What would you take with you?

[Diana Erhart]

Today, a wildfire broke out only about 7 miles from our home.  Over 100 acres burned along with 8 houses being totally destroyed and 20 severely damaged.  Although the fire is now contained it is still not under control.  The weather here in Austin is very dry and the wildfire danger is very real right now.  This got me thinking and I am making a list of the things that I would grab and take with me if we had to evacuate in a hurry.  Of course I have the normal "house" things on my list....important files, pictures, etc....but then I started thinking that maybe I should have an "emergency" pack of things for Charlie.  For those of you who have something like this already in place, what all do you have in your emergency pack?  I never really gave this much thought before and I guess I should have as you never know around here with tornados and now wildfires.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I have a kit in the car for Jack, it has two weeks worth of food, a gallon of water, extra blankets, leashes and a complete dog first aide kit. I have copies of his current shots in my glove box.  I have a a few bowls and flash lights.

[Jena ~ Dublin]

Wow Jennifer you are totally prepared for Jack, that is a great idea, just keep it in there!  I just have one concern, what about YOU?  lol...get your stuff in there too it is important you have your med stuff in the glove box too.....just sayin'

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

We have a list in a drawer by the front door of things to quickly grab : Phones with chargers, Medicines, cash, pictures and also a list of our insurance numbers and back accts.  In our barn we have coolers with food (plus a bag of dog food)and water and flashlights and sleeping bags.  You can get emergency supply lists online.  We are on the west coast, so have to prepare for fire, earthquakes or tsunami (Yikes!).  Also, we put on our calendar every six months to switch out the food. Do it now and you will have peace of mind.

[Lynn D.]

Jeanne, that is great that you switch out the food every 6 months. Do you ever have any issues with bugs/mites with the food being out in the barn? Is the emergency  list something you came up with or printed off the net?

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

Check out this web page

http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/

Also, reading through these responses there are great ideas especially related to animal care.  We have everything in coolers to keep out bugs.We put the switch out date on the calendar because when we went to update our supplies, it had been about 5 years and we had to throw everything out and start over. Also, you may want to check out CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)at the fire dept.  It is classes on how to be prepared and also help your neighbors in time of emergency.  Most police, fire depts and public health workers will be overwhelmed and the more you can take care of yourself and your neighbors, the better chance you will have of survival.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I started to put together and earthquake kit not too long ago.... though it still isnt complete. For the animals I have a spare leash and collar, lots of dog and cat food, water. I would grab Coopers harness and the cat kennel, though i dont think all 3 cats would like to be squished in there together. Id probably put the kitten in his harness and leash and carry him. For us I have food, water, small wind up light, first aid kit, sleeping bag, blanket, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitizer, "girl products"..... lots more to organize still....

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Wow, looks like yo got lots of advice-thanks for posting this it will help lots of people.

I think that it depends where you live the stuff you need to be prepared for. My aunt got "STUCK" in the blizzard in WI this February and she (among others) got stuck after her shift at 11pm and was SO close to making it home but got stuck. She sat there (panicked) nobody could really help because the snow was too hight to drive in. My mom kept talking her throught it but the cell was dying (no charger) and she sat there until mid morning (she had to "go" in her pants outside the van) This occured to me that this could happen to me on the way to or from work so it inspired me to put this big old bag of "stuff" in  the car for myself-but until right now I never thought of the DH or the doodle stuff! They could be with me duh! Thanks so much for posting and I hope all is well with your family.