Communicating when Bugging Out - How to Talk with the Outside World During a Disaster

Many people who are planning on longer term disasters have something called a bug out location. This is a place they and their families can go that is already stocked with supplies typically outside major cities to be as safe as possible from the disaster or survival situation.

One big issue that many face with this type of scenario is outside communication. How do you communicate with those on the outside world as well as those that you might want to be part of your bug out location, like a family member coming in? What are some of the strategies that are used?

Most people planning something this complicated have more than one method of communication.

Many start off with something a bit more traditional like a CB radio or a Ham radio. These can be used to communicate with those in your local area. If someone else like a family member has a CB radio in the car, you will have communication once within range. You will also be able to communicate for miles and relay news and other information as needed. Be sure you have some backup power and enough skill to operate something like this or else it's a waste to prepare this way.

For under $100, most can buy a pair of walkie-talkies that will communicate over large distances. Many times, you can get a good 10 to 20 miles for this price. What is nice about these is that you can have them in your vehicles for day-to-day communication as well as when you go to your bug out in case of disaster. This helps you communicate, giving you another method to relay information to each other.

You can also use your cell phones. It's undetermined how well cell phones work in a disaster scenario, but there are many, especially weather related events, that cell service will still work. It's a good idea to get a backup cell phone with a few hundred minutes from a different provider because your cell service might be down while another is not. Have backup charging options like a car charger so you can keep power to these devices.