Sheltering in place, or Bugging In as they call it

If you can't get out of town...

Many people prepare for a situation in which they will need to Bug Out.  Natural disasters, power failures, civil unrest, many of these situations might require you to leave your home and go somewhere else at least for a short time.

What happens though if you can't go anywhere?  The reasons you might be stuck are numerous, but the basics are the same.  You are home, and it's assumed that some sort of abnormal situation has caused a disruption in essential services.

For this discussion let's assume that the power is out, water service is disrupted, natural gas isn't flowing, the whole nine yards.  Let's also assume that the situation in the streets is such that people are behaving badly.

All the things you would normally do at home will still have to be done.  This becomes a problem with no power or gas service, and potentially worst of all, no working sewer.

Light.

Flashlights are a good thing to have.  Make sure you have a supply of batteries on hand as well, and check them periodically.  As a good rule of thing check your flashlight batteries every time you check your smoke detectors, when the clocks change for daylight savings time.  If you live somewhere they don't do this just set yourself a reminder on the calendar to do it twice a year.  Headlamps are good since they let you keep your hands free to work and allow you to point the light at what you're trying to see effectively.


Candles can serve in a pinch and most people have them around the house, but you need to take special care with them since emergency services might not be available if a fire breaks out.  Never leave candles lit in a room you're not in, and make sure you have good ventilation.  You need something to light them with, again make sure you exercise caution when dealing with an open flame of any kind.
 

Cooking.

Give some thought to how you might cook.  Do you have an alternative method, like a gas grill or perhaps a camping stove?  If you have a fireplace, does it work properly, and will you be able to use it to cook.  Your situation will determine how you handle this, so look at your options and try to secure any items you might need now.

A Coleman 2 burner camp stove is an option that you could employ.  They use the small propane cylinders, but can also be fitted with an adapter line so that you could use the larger types which are commonly used by gas grills.  A gas grill isn't a good tool for boiling water, since the heat isn't concentrated like with a stove burner.  These stoves don't take much space when they're folded up and work very well.  We use one when camping to cook breakfast outside.


Cooking in a fireplace is a bit like cooking over a camp fire.  You can simply shift some of your coals to one side and set your pot or pan on top of them.  You could also do foil packet cooking in the coals, which could cut down on clean up.  There are grills and grates you can get for camp fire cooking that would probably work relatively well in a fire place, if you wanted to grill meat over the open flame.

Number 1 and Number 2

Disposing of human waste is a tricky task.  If the world grinds to a halt, and it's only temporary, there are a few things you can do.  If the water isn't working, but you are being told that you can still use the sewers lines, it is possible to manually flush a toilet by pouring water into the bowl.  The trick is, water might be a bit of a scarce commodity though.

You can improvise an emergency toilet by lining the toilet bowl with a large thick trash bag, then tying it closed and removing it when you're done.  This is risky, since human waste can be a health hazard.  If you are forced to do this, make sure you wear gloves (latex or nitrile if you can) during the disposal process and it wouldn't hurt to include a dust mask for your face.  Once you've disposed of the waste wash your hands if you have the means, or use a dose of hand sanitizer.

You can improvise a toilet with a 5 gallon bucket and trash bags.  It's not going to be as easy to sit on as a toilet for some people, but it will do the job.  You can also use the bucket before an emergency to store everything you would need to use the bucket as a toilet.  Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, trash bags, wet wipes, etc.  There are even specialty products that address this particular issue, the Luggable Loo being a popular model among preppers and nomads alike.

Security.

Community is often the best form of security.  A group of people can look out for each other and help one another overcome difficulties.  If you aren't part of a close knit community though you're going to need to keep mindful of your surroundings and the people.

Security is really a subject that whole books have been written about.  Try to keep these simple principals in mind though as you go about your life in this chaotic world.

Blend in.  Often referred to as the gray man, someone who doesn't stand out and isn't terribly recognizable.  If you look like everyone else, you are less of a target.

Try to never fight.  Every conflict is dangerous, in a world where there might not be emergency services available you want to minimize conflict as much as possible.  You might be the toughest SOB to ever walk the Earth, but you will deplete resources every time you engage in conflict.  A disaster situation is the worst possible time to be in a fight.

Cardio.  I know it's a movie reference, but if you're not going to fight the human nervous system has one other really well honed response.  Flight.  If you plan to be a prepper, or a survivalist, or live to an old age it won't hurt you to be in shape.  You don't need six pack abs, but you should be able to walk a good distance without dying from exhaustion.

As with all my posts I want you to think.  What can you do to be ready for a situation that is out of the ordinary.  What sorts of preparations can you make, or have you already made, to handle something that is unexpected.