Planning A Temporary Bug-Out

While sheltering in place will be your best option in most crisis or emergency situations, there will be times when you will need to “BUG-OUT” on a temporary basis. This can be due to a variety of reasons. There may be a hazardous material spill which creates a forced evacuation or an imminent hurricane which may be headed your direction. These and others are situations for which you will need a plan for temporarily bugging out until the danger or threat disappears and you can return to a normal state of activity in your lives.

One of the major parts of being prepared is having a plan, but you will also need a plan that works for almost every scenario. A plan that is economical, efficient, sustainable and compatible for everyone should be in place for all the members of your family or group. Even individuals without a family or group to call upon for assistance will need a plan.

Over the years I have learned that simple is a good thing. Simple works best in the majority of cases and is easier to implement when required. It requires some coordination to be put in place to be effective but can be a life saver if done right. It is a plan that can be used almost universally in some degree by everyone with equal success. Here is an example of how the Riverwalker clan handles a temporary bug-out.

The Riverwalker Family’s Temporary Bug-out Plan

First and foremost your plan will need to be economical. Young family or group members just starting out will not need an additional strain on their finances that can be caused by the need to temporarily bug-out for whatever reason. During the recent Hurricane Ike it became necessary for certain of my extended family to bug-out for safety reasons due to the imminent threat of high winds, possible flooding and other storm related situations such as lack of grid power, potable water or emergency services that could result from the effects of Hurricane Ike.

My niece’s family simply bugged-out to my daughters place as part of a plan. They grew up together as children, are similar in age and both have young children of similar ages also. This makes for an extremely compatible situation. There were no worries about having the funds for a hotel or motel. There was no need to pack any food or medical items other than those required as a result of special diets or medications. The children were less stressed because they had another playmate with whom they were familiar. The adults also had many experiences with each other over the years that increased comfort levels during a time of additional stress. Not enough clothes? No problem! They just got thrown in with the regular wash. My niece and her family actually spent a week at my daughter’s place and they actually had a good time. Then, when it was safe to do so, they simply returned home without the additional stress or anxiety that occurs in many cases. It became a bug-out vacation of sorts.

While they actually live over a hundred miles apart, they are very close and have been since they were young children. The distance involved was sufficient to take them out of harm’s way and still be an economically viable trip for them, evenif they get caught at a time with very little resources available. This also gives you a trust and compatibility factor that is hard to beat. It is also very efficient even though there are some increased costs with extra members in the household. It also doesn’t require younger family members just starting out to have to worry about having a separate location to bug-out to if necessary.
They are close enough that less than a tank of gas and a couple of hours will get them out of harm’s way and to a safe place of refuge till the storm was over and it was safe to return home. Another advantage is the ability to communicate with other family members. Other family members simply contacted my daughter to check on my niece and her family to make sure they were safe.

One of my roles was to keep track of them to make sure they made it out safely and if not to put a simple plan into effect whereby I would go and get them if necessary. This is also a reciprocal type of agreement and if the situation were reversed it would still work in a similar fashion. Even individuals without close family usually have close friends that such a plan could work for them also. We have similar plans for all family members for where they will be going in the event of a temporary crisis and a plan to communicate the safety and whereabouts of everyone to all family members, including older family members and those individuals who are younger but don’t have a family started.

As a back-up plan and should problems occur, my place is also one of the places where they will be coming in the event of a temporary crisis or emergency. In fact my place is one of the main back-up retreats for all family members if needed. I also have regular assigned family members, my wife’s brother and his family, that will be coming our way if necessary during an emergency.

Never under estimate the power of family or friends who will almost always come together during a crisis. It is an important resource that shouldn’t be overlooked. With a little advance planning, you and your family and friends can be properly prepared to handle most emergencies.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker