If you had 15 min and then took your BOB through floodwater and rain - would your bag have survived? Did you pack the right stuff?

My BOB is a truck. I'm like Wildman, when the hurricane first became known I'd have started packing the truck and in the case of Harvey, I'd have been bugged out, gone. I do the same with wildfires here in San Diego. Wildfires tend to be more localized, but the same principle applies. I pack the truck and leave it packed. If the wildfire gets to a point of threatening this house, I start the engine and drive away.

Hurricane Harvey should not have caught anyone by surprise. Wildman was not surprised. His thread on Tropical Storm Harvey began on the Aug 23rd.

Exactly!

after reading Listening to Katrina, I decided to upgrade the capacity of my evacuation plan to include a small utility trailer... my SUV at the time would cube out before it massed out... my plan is to board up and ride out a CAT3 but evacuate for a CAT4... my old frame house may not be standing upon return, so the added capacity might just be needed for what I consider valuable

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/map.html

We have the BOBs, and we have the more extensive camping backpacks. In an emergency, our BOBs can make it through a few days in safety and without too much discomfort. With a little more time we will have tents and cooking capabilities that are pretty substantial. This along with more comfort and clothing for a longer stay.

We can survive indefinitely with just the BOBs, but the rest would be much more comfortable and able to assist with helping others.

There are BOB's and then there never-going-back bags. In my way of thinking, a BOB is for bugging out with minimal warning. You open a closet, grab the already packed bag and you are gone -- 30 seconds. A BOB is a useful tool for getting out of harms way at a moments notice.

A bag packed for HARVEY and the possibility of never-going-back (whatever the correct acronym) is necessarily more comprehensive and along with survival/daily living supplies, contains stuff that cannot be replaced: photo albums, necessary financial records and other personal stuff that cannot be replaced.

There will be many stories of regret following this storm.

Like people with good situational awareness, I find that those who are even interested in things like bug out bags or personal survival kits tend to be the type of people who avoid putting themselves in a position of having to use it in the first place.

For the majority of situations that may arise, having enough spare money for a weekend at a hotel, some fast food, and a full tank of gas until you figure out what to do and where to go next would make you vastly more prepared than most.

Key here, however, is a mentality that while the Government ostensibly is going to try and help you, there's a certain amount of individual responsibility being a member of society has. The idea is to maximize your chances of not being in a position in which you have to be rescued and become an additional burden on an already very taxed system. If, despite your best efforts, you find yourself in that dire position hopefully you understand that resources are already strained and planned ahead so that you can sustain yourself until help does arrive, and (ideally) what you can do in return to assist others should you be of able body, mind, spirit, and opportunity.

Events like Katrina and Harvey never cease to amaze me in how many people are utterly dependent on the system (and the shock once they find the system can break down), but also how adaptable and resilient people can be. Seeing people come out of the woodwork to help absolute strangers always gets me.

My bag would be in my vehicle with everything else. In this case, I probably wouldn't need to use it like I would other basics like a travel bag, but since there was ample warning I would be out of dodge prior to the rush. Some disasters (Earthquakes etc) you don't get that warning and it becomes a more difficult proposition.

I think people also become overly complacent and over-reliant on technology. Even with unlimited resources- which obviously aren't available- the government couldn't evacuate everyone immediately. There aren't enough boats, choppers, etc to do it. And in big emergencies we see repeatedly that no only are EMS overwhelmed but the cell phone systems are, too.

I like the idea of traveling light through life and keep the things I own down. (although I do have too many hobbies...)

Most pictures I have are digital, all important documents I have are also digitized. I have them encrypted and saved over multiple storage devices, including a Corsair Flash Survivor (waterproof and crushproof USB flash drive).

So there are very few things I would call essential. There are very few items I'm really attached to and I'm insured. So anything that's lost can be replaced (well expect important documents, but I have backups of those).

Loading up your car completely full, then add a trailer, seems to me to be a waste of time, fuel, maneuverability, and reliability.

Some very interesting responses here. In my circumstances, I have a severely disabled DD1 and an almost disabled DW. Removing them from danger is inconvenient and a logistical nightmare but much more desirable than trying to get a 250+ LBS wheelchair into a small boat (cannot be done safely) along with it's 140LBS passenger. Hence I have invested in a 1/2 ton truck, a wheelchair capable minivan, and a camper with a toybox/bedroom. We have the ability to leave the van behind but that means more logistical awkwardness in handling the wheelchair.

The camper provides housing with full hygiene, cooking, sleeping, water supplies, passive communications, & storage capabilities. The truck provides for power/fuels, GHB's, tools, small comforts (exterior chairs & tables), & additional passenger space.

DD1 & DW have BoB's in the minivan. DW has a GHB & I have a Minute Man Bag (Battle Rattle) in the truck. The camper has a variety of gear in the toybox.

There has been some unexpected plot complications in attaining & maintaining HurCon 3 w/a HurCon 2 preps completed. Maintaining such a high readiness for 6 days has been easy with minimum inconvenience. I will file an AAR after this storm clears us completely around Friday.

Always remember the military axiom: Amateurs speak of tactics, Professionsls speak of Logistics, Logistics, and Logistics. It does no good to field an army and not be able to keep said army supplied with beans, bullets, appropriate clothing, shelter, etc. I recommend everyone to make a very detailed examination of Operation Barbarossa ( the German invasion of Russia). Pay particular attention to the "oddities" of Russia that the German Intelligence agencies failed to take notice of. Russian railroad tracks versus European railroad tracks, the Russian Army Reserve system, intentional Russian mapping errors, etc. All these factors doomed Operation Barbarossa to eventual failure.