Evacuations

image: signpost with Plan A and Plan B signs pointing in opposite directions

The Two Types of Emergency Evacuation Plans (And Why You Need Both)

April 8, 2022 / 12 Comments

I can remember twice in my life when my family and I had to evacuate. The first time was when our children were very young and our home was overcome with toxic fumes. At that time, I wasn’t aware of prepping or bug-out bags — all I knew was that we could no longer stay in our home and I had just a few minutes to gather everything together so we could get out. The second time was an evacuation …

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flood fire evacuation

Flood – Fire – Evacuation

May 28, 2020 / 5 Comments

Two of the most common reasons to evacuate your home, workplace, or any other safe area are flood and fire. In the Los Angeles area, nearly 90,000 people were evacuated due to the Blue Cut wildfire that is virtually out of control, still. Where do 90,000 people go? That’s the first question that crosses my mind. Are they all headed to hotels? The homes of friends or family? How many have nowhere to go and can’t afford even a single …

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11 Last Minute, Last Ditch Evacuation Locations

May 28, 2020 / 7 Comments

From my book, Emergency Evacuations: Your kits are ready, the pets and kids are bundled up and you’ve remembered to grab their favorite play toys and diversions, but now the big question remains, where do you go? Remember that if your end destination is more than a day’s travel away, you’ll need places to spend the night along your planned route. If you’re like the majority of Americans, you don’t own a second home and don’t have friends who live on …

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preppers hideaway

Designing & Building an Affordable Prepper’s Hideaway

December 3, 2020 / 9 Comments

Designing a house should be fun! It’s a chance to for your dreams to become real in the form of a home. Most of us don’t get to include all the bells and whistles we might like, but we can include the most important ones, leaving the possibility to add more, later. At the very least, when you build and design your own preppers hideaway, you can avoid things you truly dislike. You may have purchased your land to live …

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affordable bug out location

18 Tips For Buying an Affordable & Usable Property for Getting Out of Dodge

March 27, 2022 / 32 Comments

An affordable bug out location or Get Out Of Dodge (GOOD) property is a wish and a dream for many a prepper. Unfortunately, though, few of us can afford those multi-hundred-thousand dollar properties we see on TV with orchards, solar power, stocked ponds, and all the bells and whistles. Even a moderate property out in the country is an additional expense, not only for survival or preparedness but as a place to go while the kids and grandkids are little. …

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bugout vehicle

Pimp Your Bugout Vehicle on a Budget

May 30, 2020 / 8 Comments

A reliable vehicle is a very important part of our preparedness planning. Not only is it transportation out of a bad situation, but your vehicle can provide lighting, heat/air conditioning, electrical power, and shelter. Most of us don’t have the luxury of procuring a dedicated bugout vehicle; we have to make the best of what we have. The good news is that you can add important capabilities to your existing vehicle without breaking the bank, and at your own pace. …

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How Indecision Can Endanger Your Life

May 30, 2020 / 9 Comments

My karate instructor often makes us do “kill me” drills. We, the students, have to stand with our eyes closed, wait to be “attacked” by a partner, and then execute a self-defense technique within one second of being attacked. If, when we open our eyes, we freeze or merely shriek in dismay, then my instructor says, “You took too long, you’re dead. He got you.” My husband and I have been taking karate lessons for a very long time, and …

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13 Reasons a Rural Retreat May Not Be the Safe Refuge You Might Think

May 30, 2020 / 93 Comments

Way back in 2007, when I first became aware of the need to prepare for an increasingly uncertain future, I was convinced that our family needed to move from the city to a hidey-hole or a cabin in the woods, commonly referred to as “rural survival retreats.” Preferably in Idaho. Our retreat would be located at least 25 miles from the nearest interstate and 10 miles from the nearest town, which would have no more than 1000 residents. We would be safe from zombie biker …

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bugging out to the country

10 Tips For Bugging Out to the Country

May 30, 2020 / 74 Comments

When many urban or suburban people think about Prepping or Survivalism, they think about bugging out to a more rural location.  This has to be one of the most frequently-expressed fantasies in the Prepping world, and reams have been written about where to go and how to get there. But very little has been written from the perspective of the rural dwellers.  How does your average farmer or homesteader feel about urban folks bugging out to the country? We live on …

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21 Ways to Use a DeLorme Atlas to Plan Emergency Evacuations

May 30, 2020 / 14 Comments

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s  house is not a bad evacuation plan at all as long as you have a working vehicle and enough gas to reach your destination. However, not all evacuation routes are that simple, and sometimes you need a detailed map to plan primary, secondary, and even tertiary routes in times of trouble. Humans are creatures of habit and many of us could probably drive to work, school, the grocery store, or our …

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