“Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late,” provides all the information needed to make a competent and comprehensive plan for getting out when a disaster strikes. With advanced preparation and planning, the goal is to get out the second you know that the situation will only deteriorate. Even with the advanced warning before Hurricane Katrina, look at all the people who either refused to leave or who waited until it was too late and were trapped in one of the worst disasters to hit the United States. This is a book that advocates taking responsibility for your own survival, its up to each person to have a viable plan that they are capable of carrying out. Why wait until it’s too late, why wait and hope the government, whether national or local, will handle the situation and keep you safe?
The author, Scott B. Williams, has been writing about his outdoor adventures for three decades. An avid sea kayaker, adventurer, and survivalist, Williams has authored five books and maintains a blog on bug out survival. This is his most recent book and comes at an opportune time when city and suburban dwellers are seeking alternatives to trying to stay put during a disaster, protecting their property and lives from both natural and man-made dangers.
The perspective of this book is a little different from other survival books. This book guides you from being an inexperienced resident of a city through all the details, rarely shared, about how to plan an almost instant evacuation in the wake of a disaster. No one gets magically transported to a safe place far from the disaster, its up to you to make a detailed, realistic plan to get yourself, your family, and the supplies you will need to survive out of the city and to your chosen destination. This cannot be done without intricate, knowledgeable planning, and this book’s intention is to guide you.
It covers exactly what supplies are essential, gives a realistic view of the difficulties that may be encountered as you try to leave the city, and an overview of possible places that would make the perfect bug out location. Each region of the country is detailed so that no matter where you live in the lower 48, there are viable options presented for consideration. For someone who has really never considered the option of leaving to survive, this book presents a very realistic appraisal of just exactly why bugging-out may be highly preferable to bugging-in during a disaster.
Something that makes the book a valuable source of information is that the author knows that everyone’s situation and skills are not identical. He lays out descriptions of gear with their advantages and disadvantages, so the reader can choose for himself which option will fit his situation. This is a much easier attitude to accept than that of someone who thinks there is only one right way to accomplish survival.
Using his extensive personal experience, Williams tells the reader how to prepare a Bug Out Bag. The whole focus of this book is movement, moving from home to wilderness, and possibly continuing the movement rather than trying to hunker down in one spot. He gives a great overview of the essentials that need to be in that bag to carry you through the first part of your journey successfully. The goal is to have everything necessary in a pre-planned disaster kit to help survive those tough first three days while transitioning from home to the unknown. Although everyone will have a slightly different Bug Out Bag selection of supplies, a GPS, good topographic maps, and basic hygiene and first aid supplies should be in all bags. There are comprehensive checklists in the appendix to make readying this bag easy.
An interesting section is devoted to travel modes. The first thought is the car, but is this the best option? Williams discusses other modes of transportation that may take you overland or by water in a way that will avoid traffic jams and get you to more remote locations where competition with others will be at a minimum.
Whether you are an experienced survivalists or just a beginner, this book will offer unique suggestions for preparing for an unforeseen disaster.