6 Principles to Closely Follow to Stay Prepared at All Times for an Emergency Evacuation

couple hiking with bags

Again, have a prepping plan! Stay healthy and keep your papers together. If you take medication, make sure you have enough to last a while! And do all of the following Ps:

People
This is the first “P” and the most important one when it comes to emergency evacuation. It includes your family and any loved ones in your vicinity. You have to make sure you are able to contact everyone before disaster hits. They should be able to follow a simple plan to get home or to the nearest safety point. When disaster hits, most of your family members could be at work, school or any other facility that is prone to social chaos. If possible, go gather everyone and keep in touch with them constantly.

Papers
There are a lot of important documents in your home that need to be taken care of. When emergency evacuation is imminent, you need to have all your documents in order. You should have multiple copies and place them in your bug out binder. The binder you chose should be easy to care and have laminated pages with easy access. Here is what you should have:
Copies of medical records for all family members
Health insurance cards
Binding contracts
Living wills
Divorce papers
Child custody paper
Lease or rental agreements
Insurance policies
Important receipts
Firearm serial numbers
Concealed weapon permit
Diplomas
Military documents
Social security cards
Birth certificates
Passport
Driver license

Pets
If emergency evacuation is triggered, in order to protect your pets you must take them with you. Animals left behind during a crisis can easily be lost or injured. Since your pets are like family member, you should plan in advance for them as well. Consider friends of family outside the affected area who can take in your pets. Bugging out with pets is a difficult decision. A lot depends on how you plan to get out of doge. If you go by vehicle and your pet has to be carried, there aren’t complications. However, if you get by foot and your pet cannot walk on its own, you may be forced to leave the pet behind. It’s a heart breaking decision, but the additional weight of your pet can slow you down. It would make the bugging out process more tiring and put you in danger.
Related article: Saving Pets During Disasters

Prescriptions
The elderly or your kids might need specific medication. You won’t be able to get those without the proper prescriptions. Besides the prescriptions, there is also medical equipment that some people may need. If that’s the case, don’t forget to also bring the batteries and power cords. Eyeglasses and hearing aids are also vital for some people. It may not be obvious at first, but you need to have backup solution for these types of items. You are used to see them every day and you will develop a false sense of safety. Think about how would your family members survive during austere times.

Provisions
Anyone who plans to evacuate needs to carefully plan a bug out bag for each family member. Emergency evacuation is a less stressful process if you have a good bug out bag. Collect clothes for the season, food, water and any survival gear that helps you survival. Your bug out bag should be designed to help you survive in any type of environment. However, there is no use in preparing a state of art bug out bag if you don’t know how to use it. A brand new, bug out bag is useless since it doesn’t come with instruction notes. Learn how to use your bug out bag on the field and test each items you’re bringing along. You don’t need any surprises during an emergency evacuation and that’s certainly not the time to figure out how things work.

Personal Needs
There are no two people alike and we all have our needs. What may seem disposable for you may be vital to the person right next to you. There are people with disabilities and there are people with access and/or functional needs. There are persons with limitations that need certain items to function properly. If you have a 90 year old mother and a bad back, you won’t be able to strap her to your back an travel for a few miles. And last but not least, there are moody kids that cannot go throughout the day without their favorite toys, video games or snacks. The last thing you want to deal with during an emergency evacuation is your kid crying because you forget his teddy bear.

To learn more, counting the inclusion of protection and priceless items, go to Prepper's Will.

Make a list, make your copies, and remember that in a moment of chaos you may not have time to dig through all of your things. Have them on hand, including your dog's favorite chew toy, in plastic bags if necessary. Then get them into your bug-out bag!

Oh, and again, don’t forget your family. They would not like that!


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