If worse came to worse and the world was in chaos, where would you go?

Many people already have determined where they would go – a bug out location – a spot where they could lay low and live for a while if things got pretty bad. If you haven’t decided where you’d go during an emergency, or you already have an idea, here are a few points to consider.

1. How far away?
How far away is your bug out location going to be from your home? With some disasters it doesn’t need to be very far away. For example, a flood zone might only take up a few miles and you might be able to walk to your bug out location. Other disasters, like an economic disaster or nuclear one, might require you to get a little further away from your home.

2. What kind of shelter?
Once you get to your bug out location, what kind of shelter are you going to live in? Is there a house on the property? Are you going to be staying in a tent? The type of shelter that you have might affect how long you are able to stay in the location. If you have to go to your bug out location in the dead of winter, you might be moving if your only living in a tent.

Many people even considering purchasing land in a more remote location so they don’t have to worry about living on someone else’s property. This would allow you to build a home and place supplies there.

3. Do you have a emergency bag?
We’ve talked previously about what kind of items you’d want in an emergency bug out bag or 72-hour kit. Depending on what are you’re in, your emergency items might differ. For example, if your bug out location is right next to a river, you might want a water filter instead of large water containers.

4. Water
Speaking of water, it’s important to know where you will have access to water during an emergency. If man-made water sources aren’t working, you might need to choose a location that has it’s own natural water source. You might want to choose a location close to a lake, river, stream or natural well. Mind you, if man-made water systems are out of service, a lot of people are going to be looking for water in these locations. You’ll also need to consider how susceptible those sources are to contamination.

5. Nearby food
Depending on how long you plan on staying at your bug out location, food might be a major consideration. Are you going to have enough animal or plant life around you that you can just live off the land? Are you going to be packing in all your food? Is the ground suitable for planting?

6. Popular for other people
If you think you’ve found the perfect place for you, there might be others that think the same. While at times, preparing to defend yourself is necessary, you might have a leg up if you know how to barter and maintain a good relationship with other people who are also bugging out in the same location.

7. How are you going to get there?
Like we mentioned above, this really depends on how far away your location is from your home. If it’s close to your home, you might consider walking or riding a bike. If it’s far away, are you going to be driving? This also has an impact on your ability to prepare with food and water. If you are going to be packing in a lot of water and food, how far you have to travel might be a big decision.

8. How many people are you planning for?
Is it just going to be you? Your spouse? Your children? Friends? Extended family? Many times, people will join with a family friend to buy property and build a home on their bug out location. This is probably one of the first things you’ll need to determine because it has a huge effect on your food storage, water storage and other emergency supplies.

9. Communication
How are you going to get in contact with others? Going to bug out location doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t need to communicate. Are you going to be too far away that you don’t get cell phone coverage? Are you going to get radio and/or TV coverage? Staying in contact with people will help you know what is going on and help you stay prepared.

10. Medical Care
Are you going to have the right supplies at your bug out location? While you might have enough food and water, what if you have a large cut and can’t heal yourself? You might consider a bug out location that is close enough to civilization that you can go to a hospital or find the right drugs that you need but is also far enough away that you can escape if you need to.

What else?
What do you think? What other considerations did you take into account when you were determining your bug out location? Please comment below and let us know. Share your knowledge!

Last week, The Ready Store wrote a featured article in The Enterprise, a business journal, on how to prepare your business for an earthquake. Take a look:

In February 2008, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit near Wells, Nev., Fortunately, this large earthquake didn’t take any lives. Instead, the quake damaged half of the non-residential buildings in the town.

The disaster cost the city over $9 million dollars and steered businesses off track for months after the event. …

Your Responsibility to Prepare Your Business
If you are preparing your family for an emergency, why should your business be any different? …

When you think about it, an earthquake might not strike while you and your family are at home. Instead, it’s probable that you’ll be at your desk (or perhaps on the golf course if you’re lucky)! You have a responsibility to prepare your business and your employees to know what to do in case of an emergency.

There are a few things that you can do to prepare before a quake, train your employees on what do during a quake, and keep your business financially stable after an earthquake.

Prepare Your Location
The first thing you’ll want to do is assess how ready your business location is for an earthquake. This will help you develop a plan for your business.

