a hurricane is heading your way, you might choose to bug-out to another state.

If you have a good emergency kit and you store it in an easy-to-reach location, you can prepare yourself for either option by putting the supplies in or near a portable container, such a a duffle bag.  It may not be practical to have all of your supplies in portable containers, but if everything is in the same place, it’ll be easier and quicker to organize it.  You should keep a list of items that are not in the same location as your main supplies, so you remember to grab them if you’re bugging-out.

How to Bug-In

First of all, you should come up with a plan.  What will you do when an emergency is imminent or has already struck?

If you’ve made the decision to bug-in (at least for now):

1. Stay put, or get to your pre-determined meeting location
2. Account for everyone you’re in charge of (family, relatives)
3. Try to get details on what’s going on
4. Get immediate supplies ready so you’re prepared for the right now.  This includes:
1. Put on proper clothing, such as more durable outerwear, boots, gloves, etc
2. Get tools such flashlights, a Leatherman, candles, etc
3. Prepare your home, such as shuttering windows, turning off the gas line, etc
5. Stick around until the situation improves or you decide to bug-out

Tailor these steps to your family.  Write it down in your plan.  While the emergency may cause panic, having an already prepared, written-down plan will help you focus on the immediate tasks you need to do to get right-now prepared.  Keep in mind though, even the best made plans will change as the emergency is unfolding.  Stay flexible.

In summary, bugging-in is appropriate for many emergencies.  With the right supplies, it will be more convenient than trying to get out of the area.  As long as you have a good stock of organized emergency supplies, you can make the decision on whether to bug-in or bug-out at the time of need.

Next: It’s not safe to stay put?  Learn how to bug-out.

What if something bigger hits?  A medium-term scenario, lasting a week to a few months, is a whole new ball game.

Photo from NASA

A medium-term scenario can start out looking like just a short-term scenario.  Think of Hurricane Katrina, for example.  As the storm was finding its way through the Gulf, many of the residents of New Orleans thought it was just another storm to batter down the hatches for, pack up the kids, and visit their out-of-state relatives for a few days.  Little did they know how much of an impact the storm would have on the city.  Those who lived through the storm and its aftermath found themselves without basic infrastructure like power and clean water for weeks.

There are many ways a medium-term scenario could manifest.  For example:

• Major natural disasters
• Pandemics
• Terrorist attacks

Any event whose effects last for more than just a few days can cause quite a bit of discomfort for those who aren’t prepared.  Like a short-term scenario, the basic infrastructure we depend on could stop working for days or weeks at a time.  What would you do if you lost access to any of these for more than a week?

• Power
• Heat
• Clean water
• Transportation
• Communication

Photo from Mel Silvers

A pandemic, for example, could limit your ability to move (Transportation) or see your family (Communication).  A terrorist attack could knock out the Power or disrupt the Clean Water supply.  We depend on these basic infrastructure needs to live our comfortable modern lives, but they could be taken away from us at any time.

Once a major event occurs, things could start going down-hill pretty fast.  As soon as everyone catches on that their situation won’t improve for a few days, there will be a stampede for the local supermarkets in a mad dash to grab as many candles and as much canned food as they can.  Tempers will flare, stock will dwindle, and some may be left without the necessary means to survive.

Let’s not partake in that, OK?

Preparing for month(s)-long self-sufficiency will take a lot of preparation and dedication.  It’s not just a matter of buying a couple canned goods from the grocery store.  Supplies are only one part of the equation:

supplies + tools + techniques + fitness + awareness = preparation

What will you do if the electricty is out for more than a week?  What about food, water?  How will you figure out what the heck is going on?

For short term preparation, all one needs to do is get a few supplies, some handy tools, and read a book for a week to pass the time.  Medium- and long-term scenarios call for a whole different ballgame.  You will need to learn techniques of self-sufficiency and will have to be physically fit enough for your body to endure.

