Bug Out Bag for a City Slicker

Well, disasters usually start with evacuations. You're in trouble, you have to skip town yesterday, you can only take what you can carry on your car and on your person. That's what happened to Katrina people before the rest of it happened. You can't carry all your household belongings with you, and I bet not all your books and electronics either, so I suggest you consider packing a bag. I have done so, its not expensive, and forethought will give you boons.

Bag: internal frame hiking backpack, small. You want something that is not impossible to get (mine was bought at Academy for 40 dollars), that you can carry for long periods, and that will hold everything you need but nothing you don't. Clutter is not the friend of the escaper. Mine weighs 30 pounds fully loaded, and with the straps well adjusted I feel like there's nothing on me.

Clothes: roll them up so they will fit into a smaller space. Take enough clothes for the weather conditions you will encounter, be they hot or cold, and one set of clothes that will look presentable in case you need to look like you haven't been running the last four days after you have been doing so. Remember you can use two changes alternately for week if really need be.

Electronics and gadgets: take a cellphone (and its charger), a flashlight (check the batteries), a radio, a pocket knife, a compass (north, south, east, west is valuable stuff to know), cash, a map (if possible), a notebook and pens (really really useful), cutlery, matches, (come in handy), a basic first aid kit, and a waterproof tarp with an aluminum reflecting side for keeping warm.

Mindfeed: what is the stuff that you really put most worth on? What are the objects you refer to over and over in your daily life? Take only them. In my case that is six books I can read over and over, maybe in yours it's the board game you can play for ages, the photos you always want to have near, statues or small objects that make you feel better. Both guide and pass time.

Food and shelter: Camping stoves can be found cheap, and camping cookware also. If you don't use them, they aren't heavy, and if you do use them, they will be more valuable than your cash. Take sun hats (floppy, foldable), sunglasses, a poncho, cotton string, a blanket and/or towel, a camping tent if it seems it'll be useful, all food you need for three days, sandals, and good shoes.

This is a preparedness plan for one person. If you have several people, one can carry the stove, one the food, one the tent, AND ANOTHER THE WATER. With the stuff you've packed, you'll be pretty well prepared to go into a shelter (if there are any set up near to you), into empty land (in which case, Don't Go Naively or Alone), or into a relative's house on car, on buses, or on foot.

Why the foot preparations? Well, epic traffic jams happen. In hurricane Rita, with three days of warnings, only 30% of Houston residents could get out, and all roads were packed, bumper-to-bumper, moving slower than a person walking, with gas unavailable, food far away, and help and information scarce. You may have to leave the car and maybe you'll return to it later, maybe not.

Packing this bag (again, it has to be small and comfortable, if you are going to proceed on foot you will have to carry it through miles of unknown country) is also a spiritual exercise. You pare down what you use and 'need' to what a person uses and needs for basic maintenace of life, and without abandoning all hope you are less than exposed if (when) your circumstances change.

Just to end, a small real story. Once upon a time in Germany, a family was being separated to go to several concentration camps. As a parting gift the father gave his daughter, in midsummer, a pair of dark and heavy winter boots. They were a burden for a month or two, but come winter they kept her alive while others died in bed when their bloody feet no longer let them walk about.

Just a heads-up. $100 bucks well spent are a very big $100 bucks.

I don't have anything packed and won't prepare. I believe that if you "save for a rainy day" that a rainy day will come. Also, I have 9 dogs and 4 cats, there is no way I could fit them all into my car and no way I would ever leave any of them. I would prefer to stay and die with them if it comes to that.

I remembered something relevant: when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, many neighborhoods were flooded and everyone was ordered to evacuate, by force if need be. The hardest people to remove were the middle class ones, because they were very afraid of losing their cherished posessions. Wonder what became of them.

Fortunately, I live in the midwest and hurricanes are not something I need to worry about. We do have tornadoes, however, You rarely get more than a few minutes notice if any. Besides, when your number is up, your number is up, it doesn't matter where you are or what your doing. I don't care about my "posessions" I DO care about my babies, they are my world and are a constant reminder that unconditional love does exist.

Tautog, having lived in the hurricane belt for almost my entire adult life, I have evacuated too many times to count. Each time we would return after a couple of days and pick up the pieces - clean and repair - and life would go on. Katrina was different. We evacuated, but were unable to return for over two weeks. When we did we found the house completely uninhabitable, and almost nothing left to salvage. Besides having had over 7 feet of water in the house, we had major wind damage and the roof was almost completely torn off (We lived in a town north of New Orleans, supposedly in a "No Flood Zone).

