# Do You Actually Have An Emergency Plan And Survival Kit??



## agringo4u (Aug 26, 2011)

Studies show that families with an actual emergency plan which has been gone over and practiced a number of times with everyone including children have a better chance of surviving any disaster. There is also less panic, confusion and fear because everyone has a job to do and have been over the plan and are more confident as to the outcome. If you do not have a emergency plan you should. Here is an article on the subject with some great tips on how to prepare a plan for anyone interested.
Home Emergency Plan


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## SageAdvicefarmgirl (Jun 23, 2011)

Good idea and website. FEMA also has a preparation list on their webpage FEMA: Plan & Prepare
i GIVE THAT TO LOTS OF FOLKS WHO HAVEN'T STARTED PREPARING...if they respond positively to that info, then i try to get them thinking a little more BROADLY about preparing!


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Yes we have a plan, actually several "options" deep. Depending on the situation. We have stay supplies, evac. /BO supplies comms plans and several alternatives from GMRS radios, to CB's to long range HAM adios. We also practice our plans at least 5-6 times a year. My sister and BIL are also preppers as are some friends. We all have contact numbers for everyone else. So what we do is at some time when one of us least expect it. ( like 3 AM on a sunday morning) One of us will call another one and say something like..... " A chemical cloud is heading your way from__________________, you have ______ minutes to evacuate." he person called then gets up treats it as a real situation and grabs and goes. They then call from the evac destination. OR sometimes the call is " A major power/ storm situation is here", they turn off the main breakers, shut off the water main and act as if it is real. By doing so you not only keep sharp in the case of________________, you also get a chance to get the bugs out of your plans, and/ or any equipment/ gear you have and see what will/ won't work for you BEFORE your life or your families life depend on it. 

I strongly reccomend everyone here do so. As well practice and knowledge will also help "de stress" a bad situation later.


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

Any plan is better than no plan, I agree. Back in the day is was "duck and cover." 
Many people laugh and make fun of FEMA. My response is...They are a guv'ment department, what do you want? BUT, they have very sound advice on their website. If a person JUST follow the advice there, they would come out ahead of many, many others. It is simple and hey..we paid for it...lol.
Your right....make a plan.


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## ashley8072 (Apr 26, 2011)

The only thing we don't have planned is if we had to Bug Out, we've got nowhere to go. The first thing that comes to mind is campgrounds. With no family or friends that are prepped, we are better to be in the mountains somewhere. However, we are ready to Bug Out. I have an EVAC box of food to last 1 month or more. Our 2 daughters share a BOB, and then me and Hubby have our own BOBs. The BOBs each have 3 days of food and supplies. 

Yesterday I got the BOBs out and added and rid some things on each one. Mostly to make them a bit lighter and more efficient. I added things to me and Hubbys bags to accommodate the baby in case her and daughter are split up. I was upset when I asked daughter to get her disaster bag and bring it to me. She informed me that she couldn't reach it. She got her BOB confused with her backpacking/camping stuff. So we had a long talk with exactly WHAT the disaster bag was for and helped me pack and go through things with her. 

I fear that if SHTF during the day, daughters at school, I'm at work with the baby, and Hubbys at work on a jobsite somewhere. I have to make ready for everyone to be prepared while their by themselves.


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## BrookeKilby (Oct 17, 2011)

oldsoldier said:


> Yes we have a plan, actually several "options" deep. Depending on the situation. We have stay supplies, evac. /BO supplies comms plans and several alternatives from GMRS radios, to CB's to long range HAM adios. We also practice our plans at least 5-6 times a year. My sister and BIL are also preppers as are some friends. We all have contact numbers for everyone else. So what we do is at some time when one of us least expect it. ( like 3 AM on a sunday morning) One of us will call another one and say something like..... " A chemical cloud is heading your way from__________________, you have ______ minutes to evacuate." he person called then gets up treats it as a real situation and grabs and goes. They then call from the evac destination. OR sometimes the call is " A major power/ storm situation is here", they turn off the main breakers, shut off the water main and act as if it is real. By doing so you not only keep sharp in the case of________________, you also get a chance to get the bugs out of your plans, and/ or any equipment/ gear you have and see what will/ won't work for you BEFORE your life or your families life depend on it.
> 
> I strongly reccomend everyone here do so. As well practice and knowledge will also help "de stress" a bad situation later.


