Many of you know Mary, from our Denver team. A few years ago, Mary and her family experienced a truly terrifying situation. They were given Evacuation Orders after the “Marshall Fire” exploded in their area. This was a fire that was rapidly growing out of control, fueled by very high winds. Knowing that their home may become a casualty of the fire, they were suddenly faced with “OK, what do we take with us?”
This is a daunting thought at any time but multiplied when you are in the height of the crisis. When you are given orders to evacuate, you don’t have a lot of time to make a list or go through each room of your home selecting items of importance. Thankfully, their home was spared but the fire left mass destruction throughout the area. Mary and her family now have “GO” items, things they will be able to quickly grab if the situation ever arises again.
With the devastating fires burning out of control in California, many on-camera interviews with homeowners illustrated how many found themselves completely unprepared. They never anticipated a fire of this magnitude coming into the city, this was something that only happened in the foothills or rural areas. In hindsight, many expressed that they wished they had prepared an emergency bag of supplies in advance.
With the increasing severity of natural disasters in our country, now is a good time to evaluate how prepared you are, in the event you find yourself in an evacuation situation. Whether it is a hurricane, flood, fire or other emergency, consider putting together a “GO BAG” now. Here are some of the items experts agree you should have ready to go at all times:
Basic Supplies:
- At least 2 phone chargers
- Medications
- Passports/Birth Certificates
- Important Business Documents
- Legal pad and 2-3 ink pens
- 4-5 bottles of water / Energy bars / Snacks
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Home Insurance policy
- Wet Wipes
- N-95 Masks (order in advance or leftovers from Covid) This is especially important in case of fire
- Small irreplaceable family heirlooms (jewelry, coins, etc)
- Baby Formula / Diapers / 2 days baby food
- 3 days supply of Clothing
- Basic First Aid Items
Pets:
- Pet shoes for dogs (they may have to walk on broken glass, hot pavement or snow)
- Water bowl / food (you can buy collapsable bowls online)
- Pet medications
- Leashes
Items should be put in a large duffle or backpack, or a small suitcase on wheels. Another word of caution when evacuating: do not post your plans to evacuate your home online. This makes your home a target for thieves and looters. This is an ongoing problem right now in California, in neighborhoods that have been deserted.
Take video/photos of the contents of your home. This will be easier in the event you have losses; trying to remember everything in each room is easier with a visual reminder.
