Do you have a prepared emergency kit?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

SF VIP
Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
People fleeing the L.A. fires report taking a prepared emergency kit with documents, account info, keepsakes etc. I have to admit that if there was emergency, I don't have anything prepared. That's dumb, considering when I lost my wallet and driver's license, I couldn't prove I was me.
Do you have an emergency kit? What should we take with us?
 

No.

It’s difficult to think of a one size fits all emergency kit.

I probably should put together a hospital ‘go bag’ because I don’t have anyone to act as a runner for me in the event of an emergency.

For natural disasters it would depend on the circumstances. If I can outrun it in my car then about all I need is cash. a credit card, my phone, and my medication.

If I have 10 or 15 minutes, I could probably pull it all together and be out the door.
 

When we were traveling around for 4-5 months of the year in our RV, we always had a "bug-out bag" prepared, especially the year we were ping-ponging around California dodging earthquakes and forest fires.

The bag went with us in the truck when we left the campground. We weren't guaranteed that we might be able to get back up the mountain, across the bridge, back into the city, etc. The rest of the time, it sat in the closet, ready to grab.

Money, paperwork, etc. The laptop went, too.
 
I have a briefcase with some stuff in case I had to snatch something in a hurry.
But there is much more I'd try to grab, that isn't in that briefcase.
I also have a lockable fireproof file box.

With the fires in California being big news, I did check the batteries in my smoke detectors yesterday.
 
Emergency kits should be comprised of 2 types: one medical and one documents. Deeds, leases, IDs, list of meds you take, bank accounts numbers...you get it.

Medical should be your meds, needles and insulin, things like that. Then you should have what is called a "jump Bag" with asprin, bandages, splints, 4x4's, etc for a true medical emergency. A look up will provide you with the items.

I was a medic on the rescue squad where I lived in Md and VA and literally never went anywhere without my jump bag.
 
We lived on the 16th floor of a DC high rise when Andrew hit. Then Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma.
Box not bottle of wine and a case of water and a hard pilot case with medical supplies including tourniquet. Our life is in my purse.
The pi?It case saved a woman's life in Georgia who did not wear seat be!t and took a rather hard tumble. Doctor, nurses in cars but nobody with an iv.
I recall Miley with her purse around her neck, life jacket and holding onto both of her kids in life jackets on a sail boat during a Chirocco in the Yugoslav Islands. This did not last long as someone had to undo the genoa.
 
We got a Sentry Document Case (fire-proof and waterproof) for our important documents.
Helps us keep documents like Passports, marriage license, birth certificates, etc. all in one place.
Lightweight and has a handle, in case we have to leave quickly.

(I put a 'My Little Pony' sticker over the Sentry name and other kid stickers all over the case, to fool any bad guys who break into
the house).
 
I don't have anything prepared, and I've been hauled out of my home and into an ambulance 3 times. And all three times, I never thought of what I should take with me. I took nothing. Try existing without a credit card, today.
I definitely going to make copies on all my documents to take with me.
 
Yes, I do. One in the car, similar to CooCooforCoCoPuffs and two at home. (One containing all the important papers, one for hurricane).
 
Residents at risk of the fire in LA were told (via text and PSAs) to prepare "evacuation bags" and advised what to pack.

I've kept an emergency back-pack in the trunk of my car for years. I go through it every few years to see if I need to replace anything that's used up, expired, leaking, or tattered.

It contains a first-aid kit, flares, a propane stove, collapsible mess kit, a big multipurpose axe-knife-tools thing, a little tackle-box, fire-starters, a couple blankets, 2 flashlights, rope, and a tarp.

I've only ever had to use the first-aid kit and 2 or 3 flares. I drove up on a one-car accident, and helped the driver and her 2 little kids until police and first-responders got there. That was in 1987 or 8, when I was still a licensed nurse.
 
I have some important documents scanned and stored in the Cloud (online). I did that before we went on vacation to Europe, just in case. That includes photos of all our furniture, electronics, musical instruments, and pretty much everything in the house so in the event the house burned down, we'd have proof for insurance purposes. I don't own anything that's not replaceable.
 
Yes. We live in fire prone country. The gas tank is kept at minimum half full all year round.

We both keep a suitcase packed with a change of clothes, shoes, spare glasses, etc. First aid kit. Most of our important papers are in the safe deposit box at the bank. These suitcases are stored in the garage along with a box of canned food, water, etc.

A weeks supply of daily meds are handy in our regular suitcases so it’d be that or take as much medicine as possible. I’d grab this, my phone/ipad and purse and go.

For all this forethought, it didn’t apply when we had to run from our house years ago when there was a fire nearby. Any wind and our whole neighbourhood would have been gone.
 
Living in a place where the likelihood of a natural disaster is very low, I lean more toward preparing to "shelter in place" rather than "grab & go". I always keep at least a half tank of fuel in each vehicle, plenty of fuel for the generator, and have a well stocked first aid kit.

If for some reason we were unable to leave our home, we could get by for over a month with no problem. If the house were to burn, our important papers wouldn't be lost.
 
We have a generator filled with gas and a few Jerry cans filled with gas. We have enough food to last at least 1/2 a year. My husband can catch fish. It would be a boring diet but doable. We’d probably do better if we slept downstairs near the wood stove. We have plenty of books and games to keep us occupied. We have 4 definite sources of heat in our house. We have walking paths on our property which we could rely on. Unfortunately I only have 4 to 6 months worth of medication.
 

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