When Super Storm Sandy hit the East Coast it was larger, quicker and more violent than had imagined; the damage was massive, from South Carolina up to Northern Vermont and included power outages, flooding and high winds.

How many of those people, some who had to shelter in place for weeks and some who were literally stranded from the outside world, had considered this list of things you must consider if sheltering in place is your only, or the best option?

Secure the Perimeter

If you are bugging-in, you will need some security. Make sure you have the doors and windows locked at all times — barricade doors and windows where needed. Emergency situations may cause neighbors that are unprepared to go to drastic lengths to get what they need to survive, even if it means taking it from you.

Maintain a Routine

It’s good to get on a routine during a SHTF bug-in situation, just as you are normally on a daily routine. Get up at a certain time every morning, eat at certain times, perform certain tasks at certain times — all of these things will help make life as normal as possible and keep morale high. If you assign tasks to everyone, it will also help to make things a little more normal for the kids.

Make a Plan

After the first few days, if you haven not already started to form a plan for a long-term SHTF disaster, it would be wise to do it now. Evaluate your situation — what type of situation are we dealing with? …how safe are we? …how long will this last?

Major Issues with Bugging-In

Water

As a good prepper, you probably already have mass amounts of water already stored, right? However, if it comes time to actually bug-in, you will definitely need to plan for how to collect more. It is safe to assume that if you are in this situation, city water will not last for long, if it is even safe to drink given your particular situation?

Food

Just as with water, you may already have a stockpile of emergency food, but it is not going to last forever. If it is safe to be outside for long periods of time, you can forage, hunt, trap, and grow a garden. If it is not safe, however, you will need to ration the food you have stored to ensure you don’t run out too fast.

Trash

In this state of emergency, it stands to reason that the trash truck won’t be running. So what will you do with all of your smelly trash? If it sits around stagnant for too long, you can be assured it will draw flies and rats. The trash alone isn’t sanitary to keep around your family, but when you add pests to the equation, it’s an outright health hazard! You’ll need a plan for your trash.

Human Waste

If you thought your problems were bad because of the trash piling up, can you imagine what would happen if the plumbing stopped functioning properly? Learning to dig a latrine will be a handy little trick. Keep in mind the best practices for disposing of human waste. You could also build a makeshift outhouse with a “go bucket” inside.

Ideally, all of us either live in a place where sheltering in place is a good option or have a way to get to a safe place.

For some that is not an option and for all of us, if the situation is sudden or violent enough, staying where we are for the immediate future is not only the safe option – it is the only option.

To learn more about what you need to do if sheltering in place is your only or the preferable option, please visit Survival At Home.