Creating A Bug-Out Bag
Tom Gresham spoke last week (download MP3) on his podcast about bug out bags and I’d like to stress their importance to the moFirearms audience this week. While his show, “Gun Talk” is usually about firearms, he took a few minutes to address a usually overlooked topic, preparing for naturally occurring emergencies, such as tornados and earthquakes. Unlike flooding and hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes come upon us as total surprises. While we might know there is bad weather expected, tornadoes form rather quickly and so you are left with very little, if any, time to react. The most important thing is to keep you and your family safe. After that, the second priority is to keep the family strong and alive after the disaster; this is where a bug out bag comes in handy.
A bug out bag is basically a bag that contains everything you will need to survive after an emergency. Usually this includes supplies for 2-4 days, but it can vary depending on the type of emergency you expect to encounter in your area and how long it will take help to arrive. Everyone prepares their bug out bags differently, but here are a few things to keep in mind when putting yours together: food, water, medical supplies, spare set of clothes, extra socks, personal hygiene products, extra eyewear, feminine products, copies of important documents, defensive item(s), and spare cash.
The situations you could encounter will determine what your bug out bag contains. The bag will need to be something that can be grabbed and carried with you easily (think backpack instead of a gym type bag). If you had 30 seconds to get out of your house, permanently, what would you grab? We’re not talking about family photos and memories which can not be replaced; we’re talking about what you’ll need to survive! If you have any questions or advice on what Missourians should put in their bug out bags, share them in the comments below.
Comments (1)
In principle, this sounds like common sense. It obviously makes sense to be ready and to have something to take with you; but in reality, most people just don’t think ahead. I was talking to a lady the other day about this concept and she simply said, “I hadn’t though about that”. < She was referring to having a bag ready with stuff in it, The mentality of most people is to just grab a bag and stuff thing in it when we need it, not to think ahead of time, before a disaster, when we have a clear head about things. During a time of crisis, you are bound to forget half the things you really will need.