TWEAKS+inspiration : Are You Ready for an Emergency?
The LA fires have been absolutely heartbreaking. At least 27 people have died while12,000 structures were destroyed or damaged. There will be years of trying to right this disaster. Since the fires, we've seen heartwarming stories of people helping people. Neighbor to neighbor. Stranger to stranger. The above photo is of a food truck, sponsored by the charity World Food Kitchen, feeding first responders.
This is a wake-up call for all of us. If you were given 5 minutes to evacuate your house, are you ready? When I had to evacuate my house last October (from a very small fire that damaged a few homes), I had a go bag ready. Turns out, my bag was solely lacking.
Practically, all of us live in an emergency zone. Last week, you might have heard some who lost their homes say that while they had time to pack before evacuating, they didn't think their house was in danger so they took nothing. We also saw heartbreaking scenes of people running for their lives with no time to grab anything. If you don't have a go bag, I hope you'll consider putting one together.
There seems to be two kinds of bags. One is for living at your home when there is nowhere else to go. In the case of an earthquake, for example, we are told to be prepared for 72 hours with no electricity or water. This bag would focus on such things as food, water, a potty (bucket lined with plastic bag and some come with a toilet seat) and a power battery. If you don't want to make your own emergency kit, you can buy all kinds online including through the Red Cross.
If you have to leave your home, a go bag is essential. You can see many suggestions online for what to pack, but here's some basics from the department of US Homeland Security.
If you have to evacuate, ensure your ‘Go Bag’ includes:
A 3-day supply of non-perishable food & 3 gallons of water per person
A map with at least 2 evacuation routes
Necessary prescriptions or medications
A change of clothes & extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
Extra car keys, cash or traveler’s checks (credit cards may not be usable)
A whistle on your key chain
A first aid kit & sanitation supplies
A flashlight & battery-powered radio with extra batteries
Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.)
Pet food & water
Paper copies of contacts (incase you don't have access to your phone)
If time allows, consider adding:
Valuables that are easy to carry
Family photos and irreplaceable items
Personal computer data on hard drives and disks
Chargers for cell phones and laptops
For more information on emergency supplies, visit www.ready.gov
I'll buy a backpack (with wheels) to be filled with the most important items if I have to walk out. And another bag with secondary items that I can put in the car if I'm able to drive out. I should also have an emergency kit in my car in case I get stranded away from my home.
I'm going to make a copy of my important papers (trust/will, insurance documents, pink slip) - so I've got hard copies in my go bag. I'm also going to make an electronic copy and store on a thumb drive.  As for family photos - I've taken pictures of the ones I wouldn't want to loose, storing in the cloud.
I've taken photos of my house - inside and out. I opened every drawer and closet and took a picture. If you loose your house, your insurance company will ask you to provide an itemized list of everything you've lost. Maybe you saw the news report about a woman who lost her home in the LA fires. She went to Bloomingdale's and "registered" for a wedding. She then went through the store making a list of all the household items she lost. The wedding register provides photo, description and current price of each item. That list formed the basis of her list to provide to her insurer.
In my go bag, I have a list of the few objects I'd like to take with me. For example, Jimmy has been with me for over 50 years so he deserves a ride out. In October, I ended up at Mary's house for the night. Because I had foot surgery recently, Mary carried my suitcase up her 27 front steps. "What do you have in here, rocks?" That was a good question. I had packed my lap top, a framed photo of my wedding day - heavy stuff. That was a wakeup call to refine my list.
Because I wear a medical device at night, I have this battery for travelling. I used it for two weeks in Europe last year. It ran 8 hours a night plus charged my phone and iPad. When I got home, it was still 77% charged. It's an investment at about $400. If you don't use a medical device, you could buy a solar battery for charging devices for about $100.
Can you imagine being without electricty for 72 hours and not having having a phone? It's so important for contacts, receiving updates from the county, watching the local news (even our small fire was on the news nonstop). When I evacuated last October, my battery wasn't in my go bag. Oops. By 8 pm, my phone was dead. I knew I had a car phone charger in the car but it turned out, it didn't fit my new iPhone. The next day, I ordered a $10 charger for my car and bought an extra cord for both my phone and iPad. They are in my go bag. When the time comes, I don't have to run around looking for my cords.
Always have sturdy shoes and a flashlight near your bed, ready for sudden night evacuations. Keep a small air horn beside your bed and in your car. If there's an earthquake, it could be handy to signal your whereabouts. I know thinking of what could be is daunting, but seeing the ravishing fires this month was a heartbreaking wakeup call.
A helpful site for more info -
