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Should traditional modern communication systems be unavailable, having a backup way to communicate far distances is a smart thing to have.

It's not uncommon for large storms to take out cellphone and land line phone systems and with them likely goes the internet as well.

The easiest and most useful backup option is one that's been around a very long time - and it's long range radio communication via voice and telegraph.

You may have heard it referred to as Ham radio which is slang for Amateur Radio.

If an emergency forces you and your family to leave your home for a while, you may need some important documents like passports, insurance paperwork, social security and birth certificates, home title, recent bank statements, cash, and more.

You can keep these items in a safe and make sure they are part of your grab in the case of a bug out.

Updated November 2025

There are certain items which are difficult if not impossible to recreate from raw materials in the wild.

They are: