Emergency Evacuation List

I'm back at it with the emergency prepper stuff for fire.  I attended a meeting by the officials from Colorado Springs (BEFORE the Black Forest fire) about the urban interface in Helena.

Scared the crap outta me.

It isn't if... it is when.  The good news was... my house didn't burn in the scenario.  But let's be real.  Our day is coming.

So I am back to working a plan.  It is my duty to head up the evacuation.  Hot's job is such that he won't be available to help and he will need the peace of mind knowing we have a plan and are getting out.

I believe in a written plan.  Because if I don't have a list I run around like a chicken....  it is just the way I am.  So here goes... draft 1:

Before the fire:
make sure insurance coverage is adequate for replacement values
decide where you will go if you evacuate (me... I'm taking the kids and going to a hotel with a pool and HGTV)

2 minutes:
kids
dog
purse/wallet
cell phone

5 minutes (above plus):
cats (in carrier... carrier is currently on top of the upright freezer in the garage)
portable hard drive
personal document envelope/file box*
household binder**
cell phone charger
scanner/batteries
cash in house (there isn't much but....)

20 minutes (above plus):
comfort packs***
plug in old school telephone (located in desk hutch)
laptop/charger
turn on sprinklers
put evacuation sign on the door

30 minutes (above plus):
jewelry
safe contents
binoculars (2 pairs)
photo album box (hoping to get all of these scanned)
spare car keys

*personal documents envelope/file box may include:
phone/contact emergency list
medications/allergies list
copy of drivers license
passports
ss cards (or copies)
birth certificates
marriage certificates
vaccination records
pet records
financial account info
wallet content copies
recent utility bill (for proof of residency)
insurance policies
household inventory (include photos/serial numbers/etc)
flash drive backups

Ok, wait, funny story..... I was trying to think about the household inventory and the best way to manage it and I remembered the last time we evacuated.... I ran around with my camera on video documenting all the tools (and serial numbers) in the garage.  So instead of a household inventory I'm going to create a video inventory and keep a copy on a flashdrive and keep it somewhere else... maybe my office.

**household binder may include:
Ok... well MY household binder has contacts/emergency info etc and a lot of the things listed above for the file box... it has my current bills so I can fend off boredom after the adrenaline wears off by paying bills. Ok, wait, I confess....it also includes cleaning schedules and books I want to read.  Hmmm.  Oh... but in the back pocket are the pages I will put on the (2) doors when we evacuate.  There are mixed opinions about doing this... if you put a big note on your door saying you have evacuated that might be an invitation to looters... so think about this one carefully.  Our neighborhood is pretty sparse and we don't have much anyone would want to steal so I go with the sign.  It is printed on nice yellow cardstock and the tape is in the cupboard just above where it lives.

We have evacuated.
Contact Us
(Lists our various phone numbers)


***comfort packs:
One of the things I've learned is... once the adrenaline wears off you are bored.  So our comfort packs have stuff to do and things to make us happy.  And, yes, even if there is a wildfire, Target will still be open... you can buy most of this stuff later so don't stay in harm's way packing it up.

kindle/charger
ipod/charger
books/magazines
cards
stuffed animals/favorite blankets
small toys
swimsuits
change of clothes
personal care items

Other things to plug into the list if needed:
medications
eyeglasses
um... what else can you guys think of?

72 Hour Pack.... Day 5.... I'm not as enthusiastic now.....

I'm in... gather a few things at a time for the 72-hour pack... mode.  I found two pairs of little girl panties that are kinda... baggy.  Not so great for every day.... perfect for the 72-hour pack.  I put a tub in the garage and I'm just heaving things into it.  A perfectly good but not often worn vest and hooded sweatshirt.... in.  Two rain ponchos from the camping box.... in.  An old pair of tennis shoes and some socks.... in.  I'm discovering a 72-hour pack is quite similar to a search and rescue pack.  A whole lot of stuff in as small a space as possible.

My theory is I can buy a thing or two as I shop and have a complete kit by the end of summer.... that's my theory.  I need a lot of things in multiples of 5.... whistles, flashlights, mre's..... Flashlights.... good ones.... are pricey.  Whistles I'm assuming I can find in the dollar row at Target.  Actually quite a bit of stuff can probably come from the dollar store.....

I realized I had no two-inch squares in my first aid kit in the car.... and they are so good for bloody noses at baseball.... so I bought some and some non-latex gloves.... thinking they would be good for the first aid kit and the 72-hour pack.

