# You have to evacuate right now. What 5 things do you take with you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895 "2006-04-23T21:52:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Silence\_of\_the\_clams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silence_of_the_clams)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/41 "2006-04-25T15:02:29Z")
If I had to just run out of my office and grab five things I guess I would get my stubbyholder, aaaaand the windowplant, aaaaand the snuffbox, aaaaand my coffecup aaaaaand the jacket, and I would probably detour via the lunchroom to fill the coffecup, then I would continue evacuating. Maybe I would run inside again to get the whole coffemug if the firetruck had’nt arrived yet. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/42 "2006-04-25T15:24:03Z")
Oh, wow. Um. My laptop, a box of my DVDs and favourite books, a towel, a picture of my family all together, and my dog. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/43 "2006-04-25T15:26:51Z")
That reminds me, I need to keep a backpack with all my important papers and belongings in it. Even if I put the backpack in a file cabinet or safe, it’s easy to grab and go. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/44 "2006-04-25T16:38:38Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] That reminds me, I need to keep a backpack with all my important papers and belongings in it. Even if I put the backpack in a file cabinet or safe, it’s easy to grab and go. [/QUOTE] Me too. I have to say, reading through this has really made me realize I had better spend some time going through the accumulated crap that is my life and try to make some kind of sense out of all of it “just in case”. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/45 "2006-04-25T17:22:38Z")
Lesse, my wallet, keys and cell phone are always on me, so I’m not counting them. I’d prop the door open on the way out so the pets would make it out (they’re always looking to get outside anyway). I’ll assume “family members” is a given, so I’ll leave it to my wife to grab our daughter. That leaves me to grab: My laptop My wife’s laptop The external backup hard drive My media bag (camera and camcorder) The safe with all our important documents This list reflects reality. If I could grab _any_ five items, then I’d leave behind the backup HD (just about everything on there is already on one of the laptops anyway), and grab our television. This would take some suspension of disbelief, however, as 65" widescreen sets aren’t really suited to “grabbing on the way out the door”. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/46 "2006-04-25T17:40:41Z")
From what I’ve heard from folks I’ve known, family photos – especially of deceased loved ones, who won’t be posing for any new takes, are the things people miss the most after a fire or total loss. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/47 "2006-04-25T18:02:57Z")
My sorry ass is of course the first priority, but I suppose that doesn’t count. Well, then - iPod, phone, wallet… Two more to go? My hard drive, if I have the time to unscrew it / yank it out. And my keys. Yeah, probably pointless, I know, but as I have a front door that locks itself automatically when I close it, I have a developed a severe phobia against leaving the house without my keys, that I probably wouldn’t be able to overcome. Note that I don’t have pets, kids or a large porn collection. Those would of course be on top of the list if I did. ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/48 "2006-04-25T18:24:24Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] Oh, wow. Um. My laptop, a box of my DVDs and favourite books, a towel, a picture of my family all together, and my dog. [/QUOTE] Yes, don’t forget the towel. How could I have forgotten my TOWEL! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895/49 "2006-04-25T19:14:53Z")
[This article](http://www.theothersideofkim.com/index.php/tos/single/grab_and_go_bag_ii/) may be of interest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-evacuate-right-now-what-5-things-do-you-take-with-you/353895.md?page=2)