Wherein many things related to safety and well-being during “an interesting time” are discussed. The key is to consider all this stuff ahead of time, and then make your planning part of your life.
The most important thing is to not wait until the roof is falling in (or your power is out for three days), but rather think through your applicable scenarios and hazards and decide how you will react ahead of time. I can’t emphasize this enough: think about disasters ahead of time! That is why it’s called disaster preparedness, not disaster panic. 🙂
(This is under construction. check back to see the progress!)
My approach: Hazards and Scenarios
Instead of the usual “buy this earthquake kit and 10 gallons of water” or “you need a years supply of everything to survive”, I’ll be structuring this thought game around a few scenarios for you to consider against the usual hazards of your area. Unsurprisingly, your answers will drive your approach and your solution sets directly, and will also help you prioritize your preparedness tasks.
Disclaimer: I’m just this guy. I don’t have formal training or certificates, but I do have a lot of experience living through “interesting times”: floods of 82 & 83, the 89 Loma Prieta 7.1 earthquake, various fierce storms with widespread flooding and landslides, a few area fires, and a couple tsunamis. I’m a Software Engineer, an electronics hobbyist, and have rebuilt and maintained three houses.
So… My advice is based on 50 yr’s of experience, but it’s also worth exactly what you’re paying for it; thusly my liability ends there too.
NOTE: I won’t be covering “end of days” type survivalist scenarios, like weapons stockpiling, hunting for food, building a fallout shelter, etc. My assumption is society is still functional, it just took a hit. If you want to play survivalist games or prepare for the mythical zombie apocalypse, there are other resources out there for you.
List Your Hazards
List your main hazards. These are typically the big weather events, but may include societal issues, like power outages or a gang war in your front yard.
For example, I live in northern coastal California. My main hazards are earthquakes, lightning strikes/fire & the resultant poor air quality, extended power outages, and tsunamis/flooding.
Hurricanes and tornados are atypical hazards here, so not a part of my key planning. Likewise, our climate here is moderate: it rarely goes below 40F/4.5C and seldom exceeds 90F/32C, although that is now changing and requires a revisit.
Consider your Hazards against these scenarios
- Shelter in place: A big event occurred (earthquake, big wind, extended electricity out, etc.) What have you done to be safe and comfortable sheltering at your home?
- Flee in Five: You have five minutes to evacuate your home. What will you take?
- Evacuate in 30: You have 30 minutes to flee your home. What more will you take?
Shelter in place
Heat, Light, Cooking, connectivity (cell phone and cell service)
Water, food for family and pets
Battery powered AM radio for local EBS EAS radio station (or whatever it’s called these days)
Power – Generators, power packs, power walls, solar, UPS’s, etc. (Discuss power scenarios and sizing: UPS’s, power stations, Generators (fuel types), etc. )
Scenario 2: Flee in Five minutes!
This is the first flee scenario to consider. It’s the most minimalistic in terms of stuff, so it’s the most pared down to essentials.
So what would cause this scenario? Examples are a mudslide barreling down the mountain, a fire coming straight at your house, a tsunami, or a flood, etc. (In my area, the most likely reason to flee my home would be a fire. A quake might knock it down but not force me to flee, as I live in a 1 story ranch house.)
Begin by selecting the most crucial things to flee with. To help winnow down the pile, consider that it must all fit in pockets and a shoulder bag, leaving your hands free. (You’ll need your hands to carry your pets/kids, move stuff out of the way, help others, etc.)
My flee items would be our cats in carriers, my wallet (cash, credit cards, ID), keys, prescription meds, passport, a small powerful rechargeable flashlight & charger, smartphone and chargers for Ac and 12 VDC, dust mask, bottle of water. For food, a couple of protein bars, and a couple of cans of cat food. And if you’re a parent, you’ll need to plan for your children too.
I always leave my wallet and keys in shorts or trousers at night; if something happens I just grab those. The rest of my “critical” stuff lives in a vest with pockets (aside from the passport and water bottle), which I can wear it and have my hands free.
If we’re jumping in the car to flee (the most likely flee scenario for us), then add items, like the firesafe, pet care items (more food, litter box), our notebook computers, and season appropriate clothing. Extra water, your first aid kit, and some blankets are a good idea too. Extra cash, in a widespread power/net outage that may be the only thing you can use. Basic rescue tools and sturdy gloves are a good idea too.
Scenario 2: Evacuate in 30 minutes
The Evacuate in 30 minutes scenario builds on the prior Flee scenario, but now you have time to get your precious items too. This might include photos and jewelry, more clothing, favorite toys for pets and children, and anything else precious i.e. irreplaceables.
For irreplaceables, don’t confuse expensive/valuable with precious!
Your insurance can buy you a new 96 inch flat panel TV. It can’t buy photos of your family or that beloved blanket your deceased mom made you. (Although consider scanning your photos and putting the images in a safe place.)
In this scenario, we might also choose to drive both cars away. That means my evacuate list would be prioritized for a one car and a second pass for a two car getaway.
Example: My wife’s business is on computers, a file-server and some drives. If we brought those, her business could resume almost immediately from another location. (And yes, I have a plan for that too, including a NAT router and some cabling ready to go.)
A horrifying lesson learned from the California Paradise fire disaster is *DO NOT ASSUME* you can/will stay in your car. Those folks got stuck in a deadly traffic jam and had to run for their lives from the fire, abandoning their cars. Unfortunately, they had assumed they had their whole car to use as a suitcase and their Five minute flee material wasn’t readily “grab-able” again. (!)
A brief pause…
So, are you getting the idea? It’s all about the scenarios and hazards, and then having a pre-thought out, prioritized set of lists and some ready to go items.
Sounds simple, no? No. 🙂
Well, deciding what to grab and what to leave can be very difficult, and then maintaining your list and go bags requires diligence and time.
As an aside, I set an appointments in my calendar to remind me to check readiness.
(under construction)
Last Updated on 2025-09-23 by Daev Roehr