Have you ever thought about what you would grab if you had to run out of your house in an emergency?
The wildfires in Los Angeles have been devasting to watch. Hearing people having about one hour to grab a few items is crazy. Sadly, a few people have lost their lives, and so far, about 6,000 homes have been lost. For many of us, we see or hear about fires happening in our lifetime. I still remember the children lost in a Bronx fire many years ago. And yesterday marked 3 years for another Bronx fire in an apartment building that killed 17 people. In other natural disasters, you might be able to salvage some items, but when a fire happens, there’s usually little to nothing left. In an instant, the lives of these people are turned upside down. Some of those affected have been celebrities. But, let’s recognize that not all celebrities are rich. Some must have consistent work in order to be able to live the lifestyle we expect. For some, losing this much will be very hard to come back from.
Now, going back to the question. Have you ever thought about it? I know I haven’t before but now I might need to make some adjustments. I work with children and in our building, we have fire drills to prepare for real emergencies. One thing the administration stress is having the proper documents and/or items needed for the special needs kids we service. There must be a go bag that has family contact information, communication devices, diapers, wipes, epipens, and/or snacks for reinforcements. This idea is something I never thought to apply at home. But it is a good idea.
So, what are some things that can be important to have in an emergency go bag…
- Copies of birth certificates, social security cards, state identification, and passports
- Small amount of medications that you may require daily
- A small amount of cash or a credit/debit card you may not use often to have access to some funds
- List of phone numbers (just in case something happens to your phone because who truly remembers everyone’s number these days)
- Phone Charger
- Any small possessions with sentimental value (ex: a few pictures, grandmother’s watch, etc.)
- 1-2 Water bottles
- A few non-perishable snacks/food
- A thin throw blanket
In the end, we may never get a chance to grab these go bags, but you never know. The fires in Los Angeles are nowhere near contained, but the hope is that no one else loses their life or home. May we all keep them in our prayers.