Preparing Evacuation Plan

Introduction – Who Needs An Evacuation Plan?

Answer: EVERYONE NEEDS AN EVACUATION PLAN!

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙜. 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚.

I wrote about evacuation plans on my Facebook page and feed in March of last year. If only people had paid attention. But they thought, it wouldn’t happen to them. And then the fires from the lightening strike happened, and many people lost their homes. They were not prepared. They didn’t have an evacuation plan.

I urge you to please PREPARE yourselves. MAKE AN EVACUATION PLAN!!! It’s so very important to have the right stuff in your To Go Bag. It’s so important to update your plan! Have a drill for all of the family members in your household. Who will be in charge of what.

As we begin to make our evacuation plan, I know there is a lot involved and can seem downright overwhelming. Please don’t give up. If you do nothing else, please do what’s stated on the photo. Feel free to print and share. The more people who know, the more people will be prepared.

I’ve only lived through two of these disasters, and the fire that destroyed my home was the worst. Don’t think it can’t happen to you, because it can. I hope to God it doesn’t, but best to be prepared.

Here are a list of links to look at for making evacuation plans for different types of disasters. Some states are more prone to these than other states. For example, California doesn’t have hurricanes and tornadoes.

Earthquakes

https://www.quakekare.com/earthquake-preparedness/make-an-earthquake-plan

https://www.ready.gov/earthquakes

Fire

https://www.ready.gov/firedrill

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Preparedness/Escape-planning

Flood

https://www.ready.gov/floods

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/flood.html

Hurricane

https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/before.html

https://www.travelers.com/resources/weather/hurricanes/hurricane-survival-guide

Tornado

https://www.ready.gov/tornadoes

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/tornado.html

ESCAPE ROUTE

Make an escape route from your house. Here are two links to help you with this plan:

https://www.travelers.com/resources/weather/emergency-preparedness/emergency-evacuation-planning

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/make-a-plan.html

If you have children, elderly, or disabled people living with you – make sure they understand and know what to do during an evacuation. It may be helpful to download pictures from the internet.

If you are elderly and/or disabled and living alone, do you have a neighbor you can call in case of an emergency? If there is a natural disaster, will they be able to help you? It’s much better to check now than when a disaster strikes. Ask your doctor and/or family member if you need help on what to do.

Also, you should plan in advance on what to do in case of emergency:

If you and/or your spouse are at work
Your children are at school (and if they go to different schools)
Your children are at summer camp
You’re on vacation

Your GO BAG

A Go-Bag should be a waterproof large duffle bag or backpack^ (not a cumbersome suitcase.) Clothes should be kept in plastic bags, sealed tightly with excess air squeezed out. You can use space saver bags, but not for jackets, down, or wool. Either have 1-2 duffle bag(s) that parents will be responsible for or a backpack that each family member will be responsible for.

How To Waterproof Go Bag

Spray on a water repellent and apply a seam sealer
Put your stuff in individual plastic bags
Line your backpack with a plastic bag or liner
Use a backpack rain cover
Put your backpack inside a dry bag

** Read here for more information.

Example of What To Pack in your Go Bag

Each family member should have the following: at least one change of clothes for each of the four seasons. These clothes should be comfortable and durable. Babies, toddlers, seniors and the disabled have special needs: pack accordingly and check with your family doctor.

4 pairs of underwear
4 pairs of socks (at least 2 pairs of warm socks)
Women/Girls: 1-2 bras
4 pairs of pants/jeans
+-1 pair of shorts
+-1 tank top
1 short sleeve shirt
1 long sleeve shirt
1 warm sweater or zip up hooded sweatshirt
Thermals: top and bottoms
1 waterproof jacket (for the coldest weather in your area)
1 rain poncho
swimsuit/trunks
1 bath towel
1 pair mittens/gloves
1 knit hat/beanie
1 scarf
+-1 pair of warm pajamas: top and bottoms
+-1 pair of waterproof sandals (closed toed)
1 pair of sturdy waterproof boots
+- snow gear if you live where it snows
Flashlight with extra batteries

One Sewing Kit per Family

You can pick up a sewing kit at any pharmacy for less than $10, or use the guide below:

Sewing needles of various sizes
Thread
Needle threader
Safety pins of various sizes
Measuring tape
Buttons

Toiletries Kit

I’m sure you are probably wondering why a toiletries kit is even worth packing. But would you go on vacation without one? No, and you shouldn’t leave home without one during a disaster either. There are some important things in a toiletries kit that may or may not be in a kit at an emergency shelter. Why take that chance while you’re planning and packing now? Plus if you or your family has any allergies to certain soaps or lotions, better to be prepared now.

Keep your toiletries in clear zip up plastic bags in a canvas bag marked as “Toiletries“ or in a sturdy clear zip up bag inside your Go Bag. If you have more than one Go Bag, decide on which bag it’s going to go in. You might want to make the main Go Bag a different color than all of the others.

Some of the items in your toiletries kit will also be in your first aid kit and are marked with *. You don’t have to double up on these items, but make sure you have them in either your toiletries kit or your first aid kit.

