Bug Out Bags May Be Your Lifeline

When you are looking to put essential items that you might need every day, together with items that you might need in the event of a disaster or emergency, choose the bug out bag to help you out. This bag is sometimes known as a survival kit and will store items that you will need to last for 72 hours.

In a military situation, when enemy troops were drawing near, troops had to "bug out" very quickly, and this is where the term bug out bag was coined. The bag held all the necessary supplies in this evacuation. As such, these bags differ from survival kits, whose contents are aimed to aid survival in a wilderness situation.

It is important to have a 72-hour emergency kit at the ready and take heed of what federal disaster officials tell you. They tell you in advance to prepare for a terrorist attack or weather-related disaster by making the necessary emergency preparations. When something happens, the agencies want to focus on helping those who have been incapacitated or cannot help themselves and do not want to be hindered by those who are being told to prepare yet do not.

Your bug out bag should include essential items and supplies as follows: cooking utensils, non perishable foods, and water, cutlery, dishes, fixed blade knife, battery-powered flashlight, radio, self defense device, radio, medications, a first aid kit, maps, a crowbar, cash and change, multi-purpose tool. You should also have details about a central meeting point and your evacuation routes, together with shelter locations.

Consider a backpack, a rolling carry-on luggage bag, a duffel bag as ideal storage units to keep your supplies. These items are light enough to be able to transport for a period of time before you get to an emergency shelter or other care. Remember that your bug out bag is your link to survival.

Several bug out bags should be prepared, as you never know where or when you will be when a disaster occurs. Disaster relief experts recommend that you keep one in your car, one at home, and one in your workplace. Remember that these bags can be purchased ready-made or made at home.

Lessons from previous disasters have shown us that we should be prepared, we should also try to remain focused, as things can get very chaotic when a disaster occurs. Gather your supplies and listen for messages from relief officials, keeping in touch with emergency services.

Pack your bug out bag with necessities for your specific lifestyle, in addition to the basic necessities of life. The five basics -- warmth, food, water, first aid, and shelter, should all be covered, but don't forget that the 72 hour emergency kit supplies for a mother with an infant are very different from that required by a single person.