Unlike finding your house is on fire and you only have moments to escape, an evacuation means that you will have anywhere from a few minutes, to hours and possibly even days of advance warning. But deciding ahead of time which items, in which order, will be taken is critical – everything else like transportation and destinations are flexible and may change due to conditions.
Evacuation is a series of trade-offs. Most often you will be better off Sheltering-in-Place because you would have everything there with you. But when conditions force you to leave, you need to prioritize what to take based on what transportation you have available.
So where the Home Fire Escape Plan has you just putting on shoes and grabbing your cellular phone, wallet and keys – an evacuation Bug-Out List is a comprehensive itemization of everything you would want to go with you if you are forced to leave your home.
Depending on what happens, you might not able to go back home afterwards. So take the time to build this Bug-Out List now. Because when you need to use the list – it’s too late to start writing it down!
What does a Bug-Out List Look Like?
Over the years I have heard many ways to build a Bug-Out List (also known as an evacuation list) but there were usually major flaws with each method. Here are a few examples.
- Every family member has a list of things to grab… What if that family member isn’t there? Who will get the cat food if Suzie isn’t there to put it into the car?
- Pull everything we need out a room at a time… Yes, we got the kitchen and the… Oh no! We missed the downstairs bathroom so we don’t have Grandpa’s meds.
- Pretend you are going camping… Things you might not need for a weekend out in the desert but are essential during an evacuation could be missing.
The Time-Sensitive Bug-Out List
This Bug-Out List differs from the previous ones by
- It’s a single list that everyone available at the time would work from during an evacuation
- This list is ordered by each item’s importance to the overall family’s wellbeing – you make the best choices you could based on the time that you have available to get loaded
- Items can be staged inside the house – you don’t need to pack the car until are positive you actually have to leave
For Example...
Let’s say your Bug-Out List has 100 items on it and you have all 4 members of your family at home. You may be able to get all 100 items if you have 30 minutes to evacuate.
But if you only have 10 minutes to evacuate and the same 4 people, you may only get 30 or 40 of the items from the list.
If fewer family members are home, you may gather even fewer items but you can be sure that the items that were gathered were the best choices in the time that you had available.
The Basics...
Click on each of the headings below for things that you should consider.
It's cold outside and you are in your PJ's! - Basic Needs
- You don’t want to miss the basics when evacuating.
- Assume that you are just getting out of bed and you need to go through your morning routine to get ready to leave the house. You put on your clothes, grab your wallet, keys and other every-day-carry stuff. Then you grab winter jackets or rain gear depending on the weather.
- Do the same analysis for each member of the family – grandpa may get up, check his insulin levels and take his meds before dressing – while the kids just jump into their clothes. Each of those morning routines gives you key insights to what key items are needed if you have to evacuate.
- Don’t forget footwear! Your kids may go all day in flip-flops and you normally wear dress shoes but those aren’t good choices if you have to hike somewhere. Sturdy hiking shoes or boots are recomended.
Staying dry and warm if hotels/shelters are unavailable - Emergency Shelter
- Since you will be leaving your house, you need to account for basic survival needs (the survival triangle – Shelter, Water and Food).
- Don’t expect that you will find hotel rooms or other shelter available. If you don’t have camping tents, at least have emergency shelters like a Survival Bivy for each person. That way you will have warm, wind and waterproof shelters when you need them.
- If you do have camping gear, your family will have options when it comes to finding somewhere safe to stay. You can move to a secluded area, away from unprepared (and possibly desperate) refugees.
- One big difference from regular camping – big and heavy items are best left behind in most cases. That 10×10 pop-up awning and folding picnic table are nice during a campout but not necessary for an evacuation.
Everyone needs water and food - Emergency Supplies
- You should have food and water for both your family and your pets on the checklist.
- First priority is water. You need to have both ready-to-drink water and a way to create clean water from less-than-ideal sources. Bottled water, canteens, etc. provide the first and Water Filtering Systems can provide long-term water supplies.
- Just like water, both the human and the pet food should be a mix of ready-to-eat food and snacks, Canned Goods and Dehydrated Food.
Beyond the Basics...
Be sure that you not only address the survival needs (shelter, water and food), but that you also account for both medical and financial health. First aid kits, prescribed medicines, important papers (deeds, marriage certificates, passports) and computer backup drives should all be on the list.
Sentimental Items
You may want to go all the way down to sentimental memory items like photo albums, jewelry and artwork if you have the time to save them too.
Morale Boosters
Be sure to include entertainment items for everyone too! Having a book, playing cards or a board game as a morale-boosting distraction for you and the kids can be invaluable!