Just in Case (32 page)
There are generally two evacuation scenarios to consider. The first is grab and go. If your house is on fire or a tanker truck carrying a highly toxic material crashes in your front yard, there may be time only to grab your children, pets, and evacuation packs and run. This is why having evacuation packs fully loaded and accessible is so critical; we’ll discuss them later in this chapter.
In the second scenario, you may have some warning that a crisis event is likely, such as a hurricane or wildfire. In this case, you will have time to secure your home before you leave. In both cases, organization and planning are key to a successful evacuation.
WHERE TO GO
W
ELL BEFORE EVACUATION
is necessary, identify a destination. You want a location far enough away to provide protection, inland or on high ground for instance, but reachable on one tank of gas, as lines at the pump will be long, assuming gas is available at all. One to two hundred miles is a good distance. If at all possible, do not plan to rely on motels. They will fill up quickly and could become as uncomfortable as a public shelter. You could make a reciprocal arrangement with family or friends to shelter each other as necessary. A good camping site might even be workable.
It is a good idea to stash some supplies such as bedding, clothing, and toiletries at or near your destination. To save space, I purchased vacuum bags, which compress bulky items such as sleeping bags into flat packages. The bags have the added benefit of being water- and insect-proof. If you are packing for children, swap out the clothing at least yearly to accommodate growth. Take into account changing seasonal needs as well.
If you want to stash a considerable cache of goods, or if you cannot store goods at your chosen evacuation destination, you could rent a storage unit near that location. A unit with twenty-four-hour access will enable you to retrieve what you need, when you need it.
PUBLIC SHELTERS
After an evacuation, try to avoid public shelters. But if you find that, in spite of all your planning, you end up in a shelter, take some precautions. Keep your children and belongings with you at all times. Make sure adults take turns on watch duty. Don’t flash your emergency supplies where all can see. On the other hand, be willing to share. Try to team up with other families to form a small shelter community. You will be safer and happier with some support. Be a good citizen. Watch your children and try to keep them quiet and occupied. Refrain from playing loud music or arguing. Keep your area neat and offer to help if you can. Crisis can bring out the best in people, or the worst. Strive to be one of the good guys.
HOW TO GET THERE
O
NCE YOU HAVE
identified a location, get a detailed map and plan several possible escape routes to it. While the main roads might be the most direct routes, in heavy traffic, the less-traveled back roads might be a better choice. Drive the routes to be sure that you are familiar with them and that they are in decent condition. Being very familiar with your surroundings will be a real advantage if you’re evacuating under stress or in bad weather.
Evacuation is possible on foot, but not practical, especially if you are taking children along. Bicycles are not much better. Motor scooters and motorcycles are fast and maneu-verable and may allow you to exit even an urban center with standstill traffic jams, but you can’t carry much with you and inclement weather could pose a problem.
You’ll most likely choose to evacuate by car or truck. Make sure your chosen vehicle is in tip-top shape and, if possible, equipped with four- or all-wheel drive. SUVs are larger than cars, so you can carry a lot more gear. They also have a higher ground clearance, which may make it possible to drive over water that would stall a car. They are heavier, which gives the passengers better protection. The downside to SUVs, and it’s a big one, is the abysmal gas mileage, especially when the vehicle is fully loaded. If an SUV is your vehicle of choice, you might think about filling up the tank whenever it is three-quarters rather than half full.
A pickup truck is another option, and a good one, especially if it has a four-wheel-drive option and a cap. With a cap, you can store a lot of gear, and when the truck is emptied out, you have a good sheltered spot in which to sleep.
Whatever vehicle you choose, don’t skimp on it. Get the best suspension, tires, and batteries you can afford and keep an extra set of tires in storage. Worry less about the gizmos like DVD players, sound systems, and buttersoft leather upholstery and more about your car’s record for reliability.
Many family cars are just extensions of the family junk rooms, so cluttered with sports equipment, old fast-food wrappers, compact discs, toys, and miscellaneous clutter that they provide little room for passengers or necessary gear. Get in the habit of emptying your car every day. The only things that should be left in your vehicle are your emergency car kits (see page 88) and any other necessary supplies.
If you know that an impending storm or other disaster may make evacuation necessary, prepare your vehicle in advance. Make sure the gas tank is full. Park your car so that you can pull out of your garage or driveway without turning around. Park in a way that protects your car from hazards such as falling tree branches, blowing and drifting snow, or downed power lines that might block your access. Make sure all your emergency supplies have been replenished. Have a dedicated spot for car keys, but if evacuation seems imminent, have them in your pocket.
