No, not the early 90’s movie starring Bill Murray. B.O.B. = Bug Out Bag Every household should have one. Our household has two. (But we also have some kick ass weapons, so when the lights go out, don’t try to steal our stash.) You might think you don’t need one. But you do. One only needs to think back a few years to confirm this. Hurricane Katrina is the obvious example that comes to mind, with the Boston Bombing Manhunt (and subsequent city lockdown) as the most recent. But think about Hurricane Sandy or the NYC blackout last winter, which was related to Sandy. The people who were prepared surely had the easiest go of it. Hubby-pants and I weren’t always so prepared. Then I read Run by Blake Crouch. Then Half Past Midnight by Jeff Brackett (Now that dude was prepared!). And most recently, Stephen King’s Under the Dome. (Chazz’s This Plague of Days is next!) These books will terrify the pants off you if you’re not prepared for tragedy to strike your area. So last year, Hubby-pants and I started watching Doomsday Preppers on TV. (We admit, some of those people are just plain and simple whack-jobs. Others were just trying to be prepared. We learned from the latter) We took notes, had our Amazon wish lists at the ready. And here’s what we ended up with:

• FOOD – Not only did we invest in canned goods (and a dozen can opener tabs in case there’s no electricity), but our BOB’s are full of Emergency Rations. They’re kind of like RTE’s (Ready to Eat meals), but simpler, high-calorie, cracker thingies. Quick to ingest. No water or heat needed. Probably taste like pasture patties (AKA cow dung), but we won’t starve. And if we need to raid some stores, we have three-in-one utensils so we don’t have to eat with our hands. (We’re animal enough to scavenge around abandoned stores and homes, but we firmly draw the line at eating with our freaking fingers.)
• WATER – We have a bunch of water packets. Lighter-weight than bottles, shelf stable for the foreseeable future. We also have water sanitation tablets in case we run out of water and have to visit the not-so-fresh Cooper River up the street.
• SHELTER – If for some reason we’re driven from our house, we have a simple tent that drapes over a branch or line of rope to keep us out of the elements. We also have ponchos. (Those fold up into nothing. You should definitely get a couple.) And mylar blankets for warmth…or in case the sight of blood causes one of us to go into shock. (Which we highly doubt. We’re a tough pair of peeps.)
• MEDICAL SUPPLIES – We have a fully stocked first aid kit and can do anything short of perform surgery. We plan on adding some Canadian antibiotics to our supplies, but as of right now we might just die of an infected scraped knee.
• LIGHT & WARMTH – We have two LED flashlights and an LED lantern. All of which are bright as hell. Loads of extra batteries. As for keeping warm, we have a magnesium flint stick (to generate sparks) and waterproof matches with ready-made kindling. If we still can’t get the fire started, I’m fully prepared to spray aerosol sunscreen on it.
• UTILITIES – Sometimes you just need “stuff.” So we have rope, binoculars, a collapsible shovel, duct tape, and various knives.
• PROTECTION – We’ve all read enough books and seen enough movies and television shows to know that crisis brings out the best in some, the worst in others. If anyone tries to bully us for our supplies, they’re gonna be met with an axe, a machete, and a crossbow pistol. Boom! (We’d like to get some actual firearms, but golly-gosh they’re expensive!)
• BOOK BAGS – This post is about bug-out BAGS, right? Well, of course we need something to put all our stuff in. We bought two durable book bags with lots of pockets and whatnot. The supplies are as evenly distributed as possible, in case we lose one. They’re heavy, but not too heavy for either of us to handle. We keep one in the front half of the house and one in the back so if disaster strikes we don’t bottleneck the hallway trying to get everything from one location.

  Of course, we’re still missing a lot of stuff, but we continue to add to our stash. It’s a start. If there’s a natural disaster, a city-wide lockdown, or a PLAGUE OF DAYS, we’re more prepared than most. Can you say the same about yourself?

BIO Jordanna East readily confesses that she started writing a novel one day when she was broke and unemployed. Her cable had been turned off. SHE WAS BORED. So she sat down on her bed and started writing…and she hasn’t stopped. Though, now she has cable and pens her Psychological Thrillers at an actual desk. Blood in the Past is the prelude novella to her debut Blood for Blood Series, which follows three lives entwined by deaths and consequences, revenge and obsession. Blood in the Past is scheduled for release June 19, 2013.

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