The focus of this blog will be preparing yourself for a medium-term emergency scenario.  We will share tools, techniques, thoughts and news about how you can prepare.  We’d also love to hear from you about your thoughts on what it means to be prepared.  Getting yourself ready for a medium-term scenario will also make a short-term scenario a cake-walk, and a long-term scenario (TEOTWAWKI) more manageable.

Next up: Bugging in? Or bugging out?

Staying Alert

Being aware of your environment (and the changes happening to it) can give you a big head start in getting ready for something coming your way.  Not all emergency scenarios have a period of warning before they hit, but many natural disasters are foretold hours or days in advance.  Pay attention to your local news and your environment for early warning signs:

• News of impending unusual or major rain, snow, wind or ice storms
• Early-warnings of hurricanes, tornadoes or fires in the area
• City emergency sirens
• Natural warnings (ground rumbling, loud noises, dark skies, etc)

These signs may give you a few extra minutes or hours to meet up with your family and make sure all of your ducks are in a row.  Make sure you have a basic emergency plan now, and then know how to gather information and communicate when the disaster hits.

Having a Basic Plan

Start out by coming up with a basic plan for what you and your family will do in case of an emergency.  Having a predefined plan serves several purposes:

• A plan prepares you, gets you thinking-through what you should do when a disaster strikes
• Already having a plan helps calm you down when the disaster happens
• Everyone involved (you, family, friends) can follow the same plan, so everyone’s on the same page for what needs to happen

A basic disaster preparation plan has a few key components.  The plan does not (and should not) be tailored for a specific scenario at this point.  You and your family should determine:

1. How you will try to contact each other
2. Where you will meet if you are not together
3. Who else you can turn to if you cannot contact or find each other
4. What needs to be done when the emergency hits (find your supplies, get out the flashlights, etc)

The US government’s ready.gov website has a great Make a Plan section.  Talk with your family and come up with a basic plan everyone understands and can stick do.  Keep it simple.  Type everything up, and print out a copy that you can have handy.  Make sure everyone knows each other’s cell phone numbers by heart.

Additional plans could be developed for specific scenarios, such as what you would do if a hurricane was heading your way.  Would you try to pack up the essentials and stay with family in another state?  Or would you board the house up and try to see it through?  Obviously any disaster can disrupt even the best made plans, but knowing how to extend your basic plan for specific scenarios can help.

Gathering Information and Communicating

Once a disaster strikes, it is incredibly useful to maintain the flow of information.  You will need to receive information from your local and state governments, as well as those around you.   You will also want to communicate both within your group and the outside world.

Receiving up to date information about what’s going on can help you plan what to do, where to go, and how long to expect your situation to last.  The most reliable form of receiving information in a disaster is AM/FM radio and NOAA Weather Radio.  TV, the internet, and cell phones are also potential sources of information, but the infrastructure they require to operate is brittle, and often disrupted or overwhelmed in major scenarios.  AM/FM and NOAA radio stations can reach hundreds of miles, so the broadcasting stations can be outside of the affected zone.  They are your most reliable form of receiving information in an emergency.  Amazon has many inexpensive stand-alone NOAA radios, as well as FRS/GMRS radios that can receive NOAA alerts.  Having a simple AM/FM radio — especially one that is powered by a battery, or can be hand-cranked — can go a long way in receiving info about what’s going on.

One of the most distressing parts of any emergency is the feeling of not knowing. Listen closely to AM/FM and NOAA information sources.  These broadcasts can:

• Give you up to date information about the emergency (scope and length)
• Help you determine if you should stay in the area or try to leave
• Inform you of how to get additional help if you need it

Communication with the outside world is also essential.  Staying in contact with others can help guide, calm and inform you.  Today’s most popular long-range communication mediums are land lines, cell phones, and the internet.  Unfortunately, all of these technologies are susceptible to infrastructure failure, and can be down for days.  Don’t expect to be able to contact others outside of your immediate vicinity, especially if the power is knocked out or the communications infrastructure is damaged.  The United State’s cell phone infrastructure is also easily overwhelmed in emergencies, and calls may not get through.

