Assessing the Bug Out

When we bugged out of the homestead in the middle of the night recently, moving to higher ground because of a tsunami warning (see Tsunami Scramble) we not only assured our safety against an unpredictable event, we tested our emergency preparedness.

After we arrived at our rendezvous point on the ridge top, we began assessing our response. Inevitably, we speculated on whether or not we’d overreacted. Later, we learned that our local police department had urged everyone to evacuate to above 100 feet, and that a small tsunami had actually been generated by the earthquake.

We agreed that, if nothing else, the experience served as a drill. None of us dipped into our bug out bags or the bug out bucket—those stashes provided a baseline of essentials, but we only used the extras we picked up. We started a running list of anything we thought of after leaving that we would have liked to have with us. It had surprisingly few items on it by the time we finished!

Michelle’s extras, gear she grabbed beyond her bug out bag (shown at bottom of photo). (Photo: Michelle L. Zeiger.)

Still, we have some work to do. Most importantly, I intend to print out our bug out bag inventories in a master list to keep in my planner, for easier reference.

After returning home and getting some sleep, we emptied our packs and pockets to inventory what extras we’d grabbed.

Together, we chose and packed two sleeping bags, and a fleece bag liner. Aly brought her tent. All three of us packed extra warm clothes, especially socks, thermal underwear, mittens and hats, and ice grippers. Our temperatures were mildly cold, around 29° F. We each took an iPod, not only for entertainment, but to receive radio.

Michelle grabbed the following: meds, water, passports (hers and mine) and car title (from our fire safe) the cat carrier and supplies including litter and food, work gloves, her purse, a rain cover for packs (which she used to insulate the cat carrier) a nightgown, and a queen size fleece blanket.

Aly’s extra items for bugging out (Photo: Sarah A. Zeiger).

Aly’s packed mostly food and water. She grabbed empty hot drink containers—thinking ahead to what we might need after arriving at the rendezvous. She too had her passport and planner, and a couple of pairs of packable rain pants. She said that if she’d had more time, she would have removed a few dirty dishes that came along in her daypack’s food packet. She also would have removed an extra cotton sock she’d mistakenly grabbed up with more weather-appropriate clothes.

Mark’s pack and pockets: all the extras grabbed before we headed for high ground (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).

I took along two extra coats with my cold weather gear, an emergency sleeping bag, ear muffs, a solar power bank, my contacts and supplies (the gray packet in my photo), packable rain pants, my planner, an extra flashlight, extra waterproof matches, a flask, and an ammo box of valuables.

I give myself points off for a “pair” of mittens that later proved to be mismatched, and for the flask. I could argue it was medicinal, but . . . . I score myself slightly higher for never opening it during the evacuation.

All told, we did pretty well. Some of what we grabbed might have duplicated the contents of our bug out containers, but in a tsunami, all that we left behind would likely be lost.