There is a scene from the rom-com “Leap Year,” in which Amy Adams is standing in her beautiful apartment in the midst of throwing a party when the fire alarm goes off. She stands there frozen, having absolutely no idea what to grab on her way out the door. Although the message in the movie is that she isn’t living the life she craves, for me that scene has always brought up something else— fear. More specifically, the fear that if I ever need to evacuate, I will be unable to make quick decisions that will allow me to gather the items that are most vital and precious. Several weeks ago, unimaginably destructive wildfires leveled entire Los Angeles neighborhoods, reminding me of how profoundly unpredictable living in our era has become. So I’ve been diving into learning about emergency preparedness and putting together a go bag.
Two things I notice almost immediately. First, there are a lot of useful resources out there; I’ve explored advice from the Red Cross, FEMA’s Ready.gov, Habitat for Humanity, and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, among others. I have a list called “The 6 P’s of evacuation” and one that has advice on items to take in an evacuation if you have 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours to get out. The Red Cross sells ready-made emergency kits for your car and your home, first aid kits, and more.
The second thing I notice is how weirdly enjoyable I find learning how to prepare for an evacuation or other emergency is. Addressing my fears head on feels good. Although I know that our weather disasters are no longer predictable based on historical precedent, it’s immediately clear to me that there are things I can do to improve our family’s chances of staying safe in emergencies. This is empowering; I find that once I get started, I want to keep going.
I start with an extra backpack I have lying around, and an old brochure from the Benton County Sheriff’s office for an emergency vehicle kit. Because it’s winter and it’s been so cold, I pack a warm layer of clothes, gloves, and an emergency blanket. I add water purification tablets, energy bars, a flashlight and headlamp, matches, and a four days worth of necessary meds. Then I get hand sanitizer, paracord, several respirator masks and a couple of heavy duty garbage bags.
There are things I need to add, so I make a list: a swiss army knife, a liter of water, an extra charger battery for phones, paper maps, and a basic first aid kit. I make a list of emergency contacts, bank account numbers, copies of my passport and driver’s license, and add some cash.
I decide on one last step for my go bag. To address the fear that movie scene brings up, I make a list of what to grab in the event of an evacuation where I have a few minutes to spare. I put a copy in my go bag and one on my bulletin board.
Here’s my list:
Keys, purse, checkbook and passport
Extra meds, glasses, water, and food
Laptop and charger
Cell phone and charger
Dog food, toys, leash, etc.
Bag of favorite clothes
Favorite photos
Important medical and financial records
Safety deposit box keys
This feels like a good start.
Next, I’ll start working on emergency supplies at home in case we need to shelter in place. I’ll write about that in an upcoming post.