To make matter worse, my husband was in the hospital at the time of the storm, hooked up to three I.V.'s of antibiotics with West Nile Virus. I convinced the doctors to let him leave with a ton of prescription antibiotics, but he was still violently ill. So we could not leave till the last minute, and we were on the road in massive traffic jams with my sister who lived in New Orleans (her house was washed away) a 220 lb English Mastiff, and two cats.

The problems we encountered were:

1. We could not find a vacancy in a hotel for six states around. Remember the Mississippi Coast was almost completely devastated also, and some from Alabama and Florida had evacuated. We were on the road for over 24 hours DRIVING with no sleep. We finally camped out in a hotel parking lot in north Texas until somebody checked out, so have a plan on where you can go that is at least 3 to 4 states away. Remember others will be evacuating too.

2. Expecting to return, we only brought enough clothes for three days. Upon our return after two weeks, all of our clothes were destroyed by mildew. So make sure you have enough clothing and shoes. My entire wardrobe now consists of jeans, t-shirts, and boots. That is all I wear. I really have no desire to buy anything better. I do not even own one dress!

3. Cash. You need to have cash on hand. Our banks were closed for almost two months because of damage and no workers available. No ATM's were working because of fear of looters.

4. There were no grocery stores open for almost two months. Wal Mart did open with armed guards (Blackwater) at the doors and only a limited amount of people were let in. There were limited number of provisions, and they only took cash. No checks, no credit cards, and no ATM cards. They had no way to process them.

5. There was no gasoline available. The stations were not operable for close to three months. So when you did get back in you better make sure you have gas to get out again. We took to riding around with eight 5-gallon jugs of gas that we would pick up in Texas and refill upon our return. Also before evacuation the stations were price gouging and one place we stopped was charging $10 a gallon. We had no choice, but to pay because most stations had already been depleted. Of course he was charged with a felony after the fact, but we still had to pay at the time. So it is wise to make sure your vehicle is topped off every couple of days in the event of a catastrophic event. The lines will be over an hour long if you do manage to get into the gas station. So keep your vehicle fueled at all times.

6. We were eventually lucky enough to be able to secure a low rate with a hotel that allowed us to stay for 3 months, before we finally were able to rent an apartment. This is very important that you ensure that you have a place to stay.

7. We had no mail for over 4 months. The postal facilities were destroyed and again the workers were not available. No mail was being processed in New Orleans for longer than that. If you get any kind of check in the mail change it now to where it is computer processed directly into your account. Our bills were backed up and I had to gain access to a computer to get everything online. It took six months to straighten it out (Life goes on for everybody else - and most had no sympathy. It was not their problem they were only "doing their job").

8. You will have no access to doctors, so if you take prescription medication it is good to have a three month supply on hand at all times. You will not be able to refill them because they cannot be verified. Our pharmacy had been destroyed and our doctors had evacuated. As much as I detest taking medication it might be a good idea to have something available for anxiety. My sister kept crying and got hysterical, and it just made me crazy. I would have gladly given her something to calm her down.

9. I do not miss any of my material possessions other than the photographs of my two sons when they were young. So I would recommend taking your photographs and jewelry (I didn't have a lot of jewelry -and what was left was stolen). Better yet put all your photographs on disc. That was not available when my sons were young, and I never took the time to have them transferred to disc.

10. If at all possible take your computer hard drive if nothing else. That is frustrating and a total waste of time and energy to try to recreate. We are so computerized now that it is hard to imagine living without one.

11. Food was very scarce, and thank God for the Salvation Army, they even gave me dog food and cat food. I did not see hide nor hair of the Red Cross. So make sure you have a good supply of pet food.

12. The water was contaminated for a very long time, so it is good to have bottled water, or some way to purify it if possible. It was not even fit to bathe in. The pumps were down so when you did get water it was filthy.

13. I had stockpiled food at our house in case of emergency but it was contaminated when we returned. This is disgusting but it is a fact - because of the dead animals and no electricity there were maggots everywhere. The refrigerator and freezer were turned over and all food in there was rotting and stinking with flies and maggots. The canned food was covered in mud and dead things. We all lost a lot of weight during this time. Besides the scarcity of food - it could also be because we had no appetite after trying to gut the house, and putting everything out in the street for pickup in the stink, and blazing heat.

