Imagine… It’s December 24th, 2020.
It’s been 32 days since America’s grid has collapsed. No one knows how long ’til they get the power flowing again. First, lone thugs and looters hit the streets looking to survive…
They were soon swapped by roving bands of marauders who were eventually replaced by well-organized and ruthless gangs. Big cities are now raging battlefields between rival gangs fighting over what little resources are left.
Catch A Glimpse of Green Beret Outdoor Survival Ingenuity
3 days ago, these thugs turned their attention to your area. Outgunned and outnumbered, you were forced to bug out and head for the wilderness. Now, what food and water you were able to take with you is almost gone. Hope of help reaching you has all but disappeared.
Your entire family is looking to YOU to help them survive. There’s fear in their eyes, fear you can see… you can feel it mixing in with your own.
Could you look them in the eye and without a moment’s hesitation… say, “I got this”!?? Would you be able to provide food, water and shelter to keep them alive?
This may sound like a far-fetched scenario, but then again, even Congress knows our electrical grid is America’s Achilles Heel. And there’s an avalanche of evidence that our electrical network is more vulnerable than commercial jets before 9/11.
Plus, there are countless of other scenarios beside a long-term national blackout that could lead to the exact same situation.
That’s why I want you to dedicate every bit of your energy to ensuring your family is well taken care of… so you can rest assured knowing their safety and well-being are in good hands.
What you need to do…
Building a family escape plan sounds complicated for those who just started wrapping their heads around emergency preparedness while for the rest, is something that “they don’t really need.” Regardless if you are a prepper or not, a family escape plan is something every family should have in place.
It doesn’t matter the distance that separates you during the day or the gravity of the event that may or may not hit your region; we should all have a family reunification plan. You need to get your family together as soon as possible during a crisis.
The main thing you need to remember when building such a plan is that not all families are alike. You may have small children; others may have kids in three different schools, while others may not have children at all. Not to mention that the environment where families live and work can be different too.
Big or small, urban or rural family, it really doesn’t matter as the goal is the same. You need to bring everyone together and keep them safe regardless of family size, type or environment. As you will see, there are a few elements that are common for every family escape plan.
Before going into details, the main rule to keep in mind is that every plan (just like any major project in your life) needs to have leadership, disciplined direction and practice to work as you intended. You will need to talk with your family members as you put the plan together and cover all the details of said plan.
Don’t leave your kids aside and make sure to involve your older ones since the planning and practice parts are crucial steps. If you have children in school, you must be aware of how the system works, and you should acknowledge that the school is charged with the physical safety of your children. You can do an assessment of the school to make sure they have a shelter in place and adequate evacuation plans. By knowing what safety measures they have in place, you will be able to incorporate them into your family escape plan.
Locate and evaluate
The first thing you have to do is evaluate the area where your family members spend most of their day. Be smart about it and don’t assume they will stay put in one place all day long. Maybe your kids like to spend some time after school in a nearby park, a local game arcade or other entertainment areas. How about your wife? She must have one or two places where she enjoys eating her lunch or get some time off for herself. Make sure you include these places in your plan.
Staying in charge
As the main leader, you should direct your loved ones on how to implement the escape plan. Explain and agree on the route you want them to follow to reach home safely. If evacuation is not possible, explain which safe location you want them to go to and the order to do so (maybe your first safe zone of choice can’t be reached). Also, tell them where you want them to wait for you in case they are located in a different area.
Getting out safe and sound
When the disaster strikes, everyone should execute the plan with calm. They should stay confident and focused on completing their part of the family escape plan. If any of your family members will let fear and panic set in, their judgment will get clouded. A panicked person will make mistakes, and one requires a certain mindset to face a survival situation.
When it comes to children and young adults, it takes a lot of work to make them understand why your family is planning for emergencies. You need to be open and honest with them, and most importantly, you need to include them in your prepping plans. No matter how complicated a topic or project may seem, make your family work as a team, and let them know how important their role and dedication is to the well-being of the entire family.
Your family should be able to follow the plan, but they should be able to make it on their own if they are forced to do so. In the end, you are not training them to just follow instructions, you are training them to survive.
