How to evacuate in an emergency

Recently a friend asked how someone would evacuate in an emergency. Turns out, the answer isn’t all that simple.

I have a friend who escaped from a house fire with the clothes he had on: pajamas. Everything else burned up. He was happy he had the pajamas, and his life. Fortunately one of our friends invited him to stay with his family. In a month or two, he rented a furnished apartment and started over.

The kinds of emergencies that require us to leave, or evacuate, range from house fires to epidemics. What we can bring with us depends on the urgency of the evacuation and transportation available.

A house fire is the ultimate in urgency for evacuation. It’s possible to save family records only if they can be grabbed instantly on the way out the door. If you have a 72-hour survival kit by the door, that may be pretty helpful, too.

When we lived in Alaska we had a tiny building in the back yard. It had a bed, an electric space heater, a hotplate, a couple suitcases full of old but functional clothing and shoes, and some warm sleeping bags. We had learned from friends who lived out in the Bush that the worst thing that could happen was a fire. A “cache” of food, water, and clothing – in a separate location from our home – might save the day.

We had a VW bus, and in short order we could load the cache into it. If we had to leave, we could live in the VW bus for a while. We might look like bums in our old clothes, but at least we’d be warm. Fortunately, the worst never happened.

Down here in the Lower 48, and in East Texas, we still carry “survival kits” in our vehicles. Some water, some food, blankets, a first aid kit, and a change of clothes fill our minimum needs. We have some contractor-grade 55-gallon black plastic bags in which we can carry our gear. 

To read the full article, subscribe to the Canton Herald or pick up a copy from one of our vendors.