Each of us has every intention of ensuring our family has what it needs to survive and thrive. Part of your disaster mitigation plan should be planning for the possibility of having to evacuate from your bug out location and living off of stored rations from survival caches. Let’s be very real, here and consider events that could cause a total destabilization of our way of life thus forcing us to migrate elsewhere.
- Nuclear fallout
- Pandemics [2]
- Chemical spills
- Nuclear fallout [3]
- Terrorist attack
- Natural disasters [4]
- Martial law
- Crime waves [5] [5]
- Wars
- Economic collapse
- Bug out location no longer safe or you have run out of supplies
Survival caches can help you stay alive while on the road to a safer destination. One of my worst-feared scenarios is having to evacuate from my bug out location and living exposed in the woods. Doing so could lead to certain death if you are not properly prepared. This is a very real possibility and why it is so important to have the necessary contingency plans. One of those being, having necessary survival items buried in a cache [6] on the evacuation path. Items such as:
- Lightweight survival kit [7]
- MRE’s [8]
- Small fire starting kit (matches/lighters)
- Knife or Multitool
- Portable water filter [9]
- Duct tape
- Paracord [10]
- Folding shovel
- First aid kit [11]
- Spare clothes, jacket, rain gear, wool socks, and hiking boots
- Topographic map of the surrounding area
- Emergency shelter – tent or tarp
Multiple buried stockpiles should be set up along your bug out route in order to replenish your basic needs. In each cache, add 3-5 days of supplies in order to reduce the weight of your bug out bag. Setting these caches up in intervals along the route will also keep morale up.
For strategies on how to hide and recover your survival cache, click here. [12]
As you venture closer to your destination point, consider adding a few more caches with items that will help you rebuild your life. Items such as seeds, building tools [13], farming tools, long-term food sources (MREs, these foods can last a lifetime [14], canned foods and freeze-dried food). As well, add some of the top 100 items that will disappear first [15] to your cache. Although some of these may not be conducive for burying, there are some great items to consider. Further, consider more weapons and ammunition, binoculars, and even sanitation items [16].