Building a Hurricane Bug-out Bag

By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy flickr

Now that hurricane season is here it comes with the added peril of being ordered to evacuate your home as a named storm bears down on northeast Florida.  Having bugged out in the past when a hurricane loomed large, I’ve come to realize that while most Floridians know what to do when it comes to battening down the hatches at home, few understand what it takes when you are ordered to make a run for it.

Going Nowhere Fast

Unless you get the heck out of dodge well ahead of an approaching storm, don’t expect to get anywhere in a hurry.  When my family and I attempted to go from Jacksonville to Atlanta to flee Hurricane Floyd in 1999, it took 38 hours.  Plus, we nearly ran out of gas on the way since most stations were dry.  Fortunately, I was smart enough to pack enough food, water and camping gear including a 4-man tent to help us ride out the storm in relative comfort, since Floyd never really hit Florida all that hard, choosing instead to expend its wrath on the North Carolina coast. 

Water You Gonna Do?

As the saying goes, “Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.” While getting stuck on the world’s biggest parking lot, which is what most roads become before, during and after many a hurricane, is hardly the end of the world, bear in mind that the average adult needs 15 cups of water and kids need at least 8.  To be safe you need to pack three times that much water per person, since that’s how long you could be stuck if you run out of gas.

A Well-Fed Crew is a Happy Crew

While nobody is going to mistake an emergency evacuation as a vacation, the only thing worse than being stuck on the road is being stuck on the road without food.  Aside from bringing a few boxes of energy bars, nuts and raisins, you really need to pack canned goods and a small camp stove if you don’t want a mutiny on your hands.  Before we fled Floyd, I packed a large cooler with food, drinks and ice.  I also packed a camping stove and a cook set with coffeepot in the trunk which we were glad to have the next morning.  Nothing starts a bad day off worse than not having a cup of coffee.

Gimme Shelter

Image courtesy Pixabay

As I mentioned earlier, I brought a 4-man along just in case and boy was I glad we had it.  When I-95 north gridlocked just north of the Georgia Florida line, I was able to get off the interstate to find a grassy knoll next to a boarded-up convenience store.  Since even the backroads by that point were wall-to-wall traffic, I decided to set up camp for the night.  Let me tell you sleeping in a tent beats trying to sleep in a car any day.  Not only can you stretch out fully in a tent, but you can unzip the flaps to let the balmy breezes flow through the screened windows.  While the accommodations weren’t exactly the Hilton, they were livable for the twelve hours it took before the traffic unknotted enough to allow us to continue on our way.   

Let There Be Light

Another thing you’ll appreciate is being able to see in the dark.  For that reason, you should pack several small flashlights and an electric camping lantern along with plenty of batteries.  Wait until the last moment before a storm is on its way and batteries will be hard to come by.  While I know your smartphone has an app that turns your phone into a flashlight, do you really want to run down its battery to light the way? 

Don’t Be a Tool

Image courtesy Pixabay

While you don’t want to bulk up your bag with a ton of tools, there are several that could wind up being indispensable.  I personally pack a multi-tool that contains a pair of pliers/wire cutters, several screw drivers and a knife.  I also packed a folding shovel that can also function as an ax, jumper cables and a set of road flares and daymarks.  One of the things you’ll quickly find out during an emergency is road assistance is nearly impossible to come by.  So, you’re on your own to try to deal with a breakdown.  Make sure you bring a rain jacket or poncho unless you want to work on your car while soaked to the skin.

Fun & Games

While I know your kids are addicted to video games, in an emergency, battery-powered games are likely to die when their batteries give out.  To help pass the time, it isn’t a bad idea to bring some retro games like cards, Scrabble or Uno to help while away the hours without having your kids drive you crazy.

First Aid Kit

While you can buy a tiny first aid kit at the drugstore, those kits contain little more than a few bandages and bottle of ointment.  When you’re roughing it, you really want to buy or build a better first aid kit.  The one I have in my car trunk contains not only bandages but roll gauze, surgical tape, butterfly bandages, scissors, tweezers, ace bandages, cold compresses, pain killers, disinfectant and splints. While there isn’t enough stuff in it to start a MASH unit, it can handle most injuries that can occur any time you’re away from home and have little access to medical care. (Don’t forget to pack your medications.)

Other Stuff

Bugging out is a lot like being a pioneer.  If you don’t bring it ,you may not be able to find it.  We Americans take a lot of things for granted.  Try doing without things like a change of clothes, sunscreen or toilet paper for a few days in the height of summer and you’ll remember what to pack the next time you’re ordered to evacuate.  Since in all likelihood the power will be out wherever you go for a few days, make sure you bring plenty of cash.  Also don’t forget to bring hand sanitizers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, diapers, car chargers, a battery-powered or hand cranked portable radio, legal documents and identification. I also recommend toting a gallon gas can since you may have to hoof it if your car runs out of fuel.

While many people would rather try to tough it out at home through the worst that Mother Nature can throw at them, as we have all seen in the past with hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey, sometimes those who stay wish they hadn’t when their home floods and they wind up clinging to the roof awaiting rescue.   Then there are those who make a run for it with little more than the shirt on their back.  While building a bug-out bag won’t make the ordeal of evacuating a pleasure, it will most definitely make it much more survivable and comfortable.

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on all your insurance needs, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com/