Hawaii's worst flooding in 20 years evacuated 5,500 people — most had no destination written down.

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A friend of mine got an evacuation order during a wildfire last summer. She had a go-bag. She had water. She did not have a destination. Ended up driving around for two hours with her kids in the back seat, trying to figure out where to go on a jammed cell network. That story has stuck with me. Here's what I've got this week.

Evacuation Planning Is More Than a Packed Bag

Most evacuation advice starts and ends with the go-bag. Pack three days of food, water, first aid, documents, done. And that is a fine start, truly. But a bag is not a plan. A plan answers the questions that come after you pick up the bag and walk out the door.

The first question is where you are going. You need at least two destinations picked out in advance, one local and one at least 50 miles away. A friend's house, a family member's place, a specific hotel you have already identified. Write the addresses down on paper and keep them in your bag, because your phone may not be working when you need it most. Call those people now and confirm they are willing to be your landing spot.

The second question is how you are getting there. Map two routes to each destination, a primary and an alternate. Print those maps. Do not rely solely on GPS. If you have ever tried to use a navigation app during a mass evacuation, you know it tends to route everyone onto the same clogged highway. Know the back roads. Drive them once when things are calm so the route is familiar under stress.

The third question is when you leave. This is where most people hesitate, and hesitation costs time. Set a personal trigger point in advance. If you see the smoke plume, if the water reaches the curb, if the authorities issue a warning for your county, you go. Do not wait for the mandatory order. Early voluntary evacuation means open roads and available hotel rooms. Late mandatory evacuation means gridlock and closed options.

The fourth question is what stays behind. Walk through your house now and identify what you would grab in a five-minute sweep after the bag is in the car. Photo albums, the lockbox, the pet carrier. Know where these things are so you are not searching for them under stress.

Finally, make sure every adult in your household knows the plan. A plan that lives only in your head is not a plan. Write it down, share it, and review it twice a year. Evacuation is not a test of your gear. It is a test of your decisions, made well before the event.

Pick two evacuation destinations and write them down.

One local, one at least 50 miles away. Write the full addresses on an index card and put it in your go-bag or glove box. If you are feeling ambitious, call the people at those locations and confirm they would take you in. Takes ten minutes.

Hit reply and let me know how it went. I read everything.

21 attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz since March 1. With US-Israel strikes on Iran entering week 4, the threat level across the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman has been designated "critical." Roughly 20% of the world's oil supply transits this chokepoint. Disruption here means fuel price spikes, supply chain delays, and economic pressure that eventually reaches your grocery bill and gas tank.

Source: Al Jazeera

Joshua Enyart, known online as the Gray Bearded Green Beret, is an Army Ranger and Green Beret with 12 combat deployments. In Surviving the Wild, he stresses that navigation is a skill most people neglect until it matters. Enyart teaches that knowing how to get from point A to point B without electronic assistance is a foundational survival skill, not an advanced one. For evacuation planning, the lesson is clear: print your maps, know your routes, and practice driving them. A go-bag full of premium gear will not help you if you are stuck on a highway with no idea how to get off it.

Just 5% of American homes have a fully stocked emergency kit — and 20% have none of the recommended supplies at all. A SafeHome.org study found that while 83% of Americans report taking some preparedness action, only 54% of households have made emergency preparations in the past 12 months. The top barriers: cost (26%) and not knowing what else to do (25%). Of households that do have supplies, only 34% say their kit would last more than two weeks.

Source: SafeHome.org

Uncharted Supply Co. SEVENTY2 Survival System

The SEVENTY2 is a 72-hour survival kit in a hardshell waterproof case that doubles as a backpack. Includes shelter, fire starting, first aid, water purification, and signaling gear. Everything is organized in labeled compartments, which matters when you are stressed and rummaging. The build quality is excellent and it is genuinely waterproof, not just water-resistant. Runs about $350, which is steep, but the contents and construction justify it for anyone serious about having a grab-and-go system. I would add at least one tourniquet to the medical kit.

Uncharted Supply Co. SEVENTY2 Survival System ($349) — A 72-hour kit in a hardshell waterproof case that doubles as a backpack. Includes shelter, fire-starting, first aid, water purification, and signaling gear.

Budget alternative: Sustain Supply Co. Comfort2 72-Hour Kit. Around $164, well organized, and covers the essentials.

Overrated: Ultralight go-bags optimized for weight savings. You are driving to a relative's house, not thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Pack for comfort and completeness.

Underrated: A paper map of your state in the glove box. Costs $8 at a gas station. Works when satellites do not.

ThePrepared.com: Bug Out Bag Guide — The most thorough go-bag checklist online, with reasoning behind every item.

Ready.gov: Emergency Kit Checklist PDF — Printable federal checklist. Good baseline to compare against your own kit.

what3words — Assigns a unique three-word address to every 10-foot square on earth. Useful for communicating exact locations when street addresses fail.

Marine Traffic — Live ship tracking worldwide. Not directly evacuation-related, but a fascinating OSINT tool worth knowing about.

PackConfig.com — Bag organization ideas and packing systems. Helpful if you are building or reorganizing a go-bag.

Zello Walkie Talkie App — Push-to-talk app that works over data when cell voice networks are jammed. Used in real disasters.

Next week we are covering shelter-in-place, the flip side of evacuation. When leaving is not an option, your home becomes your best resource. We will talk about how to make it work.

I tested my own evacuation plan last month. Timed it. Took 24 minutes to load the car. I thought it would take 10. Humbling.