Family Evacuation Plans

Late August 2011, Hurricane Irene hit and then skirted the east coast.  While Irene was listed as one of the costliest hurricanes on the east coast, it could have been much worse; it could have been another Katrina.  The San Diego Wild Fires are almost an annual event, yet people seem unprepared for them when they arise.   Imagine looking off your back deck and seeing this below picture.

Are you and your family prepared for a planned evacuation in response to a hurricane?  What about an unplanned evacuation similar to the incident mentioned in this posting and the San Diego Fires.  Have you preplanned your destination?  This week's Forever Resilient post will examine the "5 W's," of Family Evacuation Planning.

Who.  'Who' is generally easy to decide as it is your family.  Are you responsible for extended family members, such as parents or grand parents, a disabled sibling?  It is crucial to write down all members for your plan as each family member will have different needs and requirements for evacuation planning.  Don't forget the pets too!  Planning for all of the people and pets from the beginning will shape the remainder of the family plan.

What.  'What' does each person need for an extended trip away from home?  Starting with the previously mentioned 72 hour kit, we would like to expand, and consider clothes, snacks, and toiletries would be on the list.  But what about:

• Medications.  Do they need to be refrigerated, i.e. insulin or that pink amoxicillian?  If they need to be refrigerated, how cold?  Would an ice chest be adequate?  Or can you get away with an insulated lunch sack?  Or even better, a frozen blue ice wrapped with your medication in a towel?  If you require an ice chest, how much space will that take up?  Will it fit in the back of your hybrid car?  Are the medications good to have or required, i.e. baby aspirin for slightly high blood pressure compared to mental health medications?  Do you use a national chain for a pharmacy or a local mom & pop shop?  If you use a chain like Walgreens, you may be able to pickup your prescription from any of their locations.  Do you have a 10 day supply?  30 days?  90 days? 
• Clothes.  Winter evacuations would obviously require winter clothes.  However, winter conditions require more clothes and bulky clothes which take up more space.
• Toys.  Grabbing the kids' favorite toys are important.  Perhaps their blanket, stuffed animal, etc.  Some people have bought new toys and stashed them with their evacuation bucket/container/bag.  This ensures the kids have a new toy they are not tired of playing with.
• Documents.  Do you have or need special documents?  Perhaps a letter designating you foster parents for one of the kids accompanying you.  Perhaps custody documents from a divorce.  Every family has different needs.  Take time to think about what documents you would need if you arrived out of state into an ER, court, police or fire department, hospital, or hotel. Having documents, even if you may not need them, takes up little space and weight.  However, if you do not have them, you could be hindered in your evacuation.
• Money.  Will you be able to use checks two counties or two states down the road?  What about your credit card?  Do you have a credit card?  What is the limit?  Is there enough on your card to get your family to your evacuation point, buy the hotel room and food?  If not, do you have that capability, if not, how do you intend to evacuate.  Can you 'leap frog' from family member house to family member house?  Every family is in different situations, if you do not have these capabilities, plan for them, that way, you are not caught by surprise.
• Food/snacks.  During the initial evacuation, it is a safe bet the community will be evacuating too.  This causes traffic jams and parking lot interstates.  While you might have planned on hitting the local fast food location only 25 minutes away, it may be two hours away in an evacuation situation.  Something to consider...
• Vehicle.  When was the last time you conducted maintenance on your vehicle?  How much gas do you keep in your tank?  Is it your habit to keep it above half a tank or do you let it run until the 'idiot light' kicks on telling you that you have five miles until you are bone dry?  Would your vehicle be able to run long distances?

When.  When are you going?  It is crucial to evaluate if you plan to travel at 2am Tuesday vice 5pm on a Friday evening before a three day weekend.  If you are in a hurricane prone area, the notice to leave the area may give you plenty of time to pick and chose what you take.  On the other hand, if you live in Texas, a wildfire may only give you ten minutes.  Evaluate your family's situation and what you determine is your biggest risk, then plan the evacuation accordingly. 

Where.  One of the biggest portions of the plan is where to go?  Some families travel to another family member's residence, others chose a camping ground, while others chose a hotel.  No matter what you decide is the proper location for your family to evacuate to, there are a few things to consider.  First, are you taking the family pets?  If so, will the hotel allow them?  How much is the extra pet deposit?  If you are traveling to family member's house, will their pets get along with your pets?  Do their pets like kids, or eat them?  Second, can you and your family stay at that location long term?  Third, what is the availability of this location?  For example, if you live in San Diego and elect to evacuate inland to the hotels in response to a massive wildfire.  However, a vast majority of the hotels are full with an international convention.  Have you prepared for this?  Your location should include secondary and tertiary locations.  Additionally, it is important to determine additional locations further away or in a different direction.  For example, if you live on the coast of Florida and are planning for a hurricane evacuation, you might want to evaluate locations in all directions depending on the predicted path.  Finally, it would be wise to let your family members your evacuation locations that way they can try to find your family in the event of an emergency.

Why.  Why are you evacuating.  If you are evacuating for a hurricane, the path and strength of the storm may decide your available locations for you.  Bottom line, the 'why' is fairly simple.  You are evacuating because it is not safe at your current location.

How.  'How' do you get better?  How do you know your plan is adequate?  Remember that planning is an evolving process.  There is no end to the process.  Once you have completed your plan, test it.  Then take the lessons learned from the exercise and adjust your family plan appropriately.  Repeat the process.  If you find that the exercises do not produce any needed adjustments, then change the exercises, reduce the time you have to leave your residence.

There are scores and scores of questions about planning your family's evacuation.  This post has only scratched the surface of what should be considered when preparing for an evacuation.  The biggest part of this process is getting started and making the commitment to move forward.  Once you have started the planning process, you'll find that it becomes easier as you continue.