you might feel better. You need to know
what you need to grab before you try to
figure that out in the moment. You need to
know and go.
For example, if you decide now that
you never want to leave your grandmother’s wedding rings behind, either wear
them or put them in your grab and go-bag
now. If you decide in advance that your cat
will have to fend for himself, you won’t
stop to think about it in an emergency. On
the other hand, if you want to save your cat
and are willing to risk your life for your
beloved critter, you have already made
that choice and know before you go what
is most important to you. You can put his
carrier near the door in advance. You can
make him a little kitty-emergency go-bag.
It is definitely up to you. But decide in
advance, and you won’t have to think
about it in the middle of a chaotic moment.
You will know and go!
Get Ready Now
Seasoned disaster planners get their
own houses in order before helping others
plan for emergencies. Preparing your own
personal emergency go-bag is a good start.
It is simple and inexpensive. Because
there isn’t an emergency right now, you
can make your start on preparing for the
“what-ifs” that could happen. You don’t
need to be afraid or paranoid. Stuff happens. Just don’t be an ostrich with your
head in the sand. The first level of emergency planning can help you feel as if
you have taken care of some very simple
basics. You might want to have some
essentials ready to go as well as take time
to think about how to secure some valued
personal items. If you do this now it is
more likely that you won’t require immediate outside resources if evacuation must
occur. You can go out the door in a hurry
without making time-critical – and sometimes fatally tragic – blunders of people
under extreme duress. Remember, if you
need to go out the door, just go!
What the Go-Bag Isn’t
There are many levels and kinds of
planning, from simple to complex. The
go-bag is just one part of your bigger
family plan, and it’s a great way to
start. But a go-bag isn’t the end-all-be-all solution. In fact, a go-bag is
not:
n;Shelter-in-Place Preparation;–;Shelter-
in-place;preparation;is;what;you;need;if
you;were;told;to;stay;indoors;and;shelter.
Of;course;you;can;take;your;go-bag;to;a
shelter;or;use;it;if;you;need;to;shelter-in-
place.;But;preparing;for;a;shelter-in-place
involves;different;equipment,;pre-planning
your;safe;room,;and;planning;what;you
would;want;and;need;to;manage;staying;in
one;place;for;hours;(or;days);if;required.
n;Designed for a Long Period of Time;–;A
go-bag;isn’t;designed;to;keep;you;well
prepared;for;weeks.;It;is;just;the;first
level;of;preparation;that;also;gets;the
mind;in;tune;for;other;types;of;potential
emergencies.;Having;at;least;a;three-day
supply;of;food;and;water;should;be;on;the
top;of;your;“to-do”;list!;More;is;better,;but;do
what;you;can;do;as;soon;as;you;can.;Start
your;go-bag;and;continue;your;planning
process.
n;Family Emergency Planning;–;A;go-bag
is;your;custom-designed;I’m-OTD-to-safety-
right-now;supply.;It;should;only;be;one
part;of;your;comprehensive;family;plan.
When;thinking;about;emergency;planning
you;can;work;in;terms;of;the;range;of
possibilities;from;small;and;immediate;to
comprehensive;and;long-term.
What the Go-Bag is
A go-bag is for going out the door.
Whether you call it a go-bag, survival kit,
emergency pack, shelter stay pack, or what I
used to call “uh-oh-I-forgot-to-tell-my-sis-
ter-how-to-get-ready-before-her-family-
evacuated-the-fire-that-burned-13-houses-
in-her-neighborhood-so-now-I’m-telling-
everyone-to-pre-plan-before-it-hap-
pens-to-you-or-your-sister bag.”
It is a bag with a few basic self-
care items, personal things,
and perhaps valuables.
Survival Isn’t for Wimps
Unfortunately, disasters don’t check
your schedule for convenient times. During
a voluntary or mandatory evacuation there
just won’t be time to think through your
choices calmly. You may not be interested
in the complex workings of neurology
and brain perception that can be triggered
during crisis, but trust me, people in crisis
can do really unexpected things and have
totally unanticipated behaviors. People in
emergencies can experience any number
of small or significant cognitive changes,
physical and emotional demands, and
from an “altered state of consciousness”
due to stress, fear, terror, exhaustion, surprise, or shock. The unexpected event can
create abrupt alterations in normal brain
and body functions as your world shatters.
It can be heinous to see someone trying
to act normal during a disaster when all
hell is breaking loose. It isn’t unusual for
people to attempt to rescue some essentially worthless object and it turning out to
be the last thing they do. Or worse. (Yes,
there are worse things. Don’t ask.)
Human survival behavior isn’t always
a pretty sight. Your chances of survival
increase when you pre-think, pre-plan,
pre-stage, practice, and drill for the unexpected. You can’t predict the unpredictable,
but you can predict the unpredictable will
