Most of my upcoming posts will be dedicated to my thoughts and actions on “bugging in” while living in a city. Although I know that bugging in isn’t always an option with certain emergency situations I believe that it is a good starting point for preparing for a list of small emergencies.
My first thought on this topic is that of becoming a visionary. This is something that we all do naturally anyway as thoughts of the future tend to haunt us is certain ways. Many have written thoughts on living for today and allow tomorrow to take care of itself. I am one who never believed in this way of thinking as not only do we have what it takes to enjoy today but also to plan for tomorrow. Planning for tomorrow entails placing ourselves in certain situations in the future only in our mind. We create a story and make it come alive with details. Becoming a visionary of situational awareness into the future just may save our lives one day along with the lives of others.
There are many things that could happen that would cause us to go into survival mode and most people think very little about these things. Actually most people pretty much live paycheck to paycheck and simply believe that everything will be OK. I have been in too many situations and have witnessed so many people throughout the years who have been devastated when a situation comes along in which they simply weren’t prepared for. It is only through independence and self sufficiency that one can place themselves and their families in a position of a certain level of comfort that will provide those things for survival.
Our Federal Government’s website Ready.gov suggest that we all have enough food, water and supplies for 72 hours in the event of an emergency. This is an excellent starting point and if you have never visited this site I would highly suggest it. My thoughts on past events lead me to believe that for the purpose of “bugging in” I believe that most of us should have at least two weeks worth of the things we would need to stay in our own homes during most events. Anything past two weeks we really need to start thinking about a way to get out.
We have all watched people prepare their homes as they anticipate a hurricane coming to shore with boarding up their windows, but what we don’t see is all the other things they are doing to provide for their families while they hunker in and wait for the storm to pass. These people are “Emergency Visionaries” as they place themselves into a future situation and think about all of the things that could happen and what it will take to get through it.
While living in Oregon there hasn’t been too much of a history of hurricanes, but there has been a history of earthquakes, avalanches and high wind events that can take out local utilities and close down access roads. These are the things that I worry the most about, but while bugging in most of my plans would pretty much be the same for either.
While natural disasters come and go there really is one element of our society that I keep a constant eye on. It seems that this area of the country is saturated with drug addicts. You usually don’t have to go far to find used needles lying on the ground left over from a meth head getting their fix. When that drug of choice becomes obsolete because of an emergency situation the cost on the street goes up leading many of these zombies out to rob people on the streets and break into homes in search of your treasures. These are things that they are already doing but will become intensified in a disaster situation. This a subject I have personal knowledge with as I have witnessed the devastation that a drug addict can cause in peoples lives. It has been said that a good defense is the best offense.
Nobody wants to think about the things that could happen, but when we do I know that we will all look back after a disaster and say, “Thank God I prepared”.
History always repeats itself and it’s not to difficult to figure out those things that might happen in the future. Place yourself, your family and your community into the thoughts of living through a future event. Close your eyes and dream about getting through it the same way that you dream about what you would do if you won the lottery. Become an “Emergency Visionary”.
Simple Living Over 50 
Luckily we have not lived anywhere where a natural disaster could happen but I’m definitely one of those annoying people who prepare and the French way is to preserve everything in jars so it doesn’t matter if the electric goes! Let’s prepare and hope we don’t need to rely on our efforts.
I believe that it builds a certain level of confidence also in knowing that we will be OK.
The hontsey of your posting is there for all to see
I’ve never heard the term “bugging in” before but I agree with having a supply of essentials in the event of an occurance. I also have a separate kit for my dogs; food, leashes, and animal specific first aid items. We never really know whats around the corner. I witnessed this first hand when I was in NOLA as part of the medical volunteer team. It gave me a rare glimpse into how one’s world can implode without warning. I returned home with a new perspective which I’ve tried to implement.
Excellent post as usual.
Thanks for the thumbs up! I too have witnessed different things both here and in other countries that lead me to believe in self preservation. You just never know.
Disasters often come looking for you unexpectedly. They are one part of life.
You are so right Tony.
Absolutely agree with you. And if more folks were prepared for an emergency disruption to what they take for granted, there would be a lot less panic. (Fewer Go Fund Me requests too!)
I never thought about the go fund me stuff, but you are absolutely right. The more people are prepared for those things that seem to always come out of the woodwork, (And they do) the less panic, drama and even violence we would see as a society.
Thank you for the reminder on this. I’ve definitely got enough food to get me through at least 72 hours, and probably more like a week, but need to think about the water plan. I know people have said to fill up your tubs and sinks when something bad is going to go down. And you know, you’re right. Probably one of the biggest things we would have to worry about is other people and what they will do in a desperate situation. it can bring out the worst in people.
Yes, normalcy bias is what keeps people thinking that when times are good they will always stay good. Then when something bad happens they can’t believe that is happening are just not prepared to deal with it. I think that it’s all of our responsibility to be able to hold our own for at least a week. They actually make large water bladders that fit right into a bathtub. Personally I love to just fill up gallon and half gallon jugs from milk containers and store them in a cool place.