Excellent idea OldSoldier. We have all of our gear and survival food in place for our family, but we should go over survival practices more and do drills beforehand so we are prepared and can make sure we can see any problems we would have beforehand.

Thanks for the advice.


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## BrookeKilby (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi Ashley,

I have kids at school during the day too. I always worry that they will be apart from the family during a disater. I have heard that in such a scenario the kids would be bussed off to holding areas and parents might not be able to have contact with them for some time or even know the location. 

It worries me when I think of how during previous events families were not able to get to one another and were held at locations "for their safety". It is good that you have taught your kids the tools they need and have their own supplies for each of them. 

I think mountains and caves and concrete structures would be the best areas to take cover in.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

I don’t actually turn the breakers off but do have a dry run several times a year. I randomly decide on the way home from work to do a drill and do not do the usual Friday/weekly shopping. No water from the tap and no electric lights, stove etc. I plan to ride whatever out at home, no alternative location to go to. But, I can load the little car quickly with enough supplies to last an easy month, except water, in less than 15 minutes.

Dry runs really do help. You would not believe some of the simple things you can do to make life much more bearable. My biggest surprise on the last run was food stocks. It seemed I was unusually hungry and went through my planned 2 days of supplies and came up one meal short.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

BrookeKilby said:


> Excellent idea OldSoldier. We have all of our gear and survival food in place for our family, but we should go over survival practices more and do drills beforehand so we are prepared and can make sure we can see any problems we would have beforehand.
> 
> Thanks for the advice.


Brooke....... Thanks, The IMHO problem I've found with many so called "preppers" that I've met through some of the classes I give is they are long in gear, gadgets, and gizmos. They've sat down and wrote out a plan. BUT............................ when you see their gear and supplies it's mostly still in the box! During a recent class (as a requirement I have everyone bring their BOB/ 72 hour kit) One person had about $2,000 worth of high tech gear. I picked up his pocket stove tossed it to him and asked him to show me how it worked...................... Guess what???? Yep he had no clue how to do it. Another one had a list of food stores. They ( man and wife) had spent over $10,000 on a two year supply of Mtn. House dehyds and had never tested or practiced using any of it! when I asked about water and a cooking source I got the deer in the headlights look and they finally admitted having about 10 cases of bottled water and NO way to cook if their stove ( electric) didn't work.

That's why I stress to everyone these 6 simple rules.

1. Research what's out there and pick what will work best for you.

2. Make a serious plan for a disaster and set a do able goal for 3 months then 6 months then a year for what you want to accomplish.

3. Set a budget for your preps and stick to it! If you can/ want to spend more at times fine. But DO NOT let something else side track them. NO a new Ipod isn't a prep. Neither is that fancy new pair of jeans. I tell them that you won't skip a car payment or a house payment to buy a new leather jacket. Neither would you fail to pay the electric bill or the insurance payment to buy a new TV. So why would you skip on your preps. Prepping is a form of life insurance. In an emergency they WILL save your life.

4. As you gather your preps unpack your gear, read the instructions, make sure it works, in an emergency you'll have enough stress already you don't want to add to it trying to figure out how to set up a tent or camp stove or worse try and find parts missing or it doesn't work. KNOW YOUR GEAR.

5. PRACTICE using your gear and test your plan.

6. After you've practiced several times and know what yoour doing and are comfortable you can do okay.............. PRACTICE SOME MORE!!


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Minimum*

I always have on me .

1. My meds for a couple of days

2. A good knife

3. Means of making a fire.

4. Some cash.

5. An excuse for the wife!

:sssh:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Very good ideas here .We get a dry run from the storms several times a year. When the hurricanes came in 2005 we got weeks of dry runs.


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