I've been reading post after post here about what to carry, what to buy, where to stash your gear. What's missing is the pre-planning aspects of your survival.

What routes will be open for you? Short term ( getting home) and long term?

How will your family contact you? And if that method doesn't work?

What media channels will you use for useful information? What will you do beyond 72 hours? How can you help others?

Interesting questions to consider...

Good question there will be as many opinions as there are people but I will give you a couple of the things I do.

I keep a kit in both my vehicles. (Water, food, sleeping bag, wool blanket, etc) I am also lucky enough to live with in walking distance of were we go on a daily basis. I also can choose several methods of transportation depending on need. Big truck with 4x4 can go when most are snowed in etc. Dual Sport Motorcycle can go many places as well as blast through traffic jams and other things that will stop or slow down a car or truck.

Contact points should be local as well as out of state. We use cell phones, local pay phone (close to house) and a dead drop. Your other contact should be several out of state relatives or friends that are not likely to be affected by the same thing that slammed you. My email I can pick up from any online access making it easy to keep in touch with people no matter were you are at. The radio has proved most useful to me during bad times and I have short wave as well as AM and FM. Battery power and or wind up powered sets are a must.

Most of my “stuff” is at my house stored in various convenient places that are handy. I also have a shed 8 hours away at a relative’s house but it is not utilized to its fullest extent. I also keep some “stuff” for a buddy of mine since I have room for it and he is headed here if TSHTF. Having a second country boy around should prove to be handy!

I keep a pretty decent 1st aid kit at the house and both my wife and I have some knowledge in its use. We also keep many useful tools and items I have found useful in the past.

I have 3 ways (not counting electric) to heat my house and several ways to light it. I cook with gas, which is more dependable than electric, but I also have that backed up should it go out. Empty areas of my chest freezer are filled with water bottles to keep it cold longer should I lose power. I can also add that water to my drinking supplies should I need to. We also know how to cook and bake so we don’t have to live out of a can or frozen dinner. Also if we can’t get to the bread store we can make it right here.

I have the capacity to store about 150 gallons of diesel as well as about 50 gallons of gasoline. I filled up before the big price increase last fall but have used up most of my stock now. I can carry enough fuel with me to get me to any place I need to be with out buying more fuel.

Some who read this will probably think I am crazy but after going trough several hurricanes, having tornadoes banging around, having to run from flooding and surviving several blizzards I am comfortable with were I am at.

All this seems to work pretty well we had a family emergency a couple of weeks before Christmas that hit our budget a good knock but were able to go for about two months with out buying food (besides a little milk) or fuel. Our life style did not suffer and what could of left us with big credit bills we were able to pay off while we lived off of our supplies.

This did not happen over night I add another layer every year. Start with the basics and build from there. Double-check everything during the fall or before storm season in your area.

Being able to take care of yourself and your family is very comforting. I don’t have to worry about bad things happening to me they already have several times. I survived and got smarter and better prepared.

I would agree with SheepDog. It's probably not talked about because every person has a different situation depending upon where you live and work. The best plan is one that you actually have.

For example, I live in Oklahoma and work in a 50+ story building in downtown Tulsa that looks exactly like the WTC. I mean it was built by same designer, same color, the same, just not as tall..so needless to say..I have a plan. But aside from what I carry..my plan really doesn't work for you.

I see your point that we don't discuss that part much and I really think it's just because like SheepDog says, you'd get a different response from everyone.

Re: contact.

A friend who worked for the phone co. for many years said that after a disaster (when lines are available) there are more outgoing lines provided than incoming lines, so it's a good idea to have out-of-state contacts.

I don't understand how they can do this, but after 30 years, I guess he should know.

Sue

The "phone Co." can block calls in the disaster area. So an out of area contact plan is a must. I've used mine before and for 2 or 3 days it was the only way to comunicate and it is a good way to get information also. After the Loma Prieta quake initially I coulndn't drive the 15 miles to my GF's place,or phone her, but my out of state contact was able to contact both of us.
When I could drive out there, I brought what was needed.
Dave

SheepDog - great post, and a great philosophy to go with it. Can you elaborate on the dead drop? Maybe everybody else here understands how you'd use it for a disaster scenario, but I'm missing its application. Thanks.

I have a place to leave messages that is with in minutes walking distance of my house were I can leave messages for my wife or she can leave them for me that is not obvious to anyone else. This is in case we get separated during an emergency and there is no house to go back to or it is red tagged so we can’t use it. We will still have a private “bulletin board” to contact each other.
If all the phones and other utilities are down having a contact point can be critical. As an aside you should also have a place to meet in case of fire at your house so you will not go looking for some who is already safely outside. Kind of the same idea for the drop.

I don't mean to preach at all, but isn't running up large credit card bills courting with disaster? I would be kind of disapointed to have to eat into my hard earned emergency rations for a credit card company. Not so long ago the CEO of Barkleys Bank (a man earning a 6 figure salary) told a House of Commons committee (kind of like a senate comittee/inquiry) he wouldn't borrow money from his CC he couldn't afford to pay back that month - the rates were in his opinion extortionate.
Having said that, I found myself in a similar position a couple of years back..I paid them back, then took the advice of the CEO...
Great post, your certainly sound a lot more prepared than I am.
Regards
Martin

Makes perfect sense as soon as I see it. Thanks!

I might not have been clear enough. We paid as we went with cash to avoid any bills. I would much rather have to build my stocks back up a little than have big bills facing me for the new year.