Emergency Survival & Evacuation Planning

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Evacuation Planning - Don't Leave It For The Last Minute

Most people don't expect to be forced from their home by disaster, but it can happen. By then it is too late to prepare.

In July 2007 a forest fire broke out less than a mile from my home, and I had to get ready to leave in case the fire came my way. I was lucky to have a few days to collect valuables and store them somewhere safe.

In November 2008 thousands of families living near Santa Barbara and Los Angeles weren't so lucky. They were forced to flee their homes with only five minutes notice. Unfortunately when the firestorms were over, many of them had no home left to return to.

In this lens you'll find some common sense ideas on how to prepare an evacuation plan for your family. Hopefully you'll never have to use it, but in case you do, the evacuation planning effort will be worthwhile.

Prepare Now!

Nobody expects a disaster but by the time you have one, it is too late to prepare. Get ready now.

Why Evacuation Planning Is Needed 

Evacuations may happen because of any of the following reasons:

  1. Fires
  2. Floods
  3. Volcanic eruptions
  4. Cyclones, Tornadoes, Hurricanes
  5. Earthquakes
  6. Mudslides, rockslides
  7. Military attacks
  8. Terrorism
  9. Bombings
  10. Nuclear accidents
  11. Aviation crashes
  12. Train or auto accidents
  13. Viral outbreaks
  14. Industrial accidents

Crisis Preparedness 

Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival

Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Your Transportation 

...how will you leave, and where to?

If you own a car, keep it full of gasoline.

If you don't own a car, do you know where buses will leave from? Find out.

Figure out ahead of time where you'll be going. If need be, get maps.

Pack In Advance 

Years ago I loved to travel on the weekends, so I always had the trunk of my car packed and ready to go. There, I had a tent, sleeping bags, an ice chest, clothing, first aid kit, tools, and everything else I might need. As you can imagine, this would make a sudden evacuation very easy to accomplish.

Too many people are unprepared for evacuation. They may wake up in the middle of the night with an officer at the door giving them only a few minutes to get out. They are directed to evacuation centers where they get help if they are without adequate supplies. If you value your privacy, you do NOT want to go there!

It is much better to be prepared. Even though I no longer pack the trunk of my car, I have a sturdy backpack (you could use a suitcase) full of vital necessities including what I call an 'emergency food supply' consisting of snacks like salted peanuts and energy bars.

A Survival Handbook 

SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea

Amazon Price: (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Safeguard Your Information

You can put all your vital information into one place for easy retrieval if you need to grab it as you run out of the house.

Your Information Binder 

Here's an idea for something you can make ahead of time, that will help you whether you're at home or off in the boonies with only a few supplies, and no home to go back to.

What to include:

Addresses and telephone numbers - include family, friends, schools, banks, insurance, and whatever else you may need.

Financial Records - this will include your personal and/or business bank account information, checks, credit cards, tax returns, and whatever else fits in your particular case. Be sure to record all important account numbers for each bill you regularly pay, insurance, banks, etc.

Inventory - make an inventory of your property. Include serial numbers, locations, brands, make and model numbers, etc.

Gather all this information together ahead of time. If you're forced to evacuate, grab the binder on the way out the door. And if you never have to evacuate, lucky you! You'll have a well-organized binder with all this essential information.

Provisions

What to take with you and what to leave behind.

Things To Take With You 

...don't be unprepared.

Here are some things you will find useful, so pack them now:

1. Clothing - natural fibers (wool or cotton)

2. Toiletries

3. Eyeglasses/sunglasses

4. Medications (in original containers)

5. First aid kit

6. Sleeping bags

7. Pillows

8. Communication equipment such as a radio and cell phone

9. Your valuables such as photos, jewelry, or whatever else you own that means a lot to you

10. Your information binder - see instructions above

A Backpack Suggestion 

...this is what I do.

I keep my backpack fully loaded in a corner of my bedroom closet. All my essentials are there, and if I need to get out FAST I can grab it and sling it over my shoulder, grab the information binder on my way out the door, and head to safety well-supplied.

OD Vintage Star Backpack

You can buy this backpack from OutInStyle.Com

Sleeping Bags - Everyone Needs One! 

Coleman Fairmont Sleeping Bag (Purple)

Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Coleman Rimstone Sleeping Bag

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Coleman Sleeping Diva Sleeping Bag with Liner

Amazon Price: $21.99 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Food To Take 

Yes, food and water are essential. Here are a few items I recommend:

1. Bottled water - as much as you can take

2. Water purifier

3. Energy bars

4. Nuts

5. Dried fruit

6. Canned fruit, veggies, etc.

7. Organic dark chocolate (essential for fighting off depression, especially for women!)

Survival Kits 

Food/Water Supply Kit

This kit is a personal-sized survival package that supports one person for up to three days. Each kit includes a "space blanket", plus a three-day supply of food and water.

