Bug Out Locations: Have A Plan

Bug Out Locations

There have been a number of posts here about Bug Out Locations such as this well written piece by Spice.  I have chosen a less expensive route to the problem of Bug Out Locations.

A Bug Out Location (BOL) is the place you intend to go if your home becomes impossible to live in.  Inability to use your home could come from something as simple as a house fire, or from something as complex as Armageddon.

Generally, for something as narrow as a house fire you can check into a motel while the house is repaired, so an event of that type does not require much location planning.  However, a broader disaster that renders many of the homes in an area uninhabitable and either destroys, or promptly fills, available hotel beds, requires a bit more thought.

For any disaster that is going to cause a large evacuation, you need a plan for where you are going to go.

Distance Required

The whole point of an evacuation is to get out of the area where the disaster is causing problems.  How far that is depends on where you are and the type of disaster.  On the other hand, that neat property with bunker in New Zealand won’t help you much, as it is so far away, you will not be able to get there unless you have ample warning.  It takes some logistics to get to New Zealand.

What if your pilot for your Gulfstream is unavailable?  😊  You want your BOL to be far enough away to avoid whatever caused you to evacuate, but not so far away you can’t get there when you need to use it.

For instance, around here we experience hurricanes from time to time.  If you can get to an area of “normalcy”, where you can then get by until it is safe to return to home, you need to move some distance, but New Zealand is overkill.

While the distance required will vary with the storm, generally 60 to 100 miles inland will get you to a much safer area.  Five miles will do little for your situation unless you live at the “Jersey Shore”, in which case it may be the difference between flooding, or not.  ☹  With a different type of disaster, you may need more distance, or less.

Nationwide

With a nationwide disaster you’re not going to escape the problem without the pilot and the Gulfstream, albeit prepper fiction is full of stories of people managing to ride out the problem on a small farm, or in a cabin in the woods.

As I live in the People’s Republic of New Jersey, I can assure you that being on a small farm is insufficient to get you away from crowds.  New Jersey is known as the “Garden State” because of all the farming, at least once you get to the central or southern part of the state.  We are simultaneously the most densely populated state in the country, and a great place for farms.  Go figure.

Depending on your location, you may need to go in a variety of directions, depending on the nature of the disaster.  You also have the problem of screwed up transportation.  Here in New Jersey we have a surprising number of trees.  No matter what happens, trees fall across the road.  I’m not sure why that is, but they never fall, missing the road.  Actually, that isn’t true.  Occasionally one lands on your roof. ☹  Murphy must be involved!  If you evacuate pre-disaster you can avoid the rush, and the trees.  However, not all disasters give warning.

Alternatives

If you have the funds and can be relatively sure you can use the location, regardless of the type of disaster, then purchasing a BOL makes sense.  If you own it, you have the maximum flexibility in preparing the location for your future use.

If different disasters will require you to bug out in different directions, or go varying distances, then a fixed, purchased, BOL might not work as well.  You must evaluate your personal situation.

The Paranoid Solution

My experience has been that disasters make movement very difficult.  Try just driving around when the power is out and traffic lights aren’t working.  It only gets worse with downed trees, stalled cars and other things making the road conditions less than ideal.

I have first tried to minimize the need to bug out.  I have also thought about where, other than home, I might want to be in various types of disasters.  Unfortunately, not all disaster types send me in the same direction.  Since my extended family is spread up and down the east coast, my solution has been to discuss the matter with receptive cousins.

Cut a deal

I have offered them permission to come to my place in return for permission to come to theirs during disasters.  While we have never had to exercise these plans, the deal is if a disaster requires me to move north, then a cousin living north of me will take me in.  If a disaster requires him to move south, I will return the favor.

So far, the agreements are untested, but the only problem seems to be family members falling out with each other.  Fortunately, the thin skinned tend to be non-preppers.  There is no cost to such arrangements, or at least no cost until you actually need to take someone in, which requires a major disaster.

The deals all expect that the family who is camping out may need to sleep on living room floors but will bring as much in the way of supplies as they can.  I am blessed with an extended family of relatively self-sufficient individuals, albeit my local, more urban, family needs firearms training.  My more rural family members tend to be firearms proficient.

This approach may not work for everyone.  Your family may not be sufficiently spread out, or may not be inclined toward prepping, or may not be living in places you want to be in a disaster.  Do you want a major urban center as a BOL?

Summary

Regardless of the approach you choose, you must have a plan for where to go if your home becomes unusable, whether due to a fire, TEOTWAWKI, Zombies, or Murphy.  Take a moment to consider your situation, including geography, size of group, types of disasters that might occur in your area, etc.  Figure out what works for you and your group.  Then set that solution up to be available when disaster strikes.