I’m a strong proponent of checklists. They’re a great way to make plans and stay focused, particularly if you’re stressed. Should you need to evacuate your home, that’s definitely going to be a high-stress situation.
It’s important to understand that not all evacuations are done at the drop of a hat. Sure, there are times when immediacy is required. For example, a train derails nearby and spills toxic chemicals. However, let’s say it’s a wildfire. You may have a few hours or more before you need to be out the door. If it’s a hurricane, you could have days, maybe even a week, to get everything organized.
We’ve talked about evacuation kits and the need for them. But there may be things you don’t normally keep in such a kit that, if you have the opportunity, you’ll want to take with you. Likewise, given time, there may be a few things you’ll want to do around the house before you leave.
15 Minutes or Less
In this instance, you have little to no warning. You need to vacate with a quickness. You might include on your list:
- Wallet, purse
- Keys
- Cell phone
- Emergency cash
- Pets (with leashes and carriers)
- Medications
- Defense weapon
- Evacuation kit
30-60 Minutes
This next level assumes you have upwards of an hour to pack and head out. This would be situations like you live in wildfire country and were just alerted that one is getting dangerously close to your area. At this stage, you might include on the checklist:
- Valuable/sentimental jewelry
- Clothing for a few days, particularly underwear and socks
- External hard drive where you’ve been backing up your data regularly
- Personal hygiene kits
- Cases of bottled water
- Snacks/food
One Day or More
This might be a situation where a hurricane is giving your town the stink eye as it approaches landfall. Forecasters can usually give residents at least a day or two of warning, often much longer lead times. While you’ll have a good amount of time, you are likely going to be limited in terms of storage space in your vehicle, so you’ll still need to prioritize what goes on the checklist. But, some examples of things you’ll want on the checklist may include:
- Family photo albums
- Food from the refrigerator/freezer, stored in coolers
- Heirlooms
- Firearms, knives, other valuable collections
Tasks
Along the way, at various stages, you may have tasks that should be done. Consider adding to the appropriate checklist things like:
- Turn off all non-essential devices
- Turn off utilities
- Board up windows
- Deploy other security measures
- Ensure all doors and windows are locked
When an emergency hits, checklists can help keep you on task and prevent you from forgetting something important. Give each level some thought and come up with a workable list that suits your individual situation. Keep it somewhere handy, such as taped to the back of a closet door.
You could even go so far as to create an individual list for each room and have it available either in that room or as a master list kept somewhere convenient. Should an emergency arise, assign each family member a room and get to work.