Example of what to pack-

1 toothbrush for each family member with a cap on the brush part to prevent germs
Toothpaste
Dental floss/picks
Mouthwash
Shampoo +- conditioner
Soap* in container
Washcloths or bamboo paper towels^
Hairbrush and comb
+- Hair clips, rubber bands, bobby pins
Cotton swabs*
Cotton balls*
Deodorant
Nail clippers
Tweezers*
Scissors*
Sunscreen*
Lip balm*
Lotion
Hand sanitizer*
Wet wipes*
Toilet paper
Tissues
Prescription medications and scripts
Photos (hard copies) of each family member
+-Razor, shaving cream, acrylic mirror
+-Contacts, contact solution, contact case
+- (prescription) glasses and sunglasses, case
+-Menstrual pads*, tampons, panty liners
Cash in an old prescription drug vial^^

^ Bamboo paper towels are stronger than regular paper towels and can be laundered up to 5-6 times. They hold a lot more water, don’t tear easily, dry faster than washcloths, and can be used as bandages in a pinch.

^^ Store your cash (rolled up bills) in an old pill vial with the label still intact.

You can keep your sewing kit with your toiletries kit if this would be easier for you.

First Aid Kit

As most of you know a First Aid kit is vital to have in your medicine cabinet at home, but it’s vitally important to have one in your disaster go bag too. You could buy one, or you can make your own. If you decide to buy one, make sure it has the essentials and not a lot of stuff you don’t need. I did peruse some of the kits offered online, with the cheapest at around $15.00 and the most expensive at around $1000 – yikes! The cheapest didn’t have nearly enough of anything, and the most expensive had stuff that non-medical people would never use. Hence, it might be better if we make our own kit.

The following is an example list with the priority items listed first, the items with an * are items that may also be in our toiletries kit, and then the +- items we can purchase if we’d like.

What to Pack in your First Aid Kit

First Aid book
Whistle
+- Epi-Pen (if prescribed)
headlamp with extra batteries
thermometer, oral with case (if digital-pack extra batteries)
Poison Hotline 800-222-1222
Emergency phone numbers including family doctors and/or pediatricians
Medical consent forms for each family member ★https://images.app.goo.gl/smtPNdiZ2niK6VfG8
Medical history for each family member, including any allergies
local emergency service numbers
wound closure strips (Steri-Strips)
Quikclot gauze dressing
1-2 Ace bandages
bandages, various sizes
bandages, butterfly
2 gauze rolls, 2 x 2 in
2-4 gauze pads, sterile, 2 x 2 in
2-4 gauze pads, sterile, 4 x 4 in
1-2 Trauma pads (menstrual pads*)
2 pairs gloves latex free
+- 1-2 pairs sterile gloves
1 roll adhesive, waterproof
scissors, bandage*
tweezers*
Safety pins* various sizes
2 instant cold packs
petroleum jelly, squeezable tube* – for burns
cling wrap – for burns
zip lock bags to protect your documents and for waste products
wet wipes*
hand sanitizer*
cotton swabs*
cotton balls*
lidocaine
eye wash/sterile saline solution
antiseptic wipes, individually wrapped or isopropyl alcohol, 70%
hydrogen peroxide, 3%
insect repellent
sunscreen*
lip balm*
calamine lotion
hydrocortisone, 1%
aspirin, 325mg tablets
acetaminophen (Tylenol)
ibuprofen (Advil)
loperamide HCl (Imodium)
Pepto-Bismol
diphenhydramine HCl (Benadryl)
+- splints, variety or SAM splint
+- CPR breathing barrier
+- tourniquet
+- cough medicine/cough drops
+- N95 mask (according to the Red Cross)
+- Dramamine

As we have gone over quite a few kits in our Evacuation Plan Series, we mustn’t leave out the kit for our “Get-Away Vehicle.”

As with all of the other kits, I researched this as well. Looking and reading a bunch of different sites and taking the majority of the items listed.

Emergency Car Kit Checklist

Jumper cables
+- Battery starter with or without air compressor
Flares and warning triangles
Tire pressure gauge
Fuses
Flashlight and extra batteries
Headlamp and extra batteries
AM/FM radio with crank handle
NOAA weather radio
Snow shovel/snow chains
Reflective vest
Car jack/spare tire/lug wrench
Fire extinguisher
Phone charger
Ice scraper
Squeegee
Tow strap
Clay kitty litter, non-clumping
Mechanic rags
Multipurpose utility tool
+- Safety hammer
Compass
Local maps of area

You should also pack:

One gallon of water per person per day x 3-7 days
Manual can opener and can foods
High protein foods, snack bars, and snacks
Disposable plates, cups, utensils and plastic plates/bowls/cups and metal utensils ★https://www.amazon.com/SUBLIMED-Camping-Neoprene-Silverware-Flatware/dp/B07RDQ6YJP
Instant coffee (if you cannot live without coffee – it’s better than none)
Waterproof matches and lighter
Chlorine bleach or chlorine tablets
Bucket with tight-sealing lid
Liquid detergent
Umbrella
1 (Mylar) blanket for each family member
Knife
Proof of residency
Renter/home insurance coverage
Copy of health insurance, ID cards and birth certificates
Extra keys to home and vehicles
Permanent marker, paper, and tape

Now, I know what you’re thinking. How the heck are you going to fit all of this in your vehicle 🚗 along with everything else and your family too? It’s a lot! But some of these items are standard of what you should have in your vehicle regardless of any disaster. You can always keep the bigger items in your garage or shed, and then grab them when a disaster strikes.