BlackOut Bag/Box

October 30, 2022 by

BLACK OUT BAG KIT

A Black Out Kit (BOK) is a smaller bag cheaper to build, that contains essential items needed during a power outage.
The power goes out and it’s really dark. The broader the outage the darker it will be. If it’s a new moon or cloudy add darkness to the already dark.
It will be very handy to have essential items to get you going, get some light on your immediate area and have a few things at your reach.
You will obviously have a list of priorities, if you have children, that may entail making them feel safe. Making sure pets are tucked out of the way so they don’t get under your feet.
You will need to assess your situation and the first thing is to check your safety, determine the cause of the failure, check your breaker box, get the backup generator going, and grabbing the backup gas or solar generator to get the refrigerator and freezer going again.
First things first, there is one vital step required before any of this. You need to see where you are going. In pitch darkness that will be difficult. This is where our Black Out Bag comes into play.
What a Black Out Kit allows you to do is keep a small cache of helpful items in a strategic location that can be quickly and easily accessed.

Why Do You Need One


The power goes out in the middle of the night. You are sleepy and disoriented, so you need to be able to locate a convenient bag that contains essential items designed for this purpose. Grab a light and keep from knocking yourself out by walking into walls while you try to figure out what has happened to the power. Random fire in the middle of the night, reach in, grab an extinguisher, and either put it out or fight your way out of the fire with it. A Black Out Kit holds key solution items only for specific problems associated with lights out. Do not clutter it with items that should be kept in your Bug Out Bag.

What kind of items go in a Black Out Kit? Items like flashlights, emergency tools, anything that would be useful in the event of an emergency.

 

 

 

Of course, there are more items that you could include, and it will vary from season to season. If you are in the depths of winter, where the possibility of a power outage is increased, you can add items that you may need to stay warm.

In previous articles we reviewed collection of your Car/Office Bag and your Bug Out Bag. You should now, you have your bug out bag on the ready and you’ve squared away your Every Day Carry or your car/office bag. We are working each week  to add to your preparation supplies and skills until you are prepared to be ready.
You do not need any special reason to have a Black Out Bag on hand. This is something everyone might need and can use in case of a blackout in your home, your neighborhood or a broader outage.
First up, a Black Out Kit is going to be cheaper to build than your bug out bag. It will contain only a few items and is smaller, so it is easy to store and takes up little space.
You need a handy light source to see where you are going in pitch darkness and that is where your Black Out Kit comes into play.
It is meant to be a first action device. Grab it, to help you get to your preps, make safety checks and then go about next steps. Store it in an accessible spot that is easy to grab. A little help to bring calm back into a situation.

Intruder in your home at night 

Make a plan – now.  There is no single best strategy.  Some people can climb out a window and run for help…others live or sleep on upper floors and are unable to flee for physical reasons.  If you can safely escape and get help – do it. Even if you have a plan there are many variables that can play out.

You are awakened by a noise downstairs.  More noise.  Someone is in the house!  Your heart pounds…your mind races.  What should you do?  Grab a baseball bat and creep into the hall to investigate?  Call the police and wait?  Try to escape?

Be very quiet and listen.  How many intruders are there?  Are they ransacking the house?  Are they making their way toward you? Do not turn on the lights. You know the layout of your house far better than your invader and will have the advantage when navigating it in the dark.

Get to a preplanned safe place probably a closet in your bedroom or child’s room. It’s a good idea to have a dead bolt lock on the inside of that closet to barricade yourself in. Have a few things in this room. Keep 911 on speed dial on your phone so you can call with one press. Give them clear directions. Where your home is, what part of the home you are in. The situation that is occurring in your home. Keep them on the line even if you need to put the phone down so they can hear what is going on and report it to the police.  Also keep your weapon of choice, water, snacks, and first aid kit in your safe area.

You can practice and learn how to fight in the dark, you just have to get used to moving in the dark. I do this all the time. You all know I am a night owl, so I am outside walking around late at night all the time. I purposely do not use a light and have learned how to navigate around in the dark. The more you practice the more comfortable you are walking around in the quiet dark of the night.  This is an easy exercises to prepare you for dark navigation, no special equipment needed, just move around your house late at night. Turn the lights out and remember where the furniture is, and move around.

Next practiced navigating outside.  Climb a fence, navigate around the trees, even climb a tree when it is dark, moving around your backyard like a ninja, actually building up to rolls. You can also set up obstacles, climb up and down ladders, climb up a ladder and on roof of  the house, learning how to navigate in pitch dark no matter what. Yes, I have climbed up ladders onto the roof and onto tree limbs and walked on beams.  When you get good, have somebody else set up the obstacles, now the game is going to turn unpredictable, and your awareness is going to have to turn up.

Confrontation

If the invader enters your hiding space, the element of surprise may be the only advantage you have. Strike them as soon as they enter and do not stop until they are incapacitated.

If you cannot or are not willing to confront your intruder then remain calm and cooperative if the intruder confronts you.  How you behave in the first 30 seconds can set the tone for all that follows.  When violence does occur, it almost always does within these first few moments.

Speak in as normal a voice as you can.  Make no sudden moves.  Tell him that you will cooperate.  Hold your hands up to shoulder level.  It appears compliant, yet it affords you the ability to have your hands ready for defense.

Avoid direct eye contact.  The intruder may interpret this as aggressive behavior and worry that you’ll be able to identify him later.

The outcome of a break-in depends on the intruders.  Most burglars will flee.

Home invasion robberies – a small but growing trend – can last for hours and are always violent.  They are carried out by thugs who try to intimidate home owners into divulging safe combinations and bank ATM personal identification numbers, and handling over credit cards that can’t be reported stolen while the owners are being held hostage.

Have a distress code with your burglar-alarm company.  If you are being held and your alarm has been triggered, you can signal trouble when its representative calls to authenticate the alarm.  Your signal might be, “No, I can’t meet you tomorrow.”  Or just don’t pick up the call, so the company will send the police.

The Weapons Options

It’s your right and personal choice to own a firearm and you should.  If you are willing to shoot own a gun, but you cannot fire a weapon at someone, then do not have one. The intruder will simply take it away from you and if they didn’t have a gun before they do now. If you choose to have a fire arm you must be trained properly, mentally as well as physically.   You need to keep the gun loaded and nearby for it to be effective.  With children living in or visiting your home you need to have an adequate safe to allow you access and still keep the weapon from children.

If you have pepper spray only use it if you need help to escape.  Facial contact and inhalation of the spray will induce up to 45 minutes of coughing, choking, nausea and temporary blindness.  Even residual fumes can make your hiding place unbearable and can be hazardous to people with respiratory and heart conditions.

Your local police department can tell you if you legally can buy pepper spray in your state and where to learn how to use it.  As with any weapon you must have a plan and be prepared to use it.

This article refers to a typical home break in that is not associated with after disaster event times  invasion. Lawless home invasions during a post event will be violent and police will have no authority, no one will be answering 911 calls,  and will not be responding to cries for help as the system will be over whelmed.  People will be desperate and enraged and no traditional reasoning will produce expected results.  In that situation you need to stay ahead of the roving gangs or have a security plan that keeps them out.