GET BACK HOME

ARE YOU PREPARED TO HEAD OUT ON FOOT IF YOUR VEHICLE BREAKS DOWN?

- Brian M. Morris

Mike Tyson once said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. He had one thing right: No plan ever survives the first round fired.

“Murphy's Law states that everything that can go wrong will go wrong at the absolutely most inopportune time. That might be true, but having a plan to start with is always better than no plan at all. Even if your plan falls short, at least you'll have some basic idea of what to do if things go south.

It's virtually impossible to be 100 percent prepared for every contingency or emergency situation you might find yourself in, but you can drastically increase your odds of survival by personalizing your survival strategy and plans to your own personal biorhythm.

TRAVELING ON FOOT

When you look at this from a worst-case-scenario perspective, you need to assume that for whatever reason, your vehicle will be rendered inoperable, and you'll have to depend on your ability to walk to wherever you decide to go. This doesn't mean you don't have to plan for contingencies for which you might be able to get the vehicle operational again; it's just that you always need to plan to walk in the event that riding is no longer an option.

People can, have and will resort to extreme violence when they're scared, hungry or when they believe there will be no repercussions for their actions. As Ronald Reagan liked to say, Trust, but verify. You should assume everyone is a potential threat until you can verify that they aren't.

Predators often prey on the goodwill of others and will, no doubt, take advantage of chaos to benefit themselves. So, keep your head on a swivel, and stay alert. In addition, having a base distance in mind will help you choose the survival gear you should carry with you when you leave home.