Build a Disaster "Stay-Bag"

There is an entire movement across the emergency preparedness field that encourages a 72 hour bag often referred to as a “go-bag” in the event of a crisis. This 3 day bag is a great idea. In fact, FEMA encourages you get prepared with a kit that allows you to last this time without help. After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.

While I agree with the need for a kit that will help you survive post disaster, I do not agree with the idea of it being a “go-bag.” Is the answer to you and your family’s needs, to run away? I think that more times than not, the best course would be to stay put. Most of the emergencies that we are going to encounter in the United States are not going to shake our total civilization. In the off chance that we do have a civilization killer event, then take off, but for most everything else, staying put is probably best. When everything is falling apart, I do not plan on bugging out and leaving my friends and family behind.

What if we began to see these go-bags as “Stay-bags? The community ties that I have built with my friends, neighbors, and family will not allow me to take the selfish approach of retreating to the woods to wait out the disaster. I do not believe that I could abandon my community. This approach is more work, but I want to be able to look myself in the mirror once things are back to normal.

I encourage everyone to have a 72 hr. survival kit. I have mine ready, but by design it is a kit that I can use at home. If things fall apart, I am planning to stick around and protect my community, utilizing my “Stay-bag.”