Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Bug-In Or Bug-Out?

Disaster strikes. Perhaps even a collapse event, or an evacuation order. You must decide FIRST if you need to prepare where you are (Bug-in), or attempt evacuation (Bug-out).

Here are some considerations while making that decision…

 
You must VERY SERIOUSLY CONSIDER the nature-magnitude-implications of the threat or disaster that is unfolding.

Information — THE RIGHT INFORMATION — as well as the confidence that you have in your sources of information should be weighed and applied to your decision.

You must factor in your previous preparations up to this point. If you know already that you will be preparing to stay at your own home, then begin to implement your disaster plan immediately.

If you are considering a bug-out evacuation, your decision requires that you have VERY HIGH CONFIDENCE that it is worth the risk to leave.

You do not want to get stuck between your current location and your planned destination, as the probabilites will be high that your travel will not be easy, and should you decide to turn back… it may be impossible.

If you are unable to make it to your destination or bug-out location, you may be exposed without shelter, in a very dangerous situation, perhaps among panicked hordes of refugees. Whatever supplies that you have with you may be limited, and you may even have to travel and carry supplies on foot.

 
IF you are bugging out from a big city or suburban metropolis,

AND you have relatives or friends in the country that you know are waiting for you,

AND the roads between you and them are clear,

AND the authorities are not yet restricting traffic,

AND you have the means, an adequate supply kit, and fuel,

evacuation may be a viable option for a limited time.

DO NOT attempt evacuation if all of the above is not clearly known, or if the situation is deteriorating too quickly to assure the complete trip.

You do not want to get stuck and/or become a refugee being herded along with panicked masses.

If evacuation is truly a viable option, do not wait – GO NOW! Do so with as many of the supplies you can bring with you as possible. Better to leave early and arrive early than getting snagged mid-way, potentially exposing your family to a worse fate than having stayed where you were.

Because of the very real danger of getting caught in an evacuation stampede that stalls, almost all families will be better off making the best of it wherever they currently are.