Winter is on it's way,
A few reminders of what to do.

#1: Find an out of area contact.
Choose an out of area contact person. Call this person today and ask them if they are willing to have you and your family evacuate to their home if the need should arise. This person should live a minimum of fifty miles away. Natural disasters often cause serious disruptions to life as we know it even fifty miles from the heart of the disaster. After Katrina there were power outages more than 5o miles away from the heart of the storm. When the wind is right air that is dangerous for those with respiratory ailments can easily drift 50 miles from a wild fire. If you evacuate too close to your home others will be there in great numbers and competing for goods and services, thus, quickly emptying shelves and filling insurance offices and hospital waiting rooms. With Hurricane Earl threatening those on the east coast you may find the need to evacuate tomorrow! Do know know where you would go if this were you?

#2: Gather maps. Get several different colors of highlighters and mark at least three different routes out of the city and ending at the home of your out of area contact.
Take time today to go through the glove box, file cabinet or other hidden places and pull out all the maps you have lying around. Get several different colors of highlighters and mark at least three different routes out of the city in which you live and end at the home of your out of area contact. If you can’t find maps call your city Chamber of Commerce or check your state’s government website and see if they can mail you free maps. You can also go on line and print maps there.


#3: Collect all your flashlights. Check to make sure they are all working properly. Make note of any batteries you need to purchase.
Remove the batteries from all except the one you use often and store them with the flashlight but not in it. In the car your batteries should be in a plastic bag inside your auto kit along with the flashlight but never inside it. Batteries can explode or leak ruining your flashlight. I always keep two sets of batteries just in case one set has a leaker. I have had this happen twice within the past year and one of the batteries was in a flashlight I used often and it was ruined.

#4 Post important phone numbers and your own address by each phone.
Post important phone numbers by each phone. Numbers should include: Doctor, dentist, optometrist, poison control, animal poison control, hospital, police, fire department, clergy, trusted neighbor, and out of area contact. Be sure to include your address as in an emergency you may not be placing the call and a visitor to your home or babysitter, won’t know your address.

#5 Place a pair of good shoes under each bed where they can be reached in the middle of the night.
Place a pair of good shoes under each bed where they can be reached in the middle of the night. Whether it be an earthquake, tornado, sudden flood or wildfire, or a home fire you will not want to be walking around in bare feet.

#6 Place a glow stick next to each bed.
Place a glow stick next to each bed.
Glow sticks are perfect for seeing your way around should there be a power outage or other crisis during the night. You will need to teach the kids only to use it in case of emergency but you can make a deal with them and have others available, just in case. Flashlights batteries may run down if the kids decide to play with them or read after lights out but you will be able to tell if a glow stick has been used. You can often find these at the dollar store and online.

# 7 Hope you'll reading this list

# 8: Stash some cash, about $100.00, for each adult kit.
Stash some cash. To this point our tips have been free so now is the day for a little investment. Put away a few dollars each week until you have a small stash for your emergency evacuation kit. You should have about $100.00 in each adult kit. This should be in small denomination bills, nothing larger than a 10. This money will then be available for small purchases when there are no ATMs and credit card services available. If you have $100.00 to invest right now go to the bank and get a variety of small bills and place them in your kits. If you need time add to your stash each month until you have enough.

# 9 Inventory your kitchen, everything.
Today take digital pictures of everything in your kitchen, everything. Open every door, every drawer, the oven, anywhere you have anything stored. Be sure to take a shot of each wall so you get anything hung on the wall. In the event of a fire or any other disaster which damages or destroys your home, the insurance company will ask for proof of the items you are claiming and wanting replaced.

#10 Inventory your Family room/living room.
Inventory your Family room/living room. This room is probably where the most expensive equipment is located in your home. Take plenty of pictures, front, back, serial numbers, etc. for all of your equipment. Again, be sure to open all cupboards and drawers. If you have a DVD collection take close up pictures so the name of all the movies can be seen. Do the same with your CD and book collections.

#11 Inventory your bedrooms.
Inventory your bedrooms. Are you seeing a pattern here? When inventorying the bedroom be sure to take a shot of all your jewelry so each items can be clearly seen.

#12 Inventory Office and formal dining room.

# 13 Inventory and update
An inventory is essential when making an insurance claim. You will only get 40-50% of the value of any item you claim because the insurance company “charges” you for depreciation. If you forget items and want to claim them later you are out of luck. Please take time to make an inventory. If you have heirloom items or jewelry that has been appraised take a picture of the appraisal just in case your original is destroyed.

Thanks Rubies for the list.

Good list. Especially about the shoes. And it reminded me of something else. When my house burned down, I was at work. I was wearing a pair of old shoes at the time, so guess what ? They were the only shoes I had then. Not to mention that I only had the clothes that I was wearing. Now I keep a spare pair of shoes and clean clothes in the car in my bug out kit, even though I don't plan to bug out. Come to think of it, I have just about everything I would need to live in my car, including sleeping bags, towels, food, and a way to cook it.