One thing we have learned in the past week or so is that evacuations can happen at any time. Sure, sometimes there are warning signs, such as in the case of wild fires or hurricane warnings, but not always. In any case, if the need to evacuate your area arrises, you won’t have much time to get organized and get out. Being prepared with these tips can help you save some very important items and make gathering them up quick and easy.
1 – Keep your vehicle fueled up. I know, this is a long standing basic prepper concept, but it’s worth mentioning again. When the evacuation order comes, gas stations will close. Having enough fuel IN YOUR TANK can be the difference of making it to safety or not. Sure, having stored fuel is a good idea, and if you have time and space, you may want to throw a jerry can or two into the car, but not having to stop and pour it into the tank before you leave can save valuable time. In the case of electric vehicles, make sure to keep it fully charged.
2 – Pack and keep a bugout bag. Yup, another long standing prepper basic. Forget the bushcraft knives and fancy prepper gitch. Concentrate instead on clothing, water, food, etc. Don’t forget to change out the clothing with the seasons. This way you can have seasonal clothing at the grab of a bag, and change out clothing you have outgrown.
3 – Bag up your safe contents. Many of us keep important papers, expensive jewelry, cash and other valuables in a safe. Putting everything into a small gym bag makes it all grab and go, and keeps the contents hidden from view, and all in one place. Place everything into the gym bag, zip it up, and place the entire bag into the safe. If you remove any documents for temporary use, make sure to put them back in as soon as possible.
4 – Scan family photos and other favorite artwork then save them to a USB drive or CD-ROM. Sure, you may be leaving your home behind, but eventually you will be able to go home. If your house has been destroyed, having high definition digital copies of photos will help make your rebuilt house a home again. Photographing all your possessions and adding them to the drive/cd is also a great idea for insurance purposes.
5 – Keep a portable police scanner or ham radio that can receive emergency service frequencies in your car and charged up. If you can get a battery eliminator that allows you to power it from your cars accessory plug, all the better. This way you can keep up to date on what routes are clear, where evacuees are being directed, and be well informed on what is actually going on.
Evacuations can and do happen all the time. Just look at what’s going on in British Columbia right now, and keep an eye on the Maritime Provinces over the next few days. Taking a few steps before it happens can save you time and headaches both before and after the evacuation.