Family and a Plan

Family and a Plan

You are at work. Your kids are at 2 different schools.
Your wife is at work. If she doesn't work, she is at the market, or anywhere except at home. You work 35 miles from your home. The kid in high school travels by bus 9 miles to school. The other kid is five blocks from home.
The market is 2 miles from home.

Pick the problem. Major earthquake. A terrorist bombing.
Floods. ( more people are killed in the U.S. by floods than any other of natures disasters per year). Or some other man made/caused goof up.

Do you have a plan that the whole family is aware of?
A meeting place, a place to leave a note. Sure we think at first,  cell phone. I think that may not be an option in a huge problem type of  disaster. When the 9-11 hit you could not get to New York, for the most part by cell phone. What does that leave you? A CB, well they are very short range in the best of times , and they will be jammed. Right now they are jammed in or near any large city, under normal conditions. And who are getting through to? Your other half doesn't have a CB and I’ll bet you your kids do not either. A Ham radio, they might work to get you in touch with another operator, but again do each of your kids have one as well as the other half. The communication factors by radio of any kind can very limited and may fail all together.

The family plan is to first have a “family plan”. A plan that not only includes you, and the wife, and the kids but other relatives as well. And old trusted friends, as a part of your family. Sit down and work out  how you are going to get home. Look at the alternatives, walking might be it. That's why you have a mobile bug out bag with real useful items from Survival Resources. That's why each of your kids also have a “kit” in that book bag they all carry today. And the  wife has one in her car/truck.

Walk to where ? What if getting to home base is just not possible for Dad. Roads closed, bridges down, flood waters, road blocks, name it. You need to talk about all of these things that are possible until your are numb. Remember if you plan for it, that will not be the one that happens, it will something we never thought of. But you do have a leg up by having plan A , B , C and beyond. We also know that in certain parts of the country we are more prone to whatever it is your area is prone to.

It could be possible that 3  of this family would make to the “meet up” place. Plan how long to wait, or where you would move to next, so that the 4th member will know what to do when and if they arrive. .

I have heard many folks talk about the “plan” but know few who have really worked out a viable plan.
With families I consulted with, on this important plan, it takes way longer that you might think to work out the kinks and the what ifs, they are different depending on all the locations of each family.

If you have not made a realistic plan, and if you think you have, try to shoot holes in it. Do not overestimate what you think you as, Dad , can do , make a plan that the rest of the family can survive on for at least a few weeks, until you can show up.

A heads up for family plan that will cost you nothing to put together, but it is the most valuable, and important thing you can do for the family and yourself.

By Dude McLean 

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