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So yeah, it totally happened last night.
We heard a series of sirens and thought it was just a car accident. Then we heard a BOOM! that shook our windows, even making Sushi wonder what was going on.
Maks finally went outside to investigate (with Bear in tow) and discovered a fire right above us.
RIGHT. ABOVE. US.
We live next to an elementary school and forest. We live next to the train crossing. Above us are nice homes on a hillside. That means no matter what happens in our area, we’ll get the brunt of it first.
You see, for the many years we’ve lived here, we always had it in the back of our minds what to do an emergency. California is prone to mudslides and wildfires and our area in particular would be hit the hardest.
Last night as we watched the brave LAFD battle the fire and got to see firsthand a helicopter pouring water on the blaze, the only thought in my mind was, ‘Can I pack everything I need in 10-15 minutes?’
It’s not something I thought about often. We do have an emergency backpack for the home, but we also need one for the car. We also need one for Bear.
I asked for tips on my personal page about what to do when shit is about to get real, and my wonderful cousin gave me the most awesome tips! It was so good, I had to copy and paste for you all:
we have bug out bags- food and water rations for 72 hours, a practical change (underwear, shirt, lightweight pants and flip flops). Ideally, you would grab your tennis shoes or running shoes or water boots in case of a flood, the flip flops are for if you have to run out without shoes. Put clothing in a water proof bag. We also have matches in the waterproof bag along with copies of important docs. Flashlight, blanket, poncho, knife/swiss army tool…They make premade 72 hour bags you can purchase fyi but cheaper to have your own. The kids’ are smaller and slightly different. Theirs include a comfort item, 2 changes of clothing and emergency family info/medical info plus the necessities like diapers, wipes, powdered milk. It sounds like a lot but it fits in a backpack…Adult sized and child sized.
So, we’ll probably start making the backpacks this weekend, since it’s a long Memorial Day weekend. We already updated our renters’ insurance and have the important documents stashed away somewhere safe as always.
And we’ll just hope for the best and pray against the worst.
What are your tips?
[…] Earlier this year, a fire event happened near our home that pretty much put the fear of God into us so I thought this would be a good time to talk about preparing for an emergency. […]