LEAVING IN A HURRY
If you have children, it is wise to hold evacuation drills. An evacuation drill is pretty much the same as a fire drill, except in this case everyone is free to leave via the main door and should pick up their evacuation pack (see below) on the way. As with a fire drill (see page 115), everyone should meet at a prearranged spot outside the house, such as the family car, a neighbor’s porch or yard, or a tree well away from the house. And to ensure that everyone gets out safely, get in the habit of leaving a pair of shoes and a flashlight next to every bed, and make clearing the floor of hazards such as toys and clothing a nighttime ritual.
GETTING READY TO LEAVE
M
AKE A LIST
of things to do to secure your home should you need to leave. Do not leave this to chance and your memory. It’s easy to forget important details when you are stressed. Well before any crisis, do a home walk-through to determine what you would want to shut down, close, lock up, or otherwise take care of if you were going to leave your home for an undetermined length of time. Locate your home’s electrical service and learn how to shut off the current to your home. Locate the plumbing pipes, drains, and shut-off valves. Do the same with your heating system. Label everything with a tag and assemble an emergency kit with the tools you would need to shut off water and utilities. Keep all owner’s manuals together with the kit. Should you have time before you evacuate, it will be an easy matter to check off each system as you take the necessary steps to protect it. Once a year, check to be sure all the shut-off valves are not rusted shut.
If there is time before you evacuate, make sure everyone leaves home with a full stomach, has a glass of water, and uses the bathroom. This goes for pets, too. Leave a note with the names of everyone going with you and your destination. Tape it to the refrigerator. Lock your doors and windows. Locks won’t stop a determined intruder, but they will deter the casual passerby, and having the house locked up might make you feel better about leaving.
EVACUATION KITS
W
EATHER EVENTS THAT
disrupt power and essential services are quite common in all parts of the country, so I am continually amazed that so few families prepare for them. News coverage of the 2007 California wildfire evacuations, for example, showed families, who had known for several days that evacuations might be possible, scrambling around and randomly tossing belongings into the trunk of the family car before making a hasty getaway. Chaos like that ensures that something vital will be left behind, and the stress isn’t good for anybody. Watch the news after a hurricane has been forecast. Supermarket shelves in the affected area are quickly depleted of supplies like water, nonperishable food, candles, and batteries. Long lines form for gasoline and hardware stores run out of plywood. It is as though no one has ever lived through such an event before or had reason to expect one in the future.
I can think of no part of the country that is immune from all natural disasters. Winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and mudslides are all common in one place or another. Too often, these crises leave families struggling, dependent on a combination of luck and outside help to get them through. In any case, being prepared can make the difference between relative comfort and real suffering. And as Hurricane Katrina taught us all, it is better to depend on yourself and your own resources than it is to assume that a government agency is going to rescue you.
Preparing for emergency evacuation is often less a matter of purchasing supplies than it is of gathering what you would need in a transportable pack and keeping it in a convenient place so you can grab it on your way out the door.
There are several sources for pre-packed three-day emergency kits. The price range is dramatic. Very basic kits can be had for as little as twelve dollars, while deluxe kits that contain everything from camp stoves to radios run to well over three hundred dollars. The smallest kits are nothing more than two tea bags, two bouillon cubes, two sugar packets, matches, a plastic bag, four hard candies, a square of aluminum foil, four fuel sticks, and a miniscule folded camp stove, sealed in a pull-top can that doubles as a pan. The whole thing fits in a glove compartment or coat pocket. I bought a couple of these and I was impressed at how much could be packed into one small can. If I was going on a hike I would definitely want one of these in my pocket.
While a purchased kit has some advantages, the most obvious being convenience, I prefer to individualize a kit for each family member. That way I can tailor the contents, not just to my family’s needs but also to take into account the types of weather and environment I am likely to encounter. Obviously, the needs of a family in rural Massachusetts in January are going to be very different from those of a family in west Texas in July.
The easiest kit to carry is an ordinary backpack. Excellent bags are available from Army-Navy surplus stores, but they can be very expensive. I had a few backpacks on hand and picked up the rest at a thrift store, checking for sturdy construction and dependable zippers. After a trip through the laundry in hot water and detergent, a day drying in the sun, and a new strip of reflective tape across the base, I had serviceable packs for under ten dollars. A coat of silicon spray made the packs rain repellent.
While thinking about what to pack in your bags, remember that you or your children might be carrying them for a considerable distance; you should keep the contents as light as possible. Have each family member answer this question: If I had to live out of this bag for three days, what things would I need to stay safe, warm, and healthy?
ADULT EVACUATION KIT
Flashlight (windup is best)