HUNKER DOWN OR BUG OUT?

BY CARRIE VISINTAINER

It’s a regular weekday morning in your urban neighborhood, but suddenly, everything changes. As you get into your car to drive to work, you turn on the radio and hear officials announcing an emergency in the local area. Maybe there’s an approaching natural disaster. Or perhaps there’s been a chemical or biological attack by terrorists, or an influenza outbreak is imminent. You listen closely to the information, take stock of the situation and begin to consider your options. What will you do?

Some people don’t have to think long. Their “plan A”, which has been cemented for years, is to grab their bug-out bag and head for the wilderness. They take the steps necessary to pack up the whole family and begin driving toward the nearest trailhead, with hopes of living off the land and hiding from danger until the disaster resolves itself.

EXPERTS WEIGH IN

But is this the most practical plan? The debate is intense on myriad survivalist blogs. Some say it’s natural to go back to our roots in the event of an emergency—hunting, fishing and purifying water from streams. But many experts disagree, explaining that this is more of a romantic notion than a practical plan.

M.D. Creekmore, author of the popular “The Survivalist Blog”, says the idea of leaving the security of home for the unknowns of the wilderness has never sat well with him, and he cautions against making decisions based on “emotion instead of logic.” He thinks that in most cases, there are better ways to survive disasters than heading for the hills.

While it might seem like a good idea, there are good alternatives to running to the hills in challenging times.