Getting Your Vehicle Ready for an Emergency Evacuation

In the emergency preparedness community, dedicated survivalists (or preppers) often have a designated Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) for evacuating their families to a safer location. If they don't have a designated specialty vehicle for bugging out, preppers will have at least one suitable bug out vehicle in their family fleet. Over the years, preppers and hurricane evacuees have provided some valuable tips for selecting a Bug Out Vehicle and preparing any family vehicle for a mass evacuation. If you ever need to grab your bug out bag and evacuate, you'll definitely want to learn from the Bug Out Vehicle concept.

According to preppers, the ideal Bug Out Vehicle would be a 4x4 sport utility vehicle or truck with room for an evacuating family, pets, their vital documents, and their supplies. Ideally, a 4x4 would be fully outfitted for off-road adventuring and have big all terrain tires, lift kits to provide ground clearance, skid plates to protect vital components, a winch to get out of trouble, trailer hitches, and a CB radio. Since four wheel drive vehicles generally have poor fuel economy, a Bug Out Vehicle would have cargo carrying racks and the capacity to carry extra fuel internally or in gas cans. A dedicated Bug Out Vehicle of this ilk would certainly be capable of delivering a family to its evacuation location no matter what obstacles lay ahead. In actual hurricane evacuations, evacuees have been caught in torrential rains that sometimes swamped traditional passenger cars. While no one should drive through flood waters, even large puddles can challenge traditional cars. North Carolina emergency managers advise travelers not to travel through any water deep enough to hide the lines on the road and not to get out of your vehicle if it is covered by downed power lines.

Even if you don't have an all wheel drive monster truck, emergency managers and disaster planners offer plenty of tips for preparing your family vehicle to bugout before a hurricane. They suggest that you keep your fuel tank full during hurricane season, that you prepare Bug Out Bags for your family with essential supplies and family documents, and that you be prepared to spend a very long time in your car during an evacuation. With everyone leaving at once, you may find yourself in the car forever. Katrina evacuees report being in the car for up to seventeen hours. Houston area evacuees have reported being in the car for nine hours or more. People, like Houston attorney, Donald Ray Burger, who have studied hurricanes and evacuations recommend having food, water, entertainment, cleaning supplies, toiletries and other necessities in your vehicle. You may even want to have a portable toilet or chamber pot to take care of bodily functions. The best advice is to make sure your vehicle is mechanically sound, pack a bug out bag with emergency supplies, and to leave ahead of the rush.

Sources:

"Hurricane Preparations When A Storm Is Near," Sharon Chapman, May 21, 2009.
http://tornadoeshurricanes.suite101.com/article.cfm/hurricane_preparations_when_a_storm_is_near

"Tips On Evacuation From A Hurricane by Car in Houston," Donald Ray Burger. Website.
http://www.burger.com/hrcnevac.htm

"Bug Out Vehicle Basics" Survivalistssite.com http://www.survivalistssite.com/~canuck/page12.html

"Evacuation Routes."North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety
https://www.nfip.ncem.org/Index2.cfm?a=000003,000010,000019,000059
"Hurricane Evacuation Tips: The Best From Readers," New Orleans Times-Picayune. June 2, 2007. http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/06/hurricane_evacuation_tips_the.htmlhttp://www.shelterridge.com/photos/HO-EVACUATIONACTIONCHECKLIST.pdf