This is the third in a series of posts that will go over preparation for a Nuclear Attack. The first can be found here. The previous post in the series is here.
As we’re previously discussed, if we are subjected to a Nuclear Attack, it is imperative that you have someplace to go, the means to get there and that your destination is well prepared.
Bugging Out
We’ve covered some of this in previous posts, bugging out for a nuke means getting out of the target zone. If you’re in a big city you’re going to hope you have 20 minutes notice to enact your bugout plan. 20 minutes isn’t very much time, your best hope is going to be to put 12 miles between you and the blast before the blast happens. Here are the essential components of your bugout plan:
- Quick access to your vehicle and quick exit from a garage (if you park in one). Make sure you always park as close to the building exits as possible and if you’re in a garage, make sure you park somewhere that gives you the best opportunity to beat the crowd both getting out of the garage and getting out of town.
- Keep an Emergency Kit in your car. You may need this if you’re forced to take shelter before you get to your planned location. There are several posts on this site that cover BOBs and EDC and what you should have with you.
- Have a pre-planned route to get out. This should not be the most obvious route – those will likely be crowded by panicked people who have no idea what they’re doing. Plan your route and practice driving it.
- Have a destination. You’ve got to be going somewhere, the woods won’t save you. Make arrangements with a friend that lives in a rural area that is more than 12 miles out, the further the better. You’ve got to make these arrangements now, not on the phone while your trying to drive like a madman to get there.
When Bug-Out means Shelter-In
If you live in the country or your plan is to head to friends/family in the country your plan is to shelter in place. This means you’ve got to have your preps stored there and things are in order. We’ll go over how the shelter needs to be protected and what needs to be there in a later post. The key thing here is to know where you’re going to go and know that someone is going to be there to welcome you.
Gathering Family
If you have kids or a spouse, you’ve got to think of them as well. Your bugout plan has to include a fast way to pick them up and get gone. This means a rally plan. We’ll discuss family rally plans in a later post but it basically means that your family has figured out the routes they’ll take, where to meet up and how to get there. If you have a spouse and kids at home, they need to pack, go and meet you at a pre-determined destination. If your kids are in a daycare you or your spouse need to be able to call them en route and have a fast way to grab them and go. Kids that are in school need to have a rally point that they should run to by the school so you can do a drive by and pick them up. All this is doable but it has to be planned ahead of time and it has to be able to be executed very quickly.
Other Preps
If there is an adult at home when things get announced, what should they grab in the couple minutes they’ll have before they need to leave? 72 hour kits for sure, kids for sure, clothes on kids and a diaper bag if needed. Should they grab guns, ammo, food, medicine??? This all needs to be planned out now and checklists put together. When executing a bugout plan things are insane and people don’t think clearly. If they can grab a list and start working through it there is a better chance that important things will be grabbed.
Practice Runs
While they won’t be completely realistic, practice runs will help you make your list and help make sure that everyone knows what they’re supposed to do. Your first couple should be planned with everybody and prepared for. This gives you the chance to make and discuss lists before the drill. After the drill it is very important that you go through everything that happened and question whether it went smoothly, whether all steps were critically needed, whether there were things that were left out, etc. You should time each step so you know where your bottlenecks are. The overall plan has one important question to answer – can everything be done in less than 20 minutes? Once you’ve done a couple well planned drills do at least one surprise drill. Hopefully this will go smoothly. Do at least one drill a year, more if possible. Make sure everyone knows their part and how to execute it.
Reality
The reality of the situation is that if you live in the city you probably aren’t going to be able to make a successful bug-out plan. If that is the case and your serious about surviving this, move. Move out to a rural area where you have a good chance of being safe. It will have a lot more benefits than merely surviving an un-likely Nuclear War.
If you are in the country already then you don’t need a big bug-out plan, you can shelter in your home. In an upcoming post, we’ll go over sheltering in place and what requirements there are for it.
Excellent information. Thanks for putting this together in one place. I’ve been blogging more and more on it and the more I research the more I realize we’re pretty much toast is this happens… and it’s looking more and more likely. Just look at Obama’s agenda for homeland security and the emphasis on nuclear terrorist attacks. Have you seen Dr. Relener’s video on TED.com? Get short talk on surviving a nuclear terrorist attack.
Excellent information. Thanks for putting this together in one place. I’ve been blogging more and more on it and the more I research the more I realize we’re pretty much toast is this happens… and it’s looking more and more likely. Just look at Obama’s agenda for homeland security and the emphasis on nuclear terrorist attacks. Have you seen Dr. Relener’s video on TED.com? Get short talk on surviving a nuclear terrorist attack.
Where does suburbia fall in the spectrum between urban and rural living? Is it just as dangerous to “shelter-in” in a suburban house that is 50+ miles away from the nearest metropolitan city? (Salt Lake, I can’t imagine Provo being targeted).
Where does suburbia fall in the spectrum between urban and rural living? Is it just as dangerous to “shelter-in” in a suburban house that is 50+ miles away from the nearest metropolitan city? (Salt Lake, I can’t imagine Provo being targeted).