Advice from the Emergency Response Team Inc. - What to Do If You Have to Evacuate Your Home

I'd like to thank the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Los Angeles County Fire Department, City of La Canada Calif., and San Gabriel Valley Volunteer Emergency Response Team Inc. for teaching me and my family how to be prepared for emergencies. What I have to share with you here is some of the things I have learned. While it is not a complete guide to emergency preparedness it will help you to be prepared in the event you must evacuate your home.

Put together a 72 hour "go kit". A large duffel or tote can be used to store your supplies. This kit should contain :

Basic First Aid Kit- You want things to control bleeding and cover minor wounds - Absorbent dressings, roller gauze, bandages, bandage scissors, first aid tape, and rubber or latex gloves. Include one or two sanitary napkins or disposable diapers in your first aid kit. They make a great absorbent dressing for deep wounds. If you don't normally use these products ask a neighbor who does to supply you with a few and offer to trade extra supplies you may have to help them be prepared to evacuate. You may want to expand your first aid kit depending on your level of training.

Tool Kit - flashlights, work gloves, dust mask, goggles, duct tape, rope, markers, & a multi use tool (folding pliers with screwdriver, knife and other attachments)

A complete change of clothing for each family member including , long pants, long sleeve shirt, jacket, sweater, or coat, sturdy shoes & extra set of under garments & socks.

Consider any special needs like personal hygiene, hearing aids , extra pair of glasses even if you normally wear contacts. The air may be full of dust or debris making contacts uncomfortable or you may not have the facilities necessary to properly care for your contact lenses.

30 day supply of prescription medications or any other health related items that you must have. Keep prescriptions near the top or in an outer pocket of your kit so you can rotate your supply often. Talk to your insurance provider about coverage for this extra supply, or renew about 5 days early each time until you build up a 30 day reserve. Use a national chain pharmacy that allows you to refill at any of their locations. Keep a 7 day supply on you at all times along with a list of your prescriptions and doctor's contact information in case you must go to a different pharmacy source they can get your doctor to fax a new prescription.

Important documents: The following can all be scanned and placed on a compact disk for easy storage: Basic health record for each family member, birth certificates, financial records, insurance policies, etc. Document the contents of your home by picture or video and a written description that includes where each item is located, when you acquired it and the actual cost or appraised value. Place a copy in you go kit. A second copy should be kept in a safe deposit box or with a trusted friend or family member who is far enough out of the area they would not likely have to evacuate as well.

Money for emergency use. Following a wide spread disaster most businesses will not be open but some may operate on a cash only basis. Include $100 in small bills buried at the bottom of your kit so you won't easily "borrow" from it for minor emergencies.

A three day supply of food and water: Food should be shelf stable, "ready to eat" meals, or a form that has at least a 6 month shelf life. All of the emergency preparedness sources I have come across recommend 1 gallon of weather per person, per day for drinking, cooking, and sanitary needs. You can reduce your water needs by using waterless hand sanitizers or wipes.

Check the readiness of your kit and rotate supplies about every 6 months. If you live in a time zone that observes daylight savings time, the spring & fall time changes are a good reminder to check you emergency supplies.

Special notes for parents of young children: Many young children will get some digestive upset from changes in their diet or will revert to soiling themselves when under stress. Pack a supply of disposable diapers in your go kit. Besides water & batteries diapers are one of the first things to disappear from store shelves during a disaster. You will also want to include some travel games or activities to keep your children from becoming scared or bored.

Don't forget your pets! They need their own go kit. Besides food, water, medications and a special toy for them ,you will need a kennel, leash and health record. Make sure they have a collar & ID tag. Include any special needs instructions and your contact information.

More and more agencies are allowing people to evacuate with their pets.. Some centers will accept pets if you have a kennel and health record but be prepared to send them to a pet "foster care" or other center. The more exotic the pet, the more you should pre-plan their destination if you have to evacuate.

Practice putting your pet in their travel kennel for short trips that don't involve going to the veterinary clinic or other dreaded place. Reward them with a favorite treat and loving attention when you return from the trip. This way they will not fear the kennel and you won't waste time chasing them if you have little time to evacuate.

Have a plan of where to meet if your family is not at home during an emergency. Plan how you will communicate with each other if you are unable to reach your planned meeting place. Phone systems may be overwhelmed or incoming calls to the affected area blocked. Even cell phone service may not be stable during a widespread emergency. It too, can be affected by power outages or may only recognize phones registered to public health and safety agencies. Set up both a local and out of state contact with access codes for their an answering machine so you can leave & retrieve messages for each other even if they are not home.

What about your precious family photos and keepsakes? Make a short list of your must have items and their location. Using a clockwise pattern, arrange your list so it can be easily gathered with one sweep. Put this list on a wallet size laminated card. Give a copy to each adult family member, in-home caregiver, and a trusted neighbor. Hold practice drills packing your special list until you can gather everything and be out the door in ten minutes.

Often officials will not allow you into your neighborhood once it had began to evacuate. Get to know your neighbors and plan who will evacuate your children, pets, and keepsake list for you in the event you are not home during an emergency.

If you have to evacuate before an approaching wildfire, turn off your air conditioner, leave your garage door open and your front door unlocked. The fire department will be staging crews to protect homes. Open garages and unlocked front doors give the firemen emergency shelter should a firestorm overtake them while defending your home. Talk to your local fire authority about what other steps you should take to prepare your home for fire safety or other emergency preparedness steps for your family.

If the situation is not a "get out now" or is a voluntary evacuation always prepare to go. Confine your pets to their kennel or one room. Place your go kit and keepsakes in your car. Back your car into your driveway and leave it running. If you are in the habit of refilling your tank at the 1/4 mark or when empty, mentally change the empty line to 1/2 tank. This way you will always have an emergency fuel supply. Always check in at the evacuation center before going to your own planned destination. Checking in will make it easier for officials to determine if everyone did evacuate safely.

You can find more information on emergency preparedness by contacting your city, county, or state government. Take a class in emergency preparedness when it is offered in your community or visit www.FEMA.gov Look for links to emergency preparedness or Citizens Emergency Response Training (CERT).