BoB - Not the Planet: Emergency Preparedness

Akima: What are you going to call it?

Cale: I think I'm going to call it... 'Bob'.

Akima: You can't call a planet 'Bob'!
















Not the planet; a Bug-out Bag.

In California, we're all about The Next Big One, and those state crafted earthquake lists? Are really overwhelming. I know people who proudly show off their outdoor storage facility as part of the standard household tour, located a precise x feet away from the house with enough supplies for each person in the family to survive 2 weeks blah blah blah.

Here's what a friend had to say after going through Loma Prieta:

Don’t obsess – just pack a bag – and the [freezed dried] food is a good idea (you can always eat it on road trips). We took an old suitcase (canvas/backpack type) and started putting stuff in. I try to go through it once a year to refresh or whatever. Here’s what we have:

• Grubby clothes/jacket, including old shoes that can take a beating, and all of it be rain-repellant
• Toothbrush/paste/floss
• Toilet paper
• Washcloth/towel/soap
• Underwear
• Contacts and glasses
• Notebook and pencil
• Small first aid kit (just make it up – Ace bandages, bandaides, antibacterial stuff, etc. Aspirin, etc.); also any meds the family is taking
• Some cash
• Flashlight/batteries
• Candles/matches

Basically “what would I likely need and what would I be miserable without?”

After much deliberation, she settled on a plastic bucket with a garbage bag liner for a toilet and let go of obsessing over a seat.

What's missing? Water. There are a few interesting options at REI, but I admit to going into stasis when it comes to purchasing. You can live for a couple of weeks without food, but not many days without water...