When traveling as a family or group, you need to be able to communicate quickly with each other and even if you are separated from one another. They are family or friends that are in the immediate area, you’ll also want a way to communicate with them. You also need to be able to find out what the overall situation is like, how bad it is, what the extent is, if there are any dangers or obstacles in your evacuation route, and when or where outside help might be arriving.

It’s useful to have cell phones, although keep in mind that depending on the situation they may or may not work and also right after a disaster all be circuits might be full so you might not get your call connected. Because of that, it’s wise to have prepaid phone card for everyone in the group, and walkie-talkies earn easy relatively cheap way to communicate with group members over short distances. Also on the make sure that every pack has a small loud whistle that is well secured to each pack and easily accessible. Even a small child can use a whistle to signal that they are lost or in danger.