When I was a kid, we never traveled far without a map in the car. A Rand McNally map of our route was always in the glove compartment. It got thrown at me when I asked “Are we there yet?” one too many times.
These days, most folks just use their smartphones.
In an emergency, though, you cannot depend on cell service. You need physical maps.
Every time I get ready to go to a new place, I put it into Google Maps or Waze. Once in a while a lack of cell service leaves me in the lurch. That’s when I am super grateful for this beast: National Geographic Road Atlas, Adventure Edition.
Get a local map!
If disaster strikes and you need to get to safety, you need to have local maps to navigate. Your evacuation bug-out bag should have some. If you are a AAA member, check out your local office—you can get free maps of virtually anywhere in the United States and other parts of North America. If not, get a Rand McNally for your region and a Road Atlas.
Obviously, do not rely on maps that are out-of-date. A lot can change in just a few years! Set a calendar reminder to replace the maps every five years, at least.
Still, having maps is better than not having them. My son once cleaned out a car he inherited from an older relative to find a 20-plus-year-old map of their local area. Navigating through city streets using that map may have been interesting, but it would have been possible to get to the freeway at least. And that’s the goal here—for you to have some way to get to safety.