5 Levels of Emergency to Weigh In Your Emergency Preparedness Plan

We highlighted 5 levels of emergency in Less Overwhelm for Beginner Preppers. Let’s dive a little deeper.

You’ve likely come across the next lesson in movies or in your research: Emergencies come on different levels. The movies are naturally about the highest levels of emergencies. Prepare for everyday emergencies by embracing the prepper lifestyle. There are varying opinions on how many levels of preparedness you can employ. Some say three, some say five. Again, it might depend on a number of situations. I’ll describe five levels of emergency below:

• Level 1-Everyday preparedness like meal prepping, home maintenance and protection, daily exercise, and building emergency funds. Emergencies might include short-term illness or injuries, appliance repairs/replacement, or a flat tire.
• Level 2 Bugging In-Prepare for possible long-term illness, divorce, birth, death, or unemployment
• Level 3 Bugging In-Prepare your house with provisions needed due to weather, pollution, or economic failures 
• Level 4 Bugging Out in Vehicle-Prepare to leave in your vehicles for natural disasters, pollution, contamination, house fire, and evacuations
• Level 5 Bugging Out on Foot-Prepare for any scenario that includes a volcano, earthquake, or war. Only take what you can carry in your bug-out bag 

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Level 1-Everyday Preparedness

These are the little things we do every day to keep us better prepared for life, also called healthy habits. They are the kinds of things that could grow into larger emergencies later down the road if left ignored. We don’t notice them until it’s too late; 

• We don’t have anything for dinner because we didn’t meal prep.
• We don’t have anything to wear because we didn’t meal or exercise plan and nothing fits. 
• We don’t have any money because we didn’t budget so now we’re cash poor. 
• The robber discovered we didn’t lock the doors or set the security system. 
• We ended up on the side of the road because we didn’t go in for a routine vehicle tune-up. 
• We’re blind-sided by illness because we don’t eat healthily or get routine check-ups. 

It’s lots of little things that add stress to our everyday lives. And that compounded stress makes small things seem like emergencies. Unless we tackle them proactively by prepping. This is the most basic of prepping. You might already be doing a number of these preparations. Awesome! If not, take stock, prioritize, and start knocking them out 😉

2nd Level of Emergency-First Level of Bugging-In

The instances in our second level of emergency may arise from a lack of healthy habits in Level 1. But they are also chapters and stages in life that we can all embrace and prepare for.

Death

Over the past two or three months, a number of examples fit perfectly in this level. My grandmother passed away recently. She was in her 90’s and passed peacefully. My parents, aunts, and uncles had already taken care of all her finances and belongings, and funeral arrangements. Some of them took about a week off of work when the time came. And many employers are very understanding in giving families the time they need.

It’s still helpful to have items ready to better manage the extra time, energy, and money needed when a loved one passes away. Easy-to-make meals are great when we’re emotionally worn out. Have emergency funds ready for anything that might come up like traveling expenses for example. 

Now consider another situation where a loved one dies suddenly.  You might have to make funeral arrangements. You might have to take care of their belongings. This involves a lot more time off work or away from your usual routine. This can also be the case when a loved one suffers sudden illness or injury. You may be taking care of an elderly parent and need your spouse or a friend to help you take care of your children. Having systems in place just makes it all a little easier and takes the edge off. 

Injury

We want to look at each possible situation and see if there are any extra needs that might come up. And I’m not trying to depress you. This is a pragmatic exercise where we ask ourselves some basic questions that receive basic answers. If I fell and broke my arm tomorrow, could my kids easily fend for themselves for a few days up to a couple of months?

New Life

When we learned we were pregnant with our third child, we both informed our employers that our baby could come two months early. Our first two children were 6 & 9 weeks early. We made sure that we were ready for her to come earlier than the due date. I think all women should prepare for this. Nothing ever came up in the routine visits (for all 3 babies) that would have warned us. She was 7 weeks early. I know it sounds like another thing on your plate being pregnant and all. But if you have any time/means at all to make preparations for your upcoming birth, do all you can. Don’t do it in a panicked fashion, but with the steps, tips, and tricks you find throughout the blog here. 

Divorce and Unemployment

And last, but not by any means is this list exhaustive, but well-prepared women should prepare for divorce and unemployment. Again, not trying to be a Debby-Downer or a hater. It’s all about practicality here. Have emergency funds, weeks to months worth of supplies needed. Be healthy enough to live on your own, and protected.  

