If you got an Emergency Call to evacuate your residence, would you be ready to go or would you be running around like a chicken with your head cut off?
No one likes to think about things like this happening, but we have seen it in the past year with wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes being forecast and hitting in places that have never been in a "danger zone" before.
We all hope that these kinds of things never happen to us or any of our loved ones, but, here is the truth, it could happen to any of us at any time. The weather has become so crazy that even predicting what will happen is becoming harder and harder. So what can you do to prepare for a sudden change in your daily life?
First of all let's be clear, there are things that you can do to prepare for this kind of incident and even if you are not in a designated area of concern, being prepared would not hurt anyone! With the changes in the environment causing major upheavals, being ready is something everyone should think about doing.
If a call comes to evacuate, you need to have certain things in one place so that it would be easy to grab and go! You would not have to think too much about what to take, as the important stuff would be all ready to tuck into your vehicle along with your family and get out of Dodge, so to speak!
What I am suggesting is to get yourself and your family a fireproof safe! Not a big one, you need to be able to pack it into your car quickly and know that the contents are the "most important" ones to have.
Amazon has a great little safe Made you Roloway that would fit this bill completely. The smallest one is just 0.2 cu.Ft. but they have two more that are a little bit larger at 1.5 Cu.Ft. and 2.2. Cu.Ft.
You don't need this safe to be too large as what you are going to put inside it will be your important papers. Birth certificates for every member of the family, Social Insurance Cards. Credit Card Information, Banking Information and it would never hurt to have a small stash of cash on hand either.
Medical information and prescriptions for everyone in the family as well. It would not hurt to have copies of your different insurances handy as well, in case the worst happens. If you are evacuated, you need to be able to access your financials so that you can live until the return has been issued.
No one wants a disaster to happen, but if it does, then you know that everything (the most important information) is already in one place. You won't be checking desk drawers or nightstands or anywhere else you may have kept this information. It will be right there and it's one less thing to worry about! Load up the little safe in the car and get moving!
This Little Safe is not the place for all your valuables! You may take some but they would have to fit into the space. If you are wanting to possibly save your valuables you might consider getting a bigger safe that will stay with your home while you are gone. These are also available from Amazon but they are not made for a quick escape!
It would be prudent to have the smaller safe kept in the bigger one, so that when you need to move and move quickly you can just grab the smaller safe, lock up the big one and drive away!
Hopefully disaster will never strike you, but being prepared will also give you a little more peace of mind especially when listening to the news reports!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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Having lived along the coasts (East, West and Gulf) of the U.S. several times, and having experienced mandatory evacuations for hurricanes twice, we have always had our important papers and necessary information in a portable container, along with packed bags ready to go. I agree that being prepared for emergency evacuation of any type is always wise. With tornado season here now and hurricane season approaching, along with the threat of wild fires at any time, emergency prepardedness always makes sense.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree Pat. It has been a life saver for family that was caught in the wildfires in Alberta a while back. You just never know!
DeleteTwo extremely important things I noted about the little safe you featured if using for disaster preparation, weight (6 lbs) and being fireproof. Lightweight enough to carry and run. I doubt most of us have a disaster ready safe, but it is an excellent idea!
ReplyDeleteThat is what I liked as well. It's small enough and yet big enough not to get lost in the ensuing chaos. There are other "envelope" type document keepers, but they are just too small and I'd fear loosing them.
DeleteThis little safe to carry all important documents sounds like a really good idea. I guess you never know how much time you will really have to gather up all the relevant documents as well as other things you might want or need. If documents are in a safe fireproof and light portable safe, it is one less thing to do or worry about. Such a good idea.
ReplyDeleteBeing ready for any possibility makes those decisions you make in a hurry much easier! No one wants a disaster, but if one happens to come your way, you are ready!
DeleteWe have a small, stationary, fireproof safe bolted to the floor of a closet, but not a portable one. This is a very sound idea!
ReplyDeleteEspecially if you live in an area that is prone to these kinds of weather patterns. Better safe than sorry!
DeleteThis is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary Beth, I hope no one ever needs to be this prepared, but it seems that the weather patterns are changing.
DeleteWe have a little safe for documents, the Will etc, because of the things you pointed out. It's imperative to keep these safe! I think the safe you recommend is very similar to the safe we have?
ReplyDeleteIt makes a lot of sense to me and I'm glad you are on top of this. Searching for documents at anytime, but especially when the adrenaline is flowing, is not a good idea!
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