Depending on where you are, your neighbors, co-workers and friends may be the only ones you are able to communicate with.  Try to stay calm, and if you are able, help those around you. An organized group of people can be a powerful asset in an emergency.

If you need to communicate amongst your immediate group over short distances, FRS/GMRS radios are a popular and simple technology that can reach a mile or two.  Despite their packaging claims, FRS/GMRS radios will not be able to reach 10-35 miles, especially in an urban environment.

Good luck. Be Prepared.

Short-term emergency situations (those lasting 1 day to 1 week) are quite common around the world. Most families will have to deal with one or two small emergencies a year, depending on their geographic location. Of the three emergency scenarios one can prepare for, short-term situations happen the most frequently, but with just a small amount of preparation, one can easily “weather the storms” (pun intended).

In the Pacific Northwest for example, we get hit by major storms a few times a year, and they can knock out power and wash out roads. The region also sees a few snow and ice storms that wreck havoc upon the cities (and citizens) that are unprepared for them.

Every region around the world witnesses short-term emergencies, most often caused by nature.  Which of these do you see in your community?

• Tornadoes
• Snow storms
• Floods
• Hurricanes
• Earthquakes
• Wild-fire
• Volcanoes
• Unexpected weather
• … etc …

The effects of these situations are varied, but they can:

• Knock out electricity
• Limit communications (telephone, cable TV, cell phones, internet)
• Limit access beyond your home
• Reduce the gasoline and grocery supply (due to stocking up before the disaster hits)

How comfortable are you without electricity?  With a limited food supply?

Thankfully, these situations happen often enough that most citizens in the region know how to prepare for them — though many still get caught off guard and end up having to scramble for supplies or make-do without them.  Stay ahead of the pack!

What can you do to prepare for Short-Term Disasters?

A short term disaster is cheap and easy to prepare for. Get prepared now! A little bit of preparation now goes a long ways towards making you comfortable, calm and prepared when the disaster hits.

A good resource for preparation comes from the US government at ready.gov. The website has a lot of great resources, including an emergency preparation kit check-list, how-to make a readiness plan, and where to go for more information. Their brochures can be easily downloaded and printed. Do it now! If your electricity is out, your printer won’t work!

There are many ways to prepare, but they can be focused into five major categories:

supplies + tools + techniques + fitness + awareness = preparation

While all five categories can be helpful in any emergency scenario, giving higher focus to some initially (supplies and alertness) will help you prepared for a short term emergency quickly. After you’ve built a supplies kit, you will need to spend time and money on the other categories (tools, techniques and fitness) to prepare yourself for medium (and long) term scenarios.

Your best bets for Short Term Disasters:

1. Build an emergency supplies kit
2. Be alert!  Know where and how to gather information

Step 1: Gather Supplies

Build a supplies kit now!

Supplies that will help you in a short-term emergency situation are fairly basic, but the key is having them on-hand (in a usable condition) so you don’t have to rush to the local supermarket when a disaster is looming. The panic of ordinary citizens in an emergency can lead to rude and dangerous behavior, and it is best to stay away from places where everyone else is headed in a frenzy. Grocery stores will be out of stock instantly, and you will spend more time in traffic jams and around panicked (and unprepared) citizens. Build your supplies now so you don’t need to rush to the store when the disaster hits.

What should you include in your kit?

A 7-day preparation kit won’t cost you much and is easy to assemble:

• Eating / drinking:
  • 1 gallon of water / person / day (bottled water works great)
  • 7-day supply of food / person (canned, mountain house dried food, etc)
• Shelter
  • Sleeping bag
  • Warm blankets
• Electronics:
  • Battery-powered radio
  • Battery-powered GMRS / FRS walkie-talkies
  • Flashlights with spare batteries
  • Cell phone with extra battery
  • Charged batteries to power all electronics
• Sanitation / health
  • Moist towelettes
  • Toilet paper
  • First-aid kit
  • Filtration face masks
  • Medicines
  • Personal-needs such as:
    • prescriptions
    • feminine products
    • eye glasses
    • hearing aids
    • pet food
    • baby formula and diapers
• Information
  • Personal information (photocopies of identification, passports, credit cards)
  • First-aid manual
  • Survival books
  • Maps of the surrounding area
• Tools / misc
  • Matches or lighters
  • Candles
  • Whistle
  • Multi-tool (Leatherman)
  • Wrench, pliers, screwdrivers
  • Can opener for food
  • Hatchet
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Duct tape
  • Plastic tarps
  • Garbage bags
  • Cash ($100 – $1000 in small bills)

Where should you assemble this?

Gather the above items and put them somewhere in your house that isn’t very damp. A bag or storage bin is recommended. Put the supplies aside and don’t touch them. Don’t grab the duct tape from your survival kit just because you can’t find the other roll. You’ll slowly dwindle your supply!

Next Post: Step 2: Stay alert, know how to communicate and gather information

My name is Nic.

I am a survivalist.

No, not the running with the wild, living off the land type — but someone who is determined to be prepared for whatever comes his way.

I grew up living a comfortable childhood, oblivious to the rest of the world. Now that I am older, I understand that many of the luxuries we live with every day could be taken away from us at any time (either temporarily or permanently). I’ve always been a bit O.C.D. as far as organization and preparation goes, and I’m sure this a cause of my survivalist tendencies.

I live and work in the Seattle area. Professional (and social) reasons keep me in the city and not in the country (and thus the urbansurvivalist). Hard-core survivalists consider the urban environment to be completely unfit for survival preparedness — but not all of us have the luxury of living on the outskirts of civilization or owning a retreat property. I live with my S.O., who has similar survivalist inclinations (though she may not be as outspoken about it), so I am determined to prepare for both of us. Luckily, she is very understanding

What’s a survivalist? Why prepare?

There are many reasons to be prepared, and many scenarios you can prepare for. One cannot be completely prepared for every situation, but a little knowledge, training, and a bit of supplies can go a long way.

So you’re like me, living in an urban (or suburban) environment and want to be prepared. What are you preparing for? There are a few situations that come to mind:

• Short-term disaster preparation (1 day to 1 week). Short-term situations (such as power-outages) should be the easiest (and cheapest) to prepare for, and every household should prepare now. A bit of supplies and some research will get you ready, so when (and not if) something happens, you can feel safe and comfortable in your home environment. Getting prepared to stay at home for a few days without electricity is easy and cheap, and preparing now will ensure you don’t panic when something happens.
• Medium-term (a week to a few months). Medium term disasters, such as temporary infrastructure collapse, pandemics, terrorist attacks, and major natural disasters can all lead to a situation where you are on your own for a while. Will you be prepared for it? Will you stay where you are, or try to make it somewhere else? What will you do?
• Long-term (TEOTWAWKI – a.k.a. the end of the world as we know it). What if? Not something easily prepared for (and not the main focus of this blog), but preparing for shorter term emergencies will help you survive in case something bigger happens.

What can trigger an emergency situation? There are many things — caused both by humans and nature — that could catch you (and the rest of society) by surprise:

• Natural disasters: Earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, blizzards, wild fires
• Terrorist attacks: Bombs, attacks against the food supply, water supply or infrastructure
• Pandemics (large and small): Flu, plague, other diseases, famine
• Infrastructure disruptions or collapse: Power outages, food shortages, water supply contaminations

I am not an alarmist! The intention of this blog is not to freak you out, or get you worrying about every little thing that can happen. Instead, I will use this blog is to share things you can do to be prepared for most disaster situations.

This blog will focus on two topics:

• Survival preparation and readiness techniques
• Tools and supplies to help you survive

I am not an expert. However, I have invested time researching survival techniques and preparing the necessary supplies so that I am ready. My goal for this blog is to share my thoughts, experiences and research with others who want to survive.

I am determined to be prepared.

Are you?