I have lost my job and been near divorced for a time or two. It happens. I was scared and unprepared. Emotionally, nothing really prepares you for life’s curveballs like that. But accepting that they are part of life can help. It’s about mindset. Look at it as a form of empowerment. We are fully capable of standing on our own two feet and bouncing back quickly. Then it’s really just a matter of having a plan and being ready to follow through if you need to. 

3rd Level of Emergency-Second Level of Bugging-In

This level of emergency is less predictable, like a tornado, flood, ice storms, feet of snow, power outages, civil unrest, etc. Now, of course, we usually have warnings from the weather station and the news stations. However, having days or weeks of food, water, backup energy, and supplies is necessary. It’s sort of a joke now; the more inches of snow they are predicting in your area, the more bottles of wine you should stock. There’s often a mad dash to the stores when jokes like this start rolling around. You can still partake in the fun, but as a well-prepared woman, snuggle up on your couch with your drink of choice waiting for the snow instead of restlessly waiting in the checkout line hoping you get home before it hits.

You’ll feel confident that if the city or town or roads or clean water systems or electricity shut down, you have all you need to be safe and comfortable until things open back up again. You will have all the outdoor gear and will be physically fit to remove snow and ice or lift heavy objects from flood waters and so on. 

Because hunkering down in the safety of your home is the goal at this level, we’ll also include Get Home Bags (GHB); plans and supplies to reach home from work or school, or any of your other typical hangouts. This brings me to a pet peeve of mine (that could also be added to Level 1 Everyday Preparedness), which is that you should always have on hand proper footwear, a coat, etc. for the weather should something happen to your vehicle. 

Level 4-Bugging-Out in Your Vehicle

First of all, bugging out of any kind whether it be on foot or in your vehicle should be a well-calculated decision. You should only leave once you’ve determined your home or current shelter is no longer efficient. 

Weather, natural disasters, and civil unrest can often drive us out of our homes too, and having supplies ready to go is a good idea. It will likely be a temporary move. You may need to evacuate from hurricanes, wildfires, floods, air pollution, and damage to your home after an earthquake or tornado. For this level of emergency take stock of the emergencies that could occur in your area. Consider the warning time allowed, how much can go into your vehicle, and how long it will take to pack it up. 

Pack up some of the previous level supplies in ready-to-go bags called Bug Out Bags or BOBs. Some of the supplies can also already be in your vehicle too. Having a few evacuation plans in order can help prioritize packing your vehicle. Would you be driving to the next town or city over to take shelter at a family or friend’s house or would you be driving cross-country? 

You have an advantage here when you take the time to prepare based on past events versus panicking with the masses. It’s not likely you’ll be able to run to any store to get last-minute items. In fact, this is one time where we want to avoid the stores at all costs. Our goal is to calmly and confidently execute the evacuation to get to safety and remain safe. 

Level 5-Bugging-Out on Foot

The events in Level 5 are least likely to happen and are what movies are made out of. They are real however and you should take them seriously. You’ll need more supplies, skills, and drills than Level 4, but consider them just as much as all the previous levels of emergency. This level of emergency may be more likely if you rely on public transportation or if your plan for Level 4 deteriorates and your vehicle is no longer an option.

Bugging out on foot could mean making it to the closest neighbor, safe grocery store, a hotel, or the next town over. Rarely will it mean hiding out in the woods or climbing over a mountain, but that also might depend on where you live. The next town from my house is through a cornfield or across the river.  If your home is in the middle of the woods and you have an intruder, it could force you to head out on foot to find safety.

The plan and prep can be as simple and similar as a procedure I had written up in my daycare plan. I informed each parent that in the event of a fire or gas leak or other reason for us to evacuate the house, to find us at our safe place or what some call a bug-out location. Everyone knew the plan. That’s very important.

In the event of civil unrest, you might have to decide if it’s safer to remain locked in your home with your supplies or if there is an ideal time to leave and find a safer location until things calm down. 

So now what?!

Now we take a deep breath. We give a moment of thanks for all that is currently well. And then we make a plan to keep it that way 🙂 We aren’t going to try and tackle these all at once. The good news is that some of the preparations for the different levels of emergency do overlap. That makes our job as Well-Prepared Women easier.

Use this free Emergency Analysis to take stock of your current situation and levels of emergency, find and prioritize gaps and weaknesses, and make a plan to empower yourself and your family.