Then, as I was leaving the store, I called Elle and she informed me she, on her wild medical supply purchasing rush of 2011, bought several thousand pairs.  So I will get some of hers and return mine.

And that's where I am so far on the 72-hour pack.

From my house.... Monday.

Wild Fire: Sentimental

Well.... let's start with some general organization of sentimental items.......

What is sentimental to you?  I don't know.  Some general categories:  photos, framed pictures, scrapbooks, journals, baby stuff, letters, family furniture, jewelry, heirlooms, collectibles.

I can tell you what is sentimental to me:  photos, journals, kid stuff, baby books, love letters/notes, a small collection of randomness:  two September figurines, some 2 dollar bills, my jewelry, a few small antiques. 

Add in from Hot:  his grandfather's rocking chair, arrowheads, & coins.  The grass basket & doll.  And, of course, his antler collection.

So the first step is to identify, find and list what is important to you.  Go room to room.

I'm not going to go into specific organization techniques in much detail... although it would be really good if you were already a master organizer....  If you are completely at a loss.... start by gathering like with like.  Assign a tub to each family member and gather any sentimental momentos....  I have one for each kid but need to do better for the adults.  Get all the photos in one place.  Scan.  Scan.  Scan.  Split the photos into a box that goes with you and a box that is scanned and can burn.  Actually.... I confess...... ALMOST all of mine can burn.... but I do need to grab the box of negatives in the safe in the garage.  And the video tapes (that really should be changed to digital).  I am, at heart, an archivist.... I do believe in maintaining the native media source.  This means I keep negatives even if the pictures are scanned.  And I will keep the video tapes even after they are converted to digital.... so those things should be either in our safe or in my sentimental tub.... in a perfect world.

So.... I'm going room by room looking for sentimental items and make a hard-copy list of things to take.  I'm also doing some photo-documentation for insurance purposes.  Not that I have anything of huge value.  My mother-in-law loads all of her dansko/keen shoes in a basket and takes them when she evacuates.  The collection is truly could NOT be replaced.  And involves some cash outlay.  So if any of you have fur collections lurking in your closet... document away. 

Here's what I found in the dining room.....

A picture of me with Niki that I need to make sure I scanned.

A little creamer set that was my grandmothers.... definitely not an emergency grab but something I would save if I had a day to pack up.  Also the horned door knocker..... from Hot's family.

A lovely framed poster but not pricey or particularly sentimental.... on the one-day list.

Another lovely piece of art by Mike Capser.... not sure of the value.... framed... maybe a couple of hundred dollars.... again... the one-day list.

This shot shows Hot's hat collection that has migrated to the outside of the coat closet.... I put the hanger up and he was so excited, "YEAH!  I LOVE this.  What a great idea.  Why didn't you do this before?"  My response.... I hate it.  It is completely a compromise of marriage.  My purse is in the closet and my cell phone is on the shelf.  These are things that are important to grab... definite 5 minute evacuation items.

There are also some deer antlers on the table.  All antlers are on the one-day list as far as I'm concerned... I may get debate about that from Hot.  Not much of value in the closet... maybe Hot's hunting boots?

The kitchen contains only a few sentimental items..... an antique liquor thing on top of the fridge and two pieces of serving silver from Hot's family.  All on the one-day list. 

Ok... I'm getting tired.  I'll work on the laundry room and bathroom tomorrow night.  Then on to the exciting living room and bedrooms.... oh... then the garage... that will take some time.



Pondering the Possible Emergencies....

So.  72-hour packs.

There are different needs for different emergencies.  Wildfires are location-specific.  I can survive with a credit card.  But an earthquake requires a true survival pack.  And a middle-of-the-night house fire is a different thing altogether.

So.  Step 1. 

Let's list our possible emergencies.

Wildfire
House Fire
Earthquake
Tornado
Hurricane
Flood
Power Outage

We won't go into active shooter, explosions or terrorist attacks.

What other emergencies would you like to cover?

Emergency Packs

5-1-5-0

It is f-ing cray-zay around here. 

Fire.  Fire.  Fire. 

Daycare is evacuated.  I haven't seen Hot for days. 

So.  I'm thinking.

72-hour packs are a hot topic in my world these days.... at work and at  home. 

So we are going to do a project.

Who is with me?