Identify potential hazards. Does your office have a lot of pictures hanging on the wall? Is there more than one escape route out of the building? You should assess what concerns your location presents while you create a plan.

Also consider your businesses utilities. Is your water heater properly installed so that it won’t fall over in a quake? Are fire alarms and extinguishers in proper working order?

Your building. There are many factors to take into account to ensure that your building is ready for an earthquake. Even things like design, furnishings and when the building was constructed can have an effect.

The soil underneath a building can also have a major effect on its sustainability during a quake. Soft, clay-like soils tend to absorb the motion of an earthquake better than a rocky soil.

Emergency materials. If you and your employees were trapped inside of the building, would you have the supplies to survive? You should consider purchasing or creating emergency kits for your business. Include things like flashlights, collapsible shovels, first-aid materials, water and some snacks. Be sure to make a few extra kits for customers or guests who might be at your building that day.

These kits should be accessible and easy to grab if you need to exit the building.

Prepare Your Employees
The next step in preparing your business is to prepare your employees to know what to do during the earthquake.

Establish an emergency coordinator. Depending on the size of your business, you may want to establish one of your employees as the emergency coordinator. They can head up projects that deal with emergency planning and conducting drills.

Also consider providing incentives to employees who become CPR certified or take time to teach your customers and the community around you about emergency preparedness.

Under the desk. The best thing that you and your employees can do during an earthquake is get underneath a desk or some sturdy structure and hold on. You might have heard in the past that that getting under a door frame is the best idea. However, Steve Bowman, project manager for Utah Geological Hazards, sets the record straight.

“Getting to a door frame might be harder than you think,” Bowman said. “There might be a lot of falling objects around the room. We recommend getting under a desk and holding on – the ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’ technique.”

Escape plan. Be sure to have a plan in place and practice it periodically with your employees. They should all know their escape route from the building. You should practice this plan at least once a quarter.

Establish a meeting location. Once the earthquake stops, you and your employees need to know where to meet. Have a location where your business can check in to make sure everyone is OK. This location should be outdoors and easy to access if emergency responders need to help you.

An emergency coordinator will have the responsibility of taking roll and making sure everyone is safe.

Communication. After you’ve made sure that everyone is accounted for. Have plans in place to ensure that your employees can reach their family members. While many times, phone lines are jammed after an emergency, the Federal Communications Commission recommends that you send text messages to ensure family members that you are safe. Many times text messages will go through the system easier than a phone call.

Prepare for the Effects on Your Business
There are many smaller business that don’t make it out of an earthquake financially.

“Many times, the impact of being closed for a few days or having their utilities or shipping interrupted for a few days can devastate a business,” Brown said. Remember that your mortgages and bills will not wait because of an earthquake.

Earthquake insurance. Would insurance cover your business location in case of an earthquake? Not all insurance policies do! Check out your insurance policy to see what kind of damage it covers. There are some types of earthquake insurance policies that can be purchased separately, which might be a good fit for your business.

Federal assistance. Interestingly, the majority of federal assistance money after an earthquake goes toward low-interest loans to qualified business.

FEMA assistance is only available when the government declares a federal disaster. Business can apply for loans to help against building damage, employee loss or other working capital needs. However, if a disaster is declared, your business will have to apply to FEMA or the Small Business Administration (SBA) for a loan.

Emergency power. If an earthquake strikes, the power grid might be knocked out. Be sure to have a contingency plan in place for electricity and power at your business. You might consider a generator or installing solar panels.

Helping your local community. As a business, you have a responsibility to your local community and customers. You can include plans to be able to help people in your local community clean up after the mess.

Your business would have to make plans to have access to tools, food, water, extra clothing and more to help the community. Besides fulfilling your duty to the local community, this will also establish a long-lasting relationship with customers and potential customers.

You’ll be prepared!
Once you’ve established a plan and ensured that your business will keep going – you’ll be ready to face an earthquake.

There are lots of resources out there including videos, brochures and reading material on ussc.utah.gov. You can also learn more and sign up to participate in the Utah Shake Out on April 17th at shakeout.org/utah.

We would encourage you to prepare for an earthquake by making plans now!

Read the original article here (subscription required).

