FEAR, in this case, stands for “Forget Everything And Run.”
Hurricane Irma parked itself over my house a few years ago, and more recently, Hurricane Ian sideswiped my town on its way to do some horrific damage to the Florida peninsula. As such, I’ve learned that “prepping” isn’t just a good idea for people who live in hurricane-prone areas, it’s an absolute necessity. But you don’t have to have an open line of credit at your local military surplus store in order to be ready for life’s little hiccups. Rather, there are simple, easy steps you can take right now to make your life easier and safer, and one of those steps is always having the little bits and pieces of your life you need to make things easier, ready to go at a moment’s notice. One of the easiest is to create a bail out bag, or as I’ve also heard them called, a FEAR bag, which is short for “Forget Everything And Run.”
You’re On Your Own. Now What?
The idea behind this bag is simple: What do you need to survive for 24 hours, on your own, with no outside help, in the area where you live? For example, I live in Florida, so cold-weather gear isn’t high on my list of priorities, but rain gear is. And why just 24 hours, and not some longer time? Two reasons. The first is the nature of most civil unrests/natural disasters. These days, it is rare to see people stranded for more than three to four days before some sort of help arrives, so 24 hours worth of supplies can be stretched out to cover that time frame. The second is just how long you can go without the basic necessities of life. I use the outdoor survival rule of threes to guide my gear choices:
By Kevin Creighton