14. Now I keep ten rubbermaid plastic containers with canned food and supplies in my garage. Mostly vegetables, fruit, and tuna. You will miss fresh fruit and vegetables. Don't buy veinna sausages or potted meat. That stuff is crap. There is one pot, one frying pan, plastic utensils, can opener, Toilet tissue, rubber gloves, masks, rubber boots, hand sanitizer (very important - I got a staph infection on my skin from digging through muck and had to wait in line for 9 hours at an emergency clinic), blankets, pet food, (I rotate all food out), and some containers are empty just to throw in clothes, all file cabinet stuff (I did take my drawers out of my file cabinet last time so I was lucky in that respect), and one for my computer. I have went to Mexico and stocked up on antibiotics, flumadine, and other neccessities, and I keep a medical container ready to go in the rubbermaids. Respiratory ailments were rampant in that area from the contamination. It was very difficult to get treatment for anything since all hospitals and doctor offices were closed. Any important mail is now delivered to my computer.

Of course this is only good if you get warning, and I probably won't use all ten rubbermaids, but just in case I am ready. If the roads are impassable and you cannot take your vehicle, of course you will need a backpack and less items. In that case I would probably just take my chances where I am. I will not leave my dog or my cats - I am like Master in that respect. I cannot see taking off walking with them in tow. I would just stay and suffer the consequences.

I will tell you something else Tautog, when we returned we saw bloated bodies floating in the water and being pounded up against the bridges. It was horrifying. That is what happened to some of the people that refused to leave their belongings. I can assure you these people were not accounted for and washed out to sea. They recently bulldozed a house in New Orleans and found two more bodies inside. This in the last couple of weeks, so I can assure you there will never be a complete body count from Katrina.

Spring, if you guys get nailed this year and need to haul ass out of there, I have that cabin that is not being used. You are more that welcome to use it as long as you need to. It's 3 bedroom, nestled in 40 acres of trees. I'm in Missouri and not all that far away. Besides, I'd be honored and happy to meet you in person.

WOW

Spring, I didn't know any of that. I'm sorry for all of it and glad no one was physically hurt. Thank you for recommending the anxiety meds, I think it can certainly be a problem among the general pop.

I had not considered the danger of the crowds in my city (they would make Katrina look like a high-school ball), and the lack of housing beyond it. I have two options for leaving town, both far.

It'd be just like me to copy what you said and paper other forums with it, of course I won't start until you say that'd be good, and you will be fully credited and linked to if applicable. Amazing story.

Spring, OF COURSE you can bring your babies. What a hypocrite I would be to say no. I don't know how many you have but, if you need help hauling them (I'd need a uhaul or van for all of mine :lol!: ) I would be happy to come down and help. The one good thing about hurricanes is you usually have a few days to prepare while waiting to find out if its going to stay on track or go somewhere else. I think its about an 8 or 10 hour drive for me to Houston. My heart goes out to you for all that you have gone through and survived. I read all kinds of horror stories on the internet and watched on the evening news. I couldn't even begin to imagine going through that.

Hey Spring, I'm still looking for galleries, but, I stumbled upon your profile page I guess, its no wonder I like you so much, your a fellow Aquarian!! I was born 2-14-60!! And no, loving your dog is not eccentric!!! MY critters are all I have. I have lots of "acquaintances" and people who claim me as a "best" friend. (why I don't know, they don't even have my phone number!) I only have a couple of people I feel I could count on in an emergency. Most people don't know the "real" me, they know the" flower lady" me (I sell roses in bars for a living) which is an aspect of me, but, not what I think of as the real me. If I talked to people about the spiritual stuff I believe in at best I would get some wierd looks, although I've found that a lot of the people I know in the bars are quite open to metaphysics and quite spiritual in their own way. I hope you don't have to use the cabin for evacuation purposes either, I hope you never have to experience that sort of hell again, but your also welcome to use it for vacation or "get way" purposes. Its a great get away place.

Master the Gallery is at the top of the page on the tool bar where you log in.

A fellow Aquarius. LOL You know how flakey we can be sometimes then.

I love it that you sell roses in a bar. That fits perfectly for an Aquarius. I worked in a few bars during college, and you can talk to those people about anything, including metaphysics and spiritual matters, and they usually agree. LOL I met some of the most interesting people in those bars. When I went into the legal field the bar experience helped, but those people are not as much fun. HA HA

interesting isn't the word sometimes and yes, it has been a tough two years. are you sure it's only been two though? seems like eons. I hope I go through the portal on the eleventh cuz' I'm SICK of this dimension. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO ready to move on to bigger and better things!!!!!!I just found this, anyone else ever feel this way? I sure do. Thank goodness the energies are about to change. I'm counting the days. Spring do you do psychic readings?

Arrgh, thread hijacked.

I'm thrilled to hear about Saturn having an influence over the last two years. It is a planet of grounding and father influences, no wonder I've felt so tied down I'd love any more info about that. I'm not Aquarian, though, but Scorpio/Libra (Nov 11).