Hmm. I think it would take at least five minutes just to get the kids out, but if we assume grabbing both babies and the toddler and the preschooler takes 1 minute, the others would go to:
Both wallets
Blood monitor and insulin for Gnat
Important Documents drawer. The cd is brilliant- I might mention it to Mr. Lissar. We could scan birth certificates and so on.
Off topic, but I wonder if I could scan and save to Evernote. Probably not secure enough for important documents, now I think of it. Pity. It would be easy access and available anywhere.
Man, good thing I’m not married with no kids. All those posters using precious minutes to wake up lazy loved ones… suckers. Heh heh heh.
I’d take:
My cats
The entire contents of my “important stuff and papers” drawer dumped into a plastic grocery bag (it’s not perfect but it works)
My computer
My purse
My phone
Bag of water and non-perishable food Maybe pants.
Reminds me of a photo that came out a year or two back of a Marine in Afghanistan helping defend his base from an attack… kevlar helmet, body armor, rifle, flip-flops, and “I <3 NY” boxer shorts.
He joked that he might get in trouble for the boxer shorts because he was from Boston.
Husband / kids
Pets (husband/kids can grab the guinea pigs and throw 'em into a carrier)
Medications (all on a shelf in our bedroom)
Computer’s external hard drive.
Critical documents (passports etc.) are in the safety deposit box so no issues there (hmmm - should add key to box to things to grab).
You know, this thread is really making me think that having a “grab and go bag” is a good thing. It would make things easier if there was an emergency. Just the bag and the pets and get out.
I’d hate to lose some physical items that are dear to me, such as my grandmother’s candy dish. it’s not valuable at all, but it holds precious memories. However, living is more important than stuff.
This actually happened to me, though I had 30 minutes to get out.
We were evacuated during the San Diego wildfire of '03 (or was it '04?) We watched the fire come up over the ridge of a hill about four miles away and thought “nah, it can’t jump Mission Gorge valley and road, we’re fine.” An hour later the cops came through and issued a mandatory evacuation, everyone out in 30 minutes :eek:
We grabbed and threw into our two SUVs:
-3 large dogs w/their leashes and collars
-4 cats (two to a travel kennel)
-My desktop monitor and computer tower (my near-completion doctoral dissertation was on it! :eek:) Before disconnecting the computer, we sent out a mass “we have to leave, will call everyone later” email
-15 pairs of underwear (we were weirdly fixated on having a lot of underwear)
-A weird variety of mismatched clothing pieces and shoes
-One business suit (no dress shoes)
-The bill box
-Our birth certificates
-Our teaching credential certificates and graduate diplomas
-Social security cards
-All the photo IDs we could find in addition to driver licenses
-Auto and home insurance policies
-Mortgage papers
-Photo albums and my baby book
-Kitchen Aid mixer (partner was a gourmet cook and this thing was expensive! :))
-Framed family photos, esp of older generations
-Address books
-Purse/wallet
-Cellphone chargers
-Jewelry boxes
-Grandma’s music box
-RXs
-Extra keys (just grabbed out of junk drawer, don’t know what they all went to)
-Blankets and pillows
Before we left I hosed down the roof, turned the gas off at the main, and removed the pool cover (in case the water would slow down fire).
After we drove out of the evac area, we filled both cars up with gas, then got as much cash as the ATM would allow for withdrawal.
In case anyone is wondering, five days in a Super 8 motel with bored dogs and angry cats is not a lot of fun. At least we had plenty of underwear and a really nice kitchen appliance!
I had to stop watching the Colorado Springs fire coverage, it was traumatizing me. We spent five days in hell not knowing if the house survived – it did, but homes at the bottom of our hill were destroyed.
Yeah 5 mins is a lot more than I think it might seem. I can get out everything I really care about and then some. I also assume keys/wallet/cell phone are with me given that I have pants on.
It’s fairly easy to work into your normal life if you do a little planning. Besides the bags that are always in the vehicles (48 hours worth of stuff) we keep the camping bags/boxes packed and easily available. That extends supplies to a week or so without having to do anything but toss them in the truck. Essential papers are either someplace else, backed-up on-line, or in a fire-proof box that is made for evacuation. The biggest time-suck we would run into is getting the cats into the carriers.
When I was discussing this thread with the wife she mentioned a 30 second activity that should be the last thing done: pictures. Her final job during a bug-out would be to document each room of the house with a couple of quick, wide-angle photos. Last minute info for the insurance people.
Cats, passport/birth certificate, box of writing, laptops, kindle, rocks, wallet, phone. One laptop is already in a bag most of the time, along with my Kindle, and the second one I could just grab the charger and go with. Phone’s usually with me. Everything else is in specific places. My emergency credit cards are in with the rocks. Assuming I could find the cats in five minutes.
Why wait til last minute? Do it now! Chances are if anything urgent comes up, you won’t have that many differences in replaceable insured possessions, and even if you do, a slightly outdated photo is better than nothing (what if you don’t even have those 30 seconds).
Apart from my wallet, car keys and a phone (which are always in the corner of a table when I’m at home), I would grab my external hard disk and my synth - I’m a musician, all my music is stored in it (the synth is a size a of a VHS tape).
If I had enough time, I’d grab my collection of stamps, and a file with documents / contracts.
Baby, dog, strongbox (which holds our passports, insurance information and 1 TB external hard drive), wife’s medicines. Like others have said, I keep my phone, wallet and keys on me at all times, though I’d grab my wife’s purse if I can. Laptop(s) if possible.
My two external hard drives - it’s a simple matter to quickly disconnect their FireWire cables and power plugs and carry both in one hand. One drive is my backup drive, so contains everything on my computer, which means I can leave the computer behind. I can replace hardware; I can’t replace data.
In my other hand would be my irreplaceable Gibson acoustic guitar - it’s 40+ years old and was given to me by my grandfather.
How important is it to have a copy of your important papers? I always assumed that copies are available if it’s something I really need - I don’t even have any idea where my birth certificate is. I’m 50 and I don’t know that I’ve ever had it, my father kept these things in a fireproof box. Now both parents are gone, and I don’t know where it might be. I have my driver’s license, SS card, ATM and credit cards. I have the insurance info on the house, but my agent could get all that for me. I have copies of my mortgage, the house should be paid off in 5 years. I guess then I’d need to keep track of the deed.
(if there’s enough time left, that is…)