One of the most important aspects of emergency preparations is plans for your emotional health! Disasters and emergencies can have a large impact on your stress levels. This is especially true if you’ve experienced a disaster previously.

Here are some tips on how to take care of your emotional health during a disaster or emergency.

What you feel during a disaster

You may feel a wide variety of emotions during a stressful event. Try to remember in the moment, that these emotions are temporary. Try to be patient with yourself and your emotions and be helpful towards your family and neighbors.

These are all common responses in an emergency situation:

• Feeling physically weak and mentally tired. Many times, people feel tired, sad, numb, lonely or worried.
• Difficulty making decisions or focusing
• Frequently becoming frustrated. Also feeling frustrated more quickly.
• Experiencing changes in appetite or sleep patterns.

How to get your emotional health back on track

One of the best things you can do to get back on track is to establish a routine. The emergency will have disrupted your daily routine and getting back into that will help you emotionally. Remember that this might take some time.

Basic necessities. Try to find a place to evaluate your situations. Find a safe location to assess your physical needs.

Eat healthy. During times of high stress, you’ll want to make sure that you are eating well. You’ll feel better than if you eat junk food. That is why it’s so important to have a healthy balance to your food storage supply. Read our previous post on steps to choosing a food storage kit.

Adequate rest. Be sure to get enough sleep and rest for your needs. This might be hard when your routine has changed so rapidly. However, rest will help you overcome your stress.

Be patient and loving. While many people are feeling frustrated, they can get moody. Be sure to be patient with others and yourself. However, this doesn’t mean that you can just go off by yourself. Staying connected, talking, with others can help you cope and feel support. Feeling others care and love is an important part of emotional health.

Make plans. During an emergency, you’ll find difficulty staying focused. For this reason, it’s important to gather information and set priorities on what you need to do. Have something to write down your list so that you can remember what you need to do. It’s also helpful to keep your family and friends involved with your plans so they can remind you what you need to do.

If depression continues

Most people will feel better after a few days. However, there are some that can’t seem to overcome their emotional stress. If you find yourself or others experiencing these symptoms, two weeks or more after an event, consider reaching out for additional help.

• Bursts of anger
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Emotional outbursts
• Headaches and stomachaches
• Fatigue
• Feelings of guilt, helplessness or hopelessness
• Avoiding the presence of loved ones

Your recommendations

What do you think? What plans have you made to take care of your emotional health during a disaster? We’d love to hear from you. Please share your tips below!

Having documentation during an emergency can be very helpful and sometimes essential! There are certain identification, insurance and personal documents that you’ll wish you had during an emergency. Here are a few things to consider while collecting your important papers:

How to store
It’s pretty easy to digitize your records to fit them all onto a hard drive or flash drive. If you choose not to go this route, you can always keep copies of these documents in a water-proof folder. You might consider creating a master list (or Excel spreadsheet) to track all of your documents. There is a great tutorial by Lifehacker on how to do this.

However you store your documents, you’ll want to make sure that they are housed in a weather-resistant container of some sort.

Where to store
During an emergency, you’ll want to know where this information is. We recommend that you put this information in a 72-hour kit. By placing this information on one of the exterior pockets, it will be easy to access if you need to get to it quickly.

You can also make copies to be placed in your emergency supplies at home.

Types of documents
Identification papers
Copies of documents like your passport, driver’s license, social security card, birth certificates, and others are important to include in your emergency kit.

Insurance papers
If a natural disaster struck, how would you get in contact with your insurance company? It’s a good idea to have contact information for your insurance company and bank. You should include account numbers.

Be sure to include photos, descriptions and other documentation about the items in your home. Some families have even taken video tours of their home to show proof of them owning certain items in their home.

You could also include copies of house or property ownership if that becomes disputed.

Personal documents
While preparation might not protect certain family heirlooms, you can also take precautions against loosing certain family valuables like marriage certificates, treasured photos, family history records or old family keepsakes.

Some families have completely digitized their records to fit on a single flash drive or hard drive.

Medical documents
Making copies of vital medical records is a great thing to include in emergency plans. These could include allergies, prescriptions that you are on, immunizations, medical conditions, etc.

Contact information
You should have the names and phone numbers of a few vital contacts – a family relative that lives out of state, your insurance contact, etc. You can also include information on who people should contact if you or your pack is found.

