GUEST POST from Don: Exit Plans, pt II

EXIT PLANS (Part II)

Psalms 55:6-8 NIV says:  “I said, ‘Oh that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest – I would flee far away and stay in the desert.  Selah.  I would hurry to my place of shelter, and from the tempest and storm.’ “

Last time we spoke about creating a flow chart of what to do first if an emergency presents itself.  Every family lives in a different place, different needs, different challenges.  For instance, if your land mass is surrounded by water (Delaware, Michigan, Florida, etc.) you may have different challenges than if you lived in the desert (Arizona, New Mexico, etc).

Those who were paying attention may have noticed that something was left out in the last article … SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

Here’s a short list of special circumstances which may change how you plan:
1. Flood.
2. Fire.
3. Civil Unrest.
4. War.
5. Nuclear attack or nuclear power plant explosion.
6. Deadly Disease.
7. Heavy Smoke.
8. Drought.
9. Criminal Behaviors.
10. Martian Invasion/Zombies.
11. Death of Loved One.

Do you think you might need a bunker?  Here’s an inexpensive one:  https://atlassurvivalshelters.com/precast-concrete-shelters/

Examples of additional issues follow:

– If you must leave your home, how can you prepare your home for a safe return?  Turn off the water supply?  Turn off the main breaker in the breaker box?  Empty your refrigerator and freezers.  Do any of the online plans include stuff like that?  (Also, how to protect important documents…)

– If you need to bug out, and you can’t drive your car away, how much stuff can you carry on your back and what kind of footwear do you have?  What are the absolute essentials for your backpacks?

Backpacking away from home would mean a serious emergency and the items you take along could weigh you down or be lifesavers.  Do you have water straws to safely drink from rivers, streams, and ponds or merely a supply of 480 8oz bottles of water?  One lightweight straw can allow you to safely drink over 1,000 gallons.  Matches?  Small tent or tarp?  Packets of freeze dried meals or 4 pounds of chuck steak?  Hey!  These are important issues if you have to backpack.

My wife and I are at retirement age.  We aren’t going to be able to walk 150 miles without rest.  Those with very young children won’t either.  You need a special plan.  We scouted several locations about 10-20 miles from home in different directions where there is privacy, water, and shade (thus, firewood).  We could walk that far, rest up and move on (or return home a week later).  Alternately, my wife’s office (10 miles away) has a bathroom with a shower and a kitchenette.  (Wrong direction, but somewhere to spend a night or two.)

– What about medications?  Some people will not do well without them.  How are you preparing for an emergency where pharmacies are closed for weeks, and you are almost out?  We are setting aside one day’s RX per month in an emergency supply.  After 14 months we will have a guaranteed 2-week emergency buffer.  Beyond that … we barter for what we need, I guess.  (As a side note:  We were going to pick up meds two or three times a month [different prescriptions had different due dates].  I worked it and worked it, because you can’t expect your pharmacy to do it, so that now I go 4 times per year and my wife will soon have the same schedule.  This is important for emergency planning, plus it saves time and gas.)

– Emergency money…  CASH is king when the internet is down.  Have some singles and coins, too (I expect stores will run out of change quickly.)  GOLD?  Too hard to use!  One half ounce gold coin is worth ~$1,200.   How many loaves of bread did you want to buy?  So, even if you cut coins you’ll end up blowing $400 on a can of green beans.  (If you are insistent on gold, look into 24k gold WIRE which can be snipped into whatever length you need for a purchase.)  If you insist on precious coins carry SILVER.  Silver is much more spendable.  $14.50 worth of silver (½ oz) may buy a loaf of bread and a pound of hamburger.  That’s much more usable.  

– We taught our children to prepare for young adult emergencies.  You have a room-mate from Hell; you need to get out of Dodge!  Maybe you should have a cash supply for that emergency BEFORE you move in.  How much?  – Rent and expenses for 4 months.  

– Safety?  Lots of folk carry.  However without practice a handgun won’t be accurate enough for hunting.  A 22” barrel 20 gauge shotgun (can get barrels in various lengths up to 30”) with #4 shot (or #3 to 000) is both good for hunting and personal safety.  At 7 pounds it is powerful and accurate at more than 30 yards.  Against an intruder at night, you win.    

– Medical Care?  This is where the type of health plan you have matters in an emergency.  Let’s say you have a PPO plan and you have to bug out … where else does your plan cover you?  You should know ahead of time whether you can get help at a Pittsburgh emergency room or a Detroit urgent care.  That could make a difference to where you should run.  This is also true for certain Medicare Advantage plans.  They don’t all cover you if you need to get away from your home area.  Traditional Medicare and many insurance plans will cover you everywhere in the United States, by the way.

-My wife and I have a “signal” word.  If she calls and includes that word I know she’s in trouble.  It also works (now that AI can mimic any voice) as a fail-safe if she calls and asks to be reminded of an account number.  I ask for the “signal” word before including any personal info in the conversation.  

Emergencies come in many forms.  A little extra food and water is not a comprehensive plan.  If YOU are going to survive the big one, you need many things (like a manual can opener) and a flexible plan.

[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]

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