72 Hours: How to Build a Go-Bag That Actually Works

A live workshop led by a former federal emergency management official. Learn to build a real go-bag for your household.

If you had to leave your house in 10 minutes, what would you grab?

Most families answer that question with "I don't know." Not because they don't care. Because no one has ever shown them a system for deciding.

About This Workshop

Join Brandi Richard Thompson, former federal emergency management official with more than 20 years coordinating disaster response for over 50 million people, for a free 60-minute live session on the one piece of emergency preparedness everyone talks about but almost nobody gets right: the go-bag.

In two decades of federal service, Brandi watched families evacuate with garbage bags full of random items, with suitcases packed for a vacation instead of a disaster, or with nothing at all. The go-bag itself was rarely the problem. The problem was that no one had taught them what the first 72 hours after an evacuation actually look like, so they packed for the wrong scenario entirely.

A go-bag isn't a survival kit. It's the bridge between the moment you leave your house and the moment you stabilize. This session will show you exactly how to build one that works for your family, your budget, and your actual life.

What You Will Learn in This Session

• Why most go-bag checklists from the internet set families up to fail, and what to do instead
• The three tiers of evacuation (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1+ hours) and how each one changes what you grab
• What actually happens in the first 72 hours after you leave your house, hour by hour
• The critical items most families forget that have nothing to do with food or water
• How the Operation Prepare Emergency Plans and Go-Bags section gives your family a grab-and-go decision tree instead of a last-minute scramble

Who This Is For

• Families who keep saying "we should put together a go-bag" but never have
• Parents who want their kids to know exactly what to do and where to go if something happens
• People who bought a premade emergency kit online and aren't sure it's actually enough
• Anyone who lives in an area at risk for wildfire, earthquake, hurricane, flooding, or civil unrest

After the Workshop

Attendees will receive a special link to download the Operation Prepare Starter Kit (free) and a limited-time offer on the full Family Legacy Binder system.

About Brandi Richard Thompson

Brandi Richard Thompson is a former federal emergency management official who coordinated disaster response for more than 50 million people during her career with FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. She is the founder of Operation Prepare™ and CEO of Operation Growth LLC. Her work is conducted in her private capacity and is independent of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.

This event is presented by Operation Prepare™, an independent family preparedness company. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security.