List
Here is a list of some of the documents that you should consider:

So what other ideas have you found helpful? What records do you keep? How do you keep them?

This is part 4 of a 4-part article. (Read part 1 - part 2 - part 3)

Previously, we’ve addressed what a bug out bag is, how to choose one, and even how to pack it. Now, we’ll be addressing the most important aspect of bug out bags: What to put in them!

There are a lot of items that you can put inside your 72-hour kit. You’ll want to make sure that you have items that are specific to you and your family. Also have items that are specific to your area. For example, if you live in a desert, a water filter won’t do you much good.

- Need to prepare your family? Get a 72-hour kit today - 

Here are a few ideas of what you might consider including in your bug out bag:

Food

Calorie bars. These bars are full of your daily caloric needs. You can get some 3600 calorie bars for less than $10. They usually have a shelf-life of 5 years.

MREs. The great thing about MREs is that they come in meals. They can also come in self-heating containers. That way, they save you time and preparation. Where you store MREs can also have an effect on their shelf-life. Check out the graph.

Freeze-dried pouches. These are a great solution because they are light-weight. Freeze-dried items have 98 percent of the water sucked out of them so they are light and can stay on the shelf for 30 years. Large temperature changes can also effect the shelf-life of freeze-dried food. So consider putting your bug out bag in a cellar, basement or other cool location.

Plant life. Many people include a plant guide for local vegetation. If worse gets to worse they can eat from local vegetation and know which ones are safe to eat.

Hunting gear. A lot of people plan for longer-term survival by packing guns, snares, bows and arrows, etc.

Cooking and Preparation

Knives. Having a good knife is a great tool to have. It can be used for cooking, hunting, preparation or any number of things. A lot of times hunting knives also come with saw blades

Pot and pan. Some light-weight pots and pans will help you prepare your food. You can also consider purchasing a light-weight camping stove or a Stove In A Can.

Firestarting. If you have to create your own warmth, it’ll be helpful to have a fire. You can include a road flare, matches, a lighter, magnesium starter or any number of fire starters.

Water

Water containers. If you live in a water-scarce environment, it’ll be important to have some water on hand. Be sure to include containers that won’t puncture easily or leak. A You can also include canned water.

Water filters. If you live in an environment that has rivers, lakes and other nearby water sources, a water filter might be better than hauling bottles around.

Water purifiers. You can include water purification drops or tablets to ensure that the water you drink out in the wild won’t get you sick.

First-Aid
Having a good first-aid kit on hand could save your life. You can read our previous blog posts on things to consider for your first-aid kit.

Light & Communication

Whistle. Many times if you have to get someone’s attention from far away, something like a whistle, blow horn or small megaphone is a great way to call out.

Crank flash light. Having a flash light that doesn’t depend on batteries is a great way to be prepared at all times.

Radio. A small crank or solar-powered radio will allow you to receive updates and other information during an emergency.

Walkie Talkies. If you’re going as a family, you can include walkie talkies that are pre-set to a certain channel. This will help you stay in contact even if your family gets separated.

There are a lot of hand crank and solar powered emergency options. Many of the options also include jacks to charge phones or other communication devices.

Warmth and Clothing

Extra clothes. Depending on the situation, you might leave with only the clothes on your back. It’s a smart idea to include at least one extra pair of pants and a shirt. Make sure the clothes are heavy duty in order to protect yourself.

Gloves. Having a good pair of gloves could definitely come in handy if you need to do some hard labor.

Hat. A cap, beanie or other hat can keep the sun off the top of your head or keep the heat from escaping.

Emergency blanket. These blankets are a great way to stay warm. Plus, they’re light-weight and fold into small spaces.

Navigation

Compass. This is a light and simple way to navigate.

Maps. Maps are a great utility if you know how to use them. Be sure that you know what the maps represent and how to use them efficiently. Be sure to include maps of your area and surrounding areas.

GPS. This is a great option if you have the money. This would also be a great option if you had a GPS that tracked different people. That way, you could easily locate different family members. Remember though that sometimes GPS systems can run slowly or need updating.

Personal Items

Medical records. You’ll want a list of prescription drugs or allergies in case you receive medical treatment at another location.

