When SHTF and civilization collapses, you will need to bug out of the now-dangerous city. That means traveling during a time of chaos when anything can happen and everyone else is out for himself. An article on Survival Blog presented a few tips on how to safely make it to your safe house during a “Without Rule of Law” (WROL) event.

Most preppers will have already amassed enough supplies to survive a WROL scenario. Some would have even found other preppers with whom they could cooperate during a collapse.

However, few will have made plans for traveling to their safe house. This is not good because the exodus is the most dangerous part of a WROL event.

When traveling through an area without rule of law, remember that anyone and anything that gets in your way to the safe haven should be treated as a hostile. This includes figures of authority and government such as police and military.

You and any companions of yours must decide how to respond to any hostile intent during your trip in WROL conditions. That means you or your group must define what would count as a WROL event.

Civil unrest across the state, widespread confiscation of firearms, the collapse of the national economy, and natural disasters that impact entire regions are all fair indicators of a WROL event. Your group should decide on what incident would constitute as enough reason to bug out of your now unsafe homes.

Set up a communication plan that will inform every member of your group about a WROL event. Let everyone know that they are expected to go to the safe house within a certain number of days.

Keep an eye and ear out for the government issuing disaster and emergency declarations. Any surviving local, state, and federal government could resort to legal statutes that give them the authority to forbid travel, seize private property, and arrest citizens.

If any of these restrictions are being enforced when you are trying to get to the safe house, you could be arrested, injured, or even killed. You have to leave before the government can try to keep you penned in.

Set standard operating procedures and rules of engagement to survive WROL scenarios

The normal rules of society go out the window during a WROL scenario. So you and your teammates should have the right mindsets to survive.

Before the onset of a WROL event, your team should establish the reason for your travel. An obvious objective is to get everyone to the safe location.

Draft your mission statement. Let each member read it and give their verbal agreement.

If a member balks at doing something during the trip, bring up their earlier agreement to the plan. It is easier to ensure that the team stays on track when everyone is in agreement.

The leadership should set up standard operating procedures (SOPs). Make sure every member knows and understands these SOPs.

You must also decide on your rules of engagement, your planned response to any hostile situation. Decide on when your party should respond to hostility. Also decide the how or means by which you respond to the threat.

This involves both deadly force and less than deadly force. The use of deadly force should be considered if you need to protect your life, the life of a teammate, or the life of a person in an area that your group controls.