make an emergency kit and plan

Southern California is famous for wildland fires and the time finally came where a fire was burning in the mountains VERY close to my house. Luckily the wind was pushing the fire away from my neighborhood and back on areas that had already been burned, or I probably wouldn’t have my house. My neighborhood was evacuated and my neighbors were great about keeping me informed of the situation (I was at work). I had my emergency bag packed, and had the cats items ready. The only thing that I had to change was where I was planning on evacuating to since my Mom had moved and my friend didn’t have room for my cats.

So, don’t put this off!! I escaped that disaster but there is always the potential for earthquakes, mudslides and other fun things…

We just had 2 earthquakes about 1 mile from my house. I had no preparations done whatsoever. Need to do this, seriously.

Lately I feel like God has been giving me all these little nudges to make an emergency kit. My boyfriend’s roommate was talking about how he likes to keep all their water jugs full just in case of an emergency, and it got me thinking about how we should really invest in some water jugs and other stuff. Then a few days later, I heard a story on the radio about how a major earthquake hits every 147 years and it’s been 147 since the last major quake on the San Andreas.

Also, I live next door to my Gpa, so making the kit is a must for all of us here. We live near a freeway, but if something were to go wrong, we’re in the heart of LA county so getting out would definitely be a toughie. I want to know myself and my family members will be safe if something happens.

Seeds, seeds and more seeds

Last night the winds kicked up so I had to get up and put stuff away in the back yard (at 1:30 a.m.) I also brought the cat carriers in from the garage – just in case. When the winds blow like that I always worry about fires. It’s dry and windy and just right for a fire.

I’m low on cat food – one of my errands this weekend is to buy more. But my stuff is all packed from last June and sitting by the door in my room. I will go thru the pack today and make sure that the meds are current and there is still money there. :)

I am always conscious to keep extra water in the house. At any given time, there are a few gallon jugs and a couple cases of individual bottles. I would like to stock an extra few gallons. Water in the desert is precious and if there ever was a major emergency here, water would be like gold. So at least I am on top of the most important part of the emergency kit.
But the past week was eye-opening. My power was knocked out for 8 days. The biggest problem (besides everything in the fridge going bad) was that I had no way of cooking. The oven/stove is an electric and gas combo. I think that this has inspired me to buy an outdoor grill. I love to grill food during warmer months anyway so this is a fun purchase. But if I ever experience an extended power outage again, I will be thrilled to have it.
I always realized that I lost my flashlight which was a bummer. I had on hand plenty of candles and even glow sticks but a flashlight would have helped. So I am gonna do some shopping this weekend and round out the emergency supplies.
Shopping list:
*flashlight
*more batteries
*lots of mexican grocery store candles
*some long matches
*first aid kit
*protein bars

I am not a survivalist-type by any stretch. I just think that having basic supplies on hand is a responsible thing to do. So this basic shopping list will probably complete this goal for me.

My items are packed and easily available. The cats’ items are in the garage near the door, where I can get at them quickly. I probably need another carrier, but in a pinch pillow cases should work.

The plan varies depending upon what the emergency is. I have a friend who lives a few miles away and that is my first “safe house”. Otherwise, I have family further away and they would be the next logical place to stay.

in a small backpack so I can grab it and go. The clothes aren’t wonderful but they are practical and will cover a variety of weather conditions. I also have some $$ and my personal items. So the first part is complete. Now I need to clean out some space in the garage and stock up on cat food, cat litter, and water, again so I can just grab and go.

At least I have started on this goal.

Wow, there is some great footage of what happens when a hurricane hits and it is just reinforcing the idea that I need to work on my emergency kit. So, tonight I will pack some clothes in a duffel bag and make sure to put some cash in there as well. I need to make a bag for the cats as well – dry food and dishes, plus a bucket of litter to go. I could put that in the garage by their carriers where I can get to it easily.

Let’s actually do this instead of thinking about it.

Time to get my things organized so that I can evacute if needed. It’s not that I think I will need to, but I’d rather put the thought in now so that if I have to I’ll be ready.

Cat food. Cat litter and box. Money. Clothes. Food and water for me. Cell phone and charger. Computer. :)