Emergency Disaster Planning:
Building a Bug-Out Kit
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 even when they are reachable
by rescue personnel.
Hopefully, few of us will ever be caught in such a
widespread and devastating disaster as Hurricane Katrina.
But should a natural or man-made disaster threaten your
family or force an evacuation, having a fully-stocked
and easily-reached emergency "bug-out" bag could help
save 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
deposit box or other safe place – 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 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
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 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 or candy
bar substitutes. You can also include dried foods
or hiking meals and other lightweight, easy to prepare
and eat items such as nuts, small candies and oatmeal
packs.
- A water purification kit or hiker's filter system.
Bottled water is bulky, heavy and goes stale quickly.
Dirty water, while distasteful, can often be easily
found, roughly filtered through cloth to remove large
particulate matter and then sterilized for safe drinking.
In a worst-case scenario, boiling dirty water for
15 minutes will serve until alternatives can be found.
- A pre-paid phone card and a list of relatives, friends
and emergency numbers. Check for expiration date and
rotate out or renew as needed.
- A non-battery-dependent, rechargeable flashlight,
radio and cell phone charger, if you have a phone
(alternatives include solar, squeeze-charge or kinetically
charged options). Even when phone service was available,
many Katrina survivors could not call out to get help
or update relatives because their phones were dead
and there was no power. Keep in mind also that even
when phone 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 and jury-rigs.
- A small first aid 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 lighter and a few small candles. Never
light these unless you are sure that there is no chance
of an explosion from natural gas, propane or other
leaking fuels. For safety, use your flashlight for
your primary light source. Save the lighter and candles
for starting cooking or heating fires.
- 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 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,
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.
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 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 additives,
small paperback books, etc). Just keep in mind the weight
and size of the final kit and that in an emergency 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. Every
member of the family should know where it is and to
make sure it is part of any emergency evacuation. (It
is important to stress, however, that no one ever go
after any item, even the emergency bag, in the case
of a house fire. 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, it goes a long way toward ensuring that you
and your family have the best chance possible of making
it through any unforeseen emergency as healthy and safe
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.
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