Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The "If There's Time" List

Hundreds evacuated as storms batter Calif. - USATODAY.com: "Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are preparing to go door-to-door Wednesday morning to order people out of their homes as another powerful storm moves toward foothill communities at risk of mudslides and flooding."

Are you ready to leave your home because it may be destroyed.
A 72 hour kit is great but it is for personal survival in case of a come as you are emergency.
There are probably some things you haven't thought about putting in it in a case like this. The good thing is that there is plenty of warning this time.

The problem that happens in a case like this is that you are rushing around trying to get everything together and you'll run right past the things you know you want. The sentimental items that you have out that you see every day but don't think about much any more since you see them everyday.
You don't want to be driving past the checkpoint and then remembering you forgot the family photo book on the mantel.

You may want:
Family photos
Sentimental items
Antiques or hard to replace items
Computer backups or the computer itself

You don't have to keep them in a box by the door, but you should go through the house and make a list of the items and where they are. You could even take pictures.

Now print up a checklist and put it at the top of your 72 hour kit.

This way when there is a mandatory evacuation it will take you mere minutes to collect all the important items you don't want to forget and you can be calm because you did the work beforehand and didn't forget anything important to you.