The Upgrade:

Food/Water Plus Supply Kit

Supports one person for three days with over 30 items including: food and water with a five-year shelf life, a first aid kit, hand warmer, light stick, safety matches, candle, and blanket.

You can buy these from OutInStyle.Com. They also have a variety of other sizes of disaster survival kits including one that supplies a group of ten people for three days.

Basic Survival Shelter Using An Emergency Blanket 

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Pets!

Your pets will need special care, so be prepared!

Don't Forget To Prepare For Your Pets 

Your pets will be safer with you than if they are left at home. Be ready to take them. Here's what you'll need:

1. Pet carriers

2. Pet food

3. Bottled Water

4. Leashes

5. Collars or Harnesses - I found that a small-dog harness was perfect for my cat in this situation.

Your Home

What to leave with your home, and certain things you should do to make sure your home is ready for emergency workers.

What To Leave WITH Your Home 

When you leave, put a note on your door stating what day and time you evacuated, who told you to go, and where you might be located. Leave your cell phone number if you have one, and if not, an emergency contact person's phone number.

If anyone who lives in the home was unaccounted for, leave their name and where they might be found. You can also mention any pets you couldn't find to take with you.

With this note leave a list of potential hazards such as fuel tanks.

Leave the door unlocked if there might be rescue workers needing shelter.

Turn off the gas.

Keep your electricity on, and leave the outdoor lights on.

If there's a forest fire, place a sprinkler on your roof, but don't turn it on. Connect all hoses to outdoor spigots. This will help firefighters when they arrive to defend your home.

Close all windows and shutters, and remove flammable curtains if there's threat of a fire.

More Information...

The poll, the links... all that.

Poll: Have You Been Evacuated? 

...has this ever happened to you?

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More great lenses about emergency preparedness... 

Evacuation Kit 

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More Evacuation Advice 

Prepare.org | What You Can Do to Prepare for a Disaster
Preparedness information for vulnerable populations, including seniors, children, people with disabilities and mobilities issues, and people with pets, service animals or livestock
FEMA: Evacuation Plans
Get prepared to drive to safety.
Prepare for Evacuation: Household Tips
Are you ready for any everyday emergency or natural disaster? Learn emergency preparation and disaster planning tips.
Preparing for an Evacuation
How to prepare for evacuation.
Disaster Evacuation Supply Kit
PDF file - how to create a disaster evacuation supply kit.

Your comments are welcome! 

Tell me what you think:

Michey wrote...

This is very useful lens, especially if you live in California. Like it
Thanks
Michey

ReplyPosted August 14, 2009

LaraineRose wrote...

Linda you have done a wonderful job on this lens. I am a volunteer with the Crisis Center in the Okanagan Valley. We have had two huge fires here this summer. One fire is still burning but not threatening homes right now .. everyone around the area is on alert though. An electric storm is on it's way so more fires are expected. I wish everyone had a list like this one you have prepared. It is sad though, many don't even half try to prepare.

You might add .. If you have a motorhome or trailer it could be stocked ahead of time for an emergency.
5*s and favorite .. for sure!

ReplyPosted August 12, 2009

Ener-G wrote...

Linda, you present this info in a very compact way...it makes it easy to recognize what areas we're unprepared in. And I just realized...I answered the Poll wrong! We did have to evacuate a home that was burning. All I had time to grab was my son. We lost one pet in the fire. By a lucky coincidence my massage table was still in my car so I still had that but not much else but what I ran out in. The Red Cross were great at helping us regroup including paying for my new glasses.

ReplyPosted December 20, 2008

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

We're better prepared in the summer due to the threat of hurricanes. I have to admit that evacuation routes due to fires and such haven't been reviewed in awhile. I'll be correcting that problem shortly.
Thanks
Lizzy

ReplyPosted December 08, 2008

spirituality wrote...

Great lens - these are some valid points :)

ReplyPosted July 28, 2008

ThomasC wrote...

A well done lens! Worthy of 5 stars! Great Job!
ThomasC

ReplyPosted July 24, 2008

The_Homeopath wrote...

Really well presented information. I'm in a relatively low-risk location for evacuation, but I always have plans in the back of my head - hook up the horse trailer, load horses, goats, dog, cats, and ferret, put kids in truck, grab essentialls and go! Scary to think about, but better to at least have some idea of what I'd need to do. Of course, I'm really bad at driving a stick, so manuevering the truck would be interesting, but I'd survive.

ReplyPosted June 27, 2008

awelldressedbullet wrote...

Great info!

ReplyPosted June 17, 2008

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This page created by Linda Jo Martin of:
Perspectives on Writing
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by LindaJM

I live in the Klamath River Valley of Northern California. I've seen and experienced disasters here: fires and floods. Knowing how quickly and unexpec... (more)

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