Identification. Don’t forget to leave without a copy of some identification papers.

Cosmetic Items
Be sure to include travel size toothpaste, a toothbrush, an extra pair of glasses, soap, etc. These things will allow you to stay clean and ward off disease.

Other
After doing some research, we saw a lot of packs that included some unique and potentially helpful items.

Fold-up Shovel. This can be helpful in digging a fire pit or disposing of waste

Cord. Some light-weight cord can be a great replacement for rope. It can also fold together as a wristband or in a small pocket.

Gas mask. This might take up a lot of room, but there are probably some inexpensive alternatives like this one.

Hunters’ vest. Wearing those bright orange vests can call out that you’re a person and that you don’t want to be shot today.

Binoculars. These could come in handy with your hunting or navigation.

Screw driver. If you need to tighten screws on your GPS, compass, walkie talkie or other items, this could definitely come in handy.

BUT if you don’t want to put all that effort into building a kit, we do have a great supply of 72-hour kits on our site! Check them out!

Thanks for reading our 4-part series on bug out bags. We hope you enjoyed it!

Read Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3.

This is part 3 of a 4-part article. (Read part 1 - part 2 – part 4)

Previously, we have addressed why and how to use a bug out bag. In our last article we talked about what to look for in a pack.

Now that you have you back, it will be important to pack it properly. This can save you time, keep you from hurting yourself and create an efficient, easy-to-use pack.

Packing basics
The first thing you’ll want to do is divide your content into weights. Place all the heavy items together, the light items together and the mid-weight items together. This will help you pack more efficiently.

When you’re packing your bag, you’ll want to keep heavy items close to your spine and near your hips. If you have an external frame pack, try and place the heavy items higher up on your pack – closer to your shoulders.

Also, be conscious of your contents opening up. This may cause damage to other items inside the bag. For example, you don’t want to pack a gas burner above a water supply in case it leaks.

Heavy core
Keep heavy items in the middle of the pack. If you have too many heavy items, consider breaking them down. For example, if you  have a tent, you can store the polls, tent and rain-fly separately.

Mid-weight packed around the core
In order to distribute the weight evenly, pack mid-weight items around the heavy core. Remember to keep the weight near your spine and middle section to maintain balance while carrying the pack.

Outside pockets full of light items
Keep light items on the top of the pack. They can also go inside the outer pockets. The outside pockets should contain items that you’ll be needing a lot – identification, small snacks, navigation material, etc.

Adjusting the pack
After you’ve packed the bag, you’ll want to make sure that it fits OK. Be sure that the pack isn’t too heavy, that you’re not going to tip over and that you’ll be able to use the pack for a long duration.

REI’s Expert Advice column recommends that you adjust the pack every time you put it on. They recommend that you adjust them in this order:

1. Hipbelt

2. Shoulder straps

3. Load lifters

4. Sternum strap

5. Stabilizer Straps

6. Tweek everything as needed

Here is a video to explain how to adjust all these straps:

Part 4 of this series will cover what to actually include in a bug out bag. Be sure to read about that!

Read part 1 and part 2.

This is part 2 of a 4-part article. (Read part 1 - part 3 - part 4)

Previously, we addressed the needs of bug out bags and how to use them. In this section we’ll highlight some factors to consider when choosing a bag to house your bug out material.

Capacity
You’ll want to make sure all of your stuff can fit inside. How you go about that is up to you. You can collect your items first, and then determine the backpack you’ll need or you can buy the bag and then pack it.

We recommend that you choose a bag first and then pack it. This will limit the things that you can take with you. Some people tend to continue to add to their bag and they’d have to have a small car to pack all of their stuff. Start with a bag and then determine what is essential and what can stay behind.

REI recommends the following sizes for camping backpacks:

(Information courtesy of REI’s Expert Advice.)

Torso Size
Instead of choosing a pack on how tall you are, pick a bag depending on your torso size.

You would think that you would search for hiking backpacks based on your height, yet this is not so. Camping backpacks go based on your torso length.

To find the correct size that you will need, make sure that you have someone measure you from the base of your neck to your hipbone. Women and children need to look for backpacks made specifically designed for them, since they have shorter torsos than men. Most manufactures sell women and children’s sizing. (Read the Smart Camping Guide article.)

You can use this data to determine what size range you fit into.

(Courtesy of REI Expert Advice.)

Load support
There are a few different types of frames with backpacks. There are external, internal and hybrid framed backpacks. What you choose is really just according to your own preference.

We recommend a perimeter frame. These backpacks have an aluminum tube around the side of the bag to disperse weight like an external frame pack but also allow the bag to be close to your body like an internal frame pack.

Gear Access
Make sure that your bag is accessible. If you have to unload your whole pack to get anything, that’s not going to help you very much. Be sure that you pack has a main compartment, pockets on the front, side, zipper access, a top lid and attachment points.

Be sure to read our next section on how to pack a bug out bag.

You can also read part 1 and part 4.

This is part 1 of a 4 part article. (Read part 2 – part 3 -part 4)

Bug out bags can be a very important and useful part of your emergency plans. By creating a bug out bag that is actually useful, you’ll be prepared at a moment’s notice for any emergency.

What is a bug out bag
A bug out bag is a portable emergency kit that should last you for 72-hours. They’re also known as 72-hour kits, grab bags or Go Bags.

The idea behind the bag is to be prepared in need of an evacuation. If your family is mandatorily, or voluntarily evacuating from your home, this kit would include all the things you’d need to survive for at least three days.

So, telling you what to pack is a little tricky. It really depends on your personal needs, your surroundings and the type of emergency you might face. However, in the next few sections we’ll address the basics that should not be missed when packing a bug out bag.

When to use a bug out bag
This is a tricky question – there is no definite answer. If some disaster occurs and there is a mandatory evacuation, obviously a pack would be good to have. However, voluntary evacuations are obviously up to you.

If it becomes impossible to live in your home due to events like gas leaks, fires, nuclear disaster, flooding, etc.; you’ll want a bug out bag.

However, remember that voluntary evacuations should be one of your last resorts. Leaving your home forces you to leave behind shelter, warmth, protection and possibly food.

Where to go with your bug out bag
If it’s a mandatory evacuation, you’ll probably be directed where to go. If your area is prone to certain natural disasters, your family should know where to meet. For example, if you live in an area that is prone to flooding, be sure that your family meets in a higher elevated location that is known to all of them.

Be sure to talk about your emergency plans with your children. During a disaster, they will respond better if they already know what to do. Read our previous blog about establishing an emergency family plan.

Our next section will explain how to choose a bag for your bug out bag.

You can also read parts 3 and part 4.

By The Ready Store

This happens when people who are more used to channel surfing than exercise, leap from their couches and start lifting 40-pound heaps of snow. This kind of sudden increase in activity isn’t a good thing if you aren’t in shape. If you need to clear your driveway, get help from a young neighbor. If not, go slow and steady, taking breaks as often as you need. (Read the original article.)

The two main stages of frostbite and its symptoms are:

• Superficial frostbite – numbness, tingling, burning, itching. The skin looks frozen white and retains firmness when pressed.

• Deep frostbite – increased and eventual loss of sensation, swelling, blood blisters. The skin is yellowish and hard and can appear blackened and dead.

To treat frostbite, move to a warm area as soon as you can and elevate the affected area. Remove any restricted clothing or jewelry to keep from further inhibiting the flow of blood. Thawing should be performed by a doctor, so get to a hospital as soon as you can. If you can’t get to a doctor warm the area quickly in water between 104-107 degrees Fahrenheit (40-42 degrees Celsius). This will be a painful process, but necessary to save your digits (Read the original article.)

With a food supply for The Ready Store, you’ll be rest-assured that your food is giving you enough calories and doesn’t taste like a cardboard box.

A little over a week ago there were literally millions of headlines from across the world that read something like this:

“8.9-magnitude earthquake struck causing a tsunami”

For future reference when you see headlines like this in mainstream media you’ll know that for most people in the area that was affected the time for preparation is in the past. A week later and now all the headlines read something like this:

“Japan’s nuclear crisis has led to empty shelves at shops in Tokyo.”

In the emergency preparedness industry you commonly hear the phrase, better to prepare too early than a second too late.

The unimaginable disaster in Japan and even on a lesser scale, the current economic concerns here in the US are validating just how true this statement really is.