National Preparedness Month is coming to a close. As I write this post, Fly-Away Kit: are you Ready?, the King Fire burning in California’s Eldorado National Forest has burned more than 87,500 acres and is only 18% contained. It has burned 10 homes and 22 other structures, threatening another 21,000 homes and structures. So far, more than 2,800 people have been evacuated because of this one fire, allegedly started by an arsonist on September 13th. The King Fire, while the largest at the moment, is only one of 6 fires burning in California.
So I ask you: Fly-Away Kit: are you Ready?
For regular followers of my blog and this series, welcome back! For new followers, we lost our home in a wildfire in 2007. So, while not a blog that focuses solely on emergency preparedness, it is one of the things I’m passionate about.
Known as the Witch Fire, we were one of 1,100+ homes lost on that fateful day – October 22, 2007. With more than 30 fires burning in Southern California, 17 morphed into major wildfires. I wrote a 20-part series about the loss of our home and the rebuild and you can read it starting here: Any Way the Wind Blows.
Around the 22nd of every month (give-or-take a day or two), I write a post about emergency planning and preparedness. My hope is that I help readers become more prepared by leading them step-by-step through the process, effectively taking a “bite out of the elephant” one task at a time. Because becoming more prepared for emergencies is an arduous project with multiple moving parts. And, because it is such a huge undertaking, more than 50% of the American population has done nothing about it!
If you missed the earlier posts in this series, now’s your chance to catch-up:
- Resolve to be Ready 2014
- Blackout: are you Ready?
- Pet Owners: are you Ready?
- Evacuation: are you Ready?
- Alert: are you Ready?
- Water: are you Ready?
- Smoke Alarms: are you Ready?
- Emergency Food Supply: are you Ready?
In each of these posts, I include FREE printable worksheets to help you become one step closer to being more prepared than you are today. So, if this is a project you’ve been thinking about and just haven’t taken that first step to start, these posts will help motivate and guide you.
What is a “fly-away kit” anyway, you are probably wondering? It is a kit you create of important papers that you place in a handy bag or box that you can grab at a moments notice. I’ve named it a “Fly-Away Kit” in honor of my father, who called his that. He passed away in January 2013, but he had one at the ready in the closet by his front door. Smart man, he was a retired Air Force pilot and I’m sure that’s how he came up with the name.
FEMA suggests that you have your important papers in a water-proof case. You can see from mine that it’s an accordion file made from paper and cardboard. I like this one because it gives me a way to separate all our important papers, it’s large (legal size) and has a handle. Plus, I recycled it from another use, so it didn’t cost me any money! I suppose that I will take their advise soon and convert it to a water tight case, but in the meantime, at least I have one!
What do you put in a “fly-away kit”? Important papers that will make your life easier should you fall victim of a catastrophic disaster. Some time ago, I created a list of 42 Important Papers in Your Home and I’ve used that list to stock my “fly-away kit”. You can print out my list and use it as a worksheet as you check off the important papers you want in your “fly-away kit”. Once you’ve stocked your kit with your important papers, include the checklist of 42 Important Papers in Your Home to jog your memory about why your kit does not have a certain paper or papers.
For example, maybe you don’t have a current copy one of your insurance polices in your kit, but have asked your agent to send one to you. You can make a note on the checklist, put it in your “fly-away kit” and if you have to evacuate for some reason and you open your kit and find it missing, you will remember why it isn’t there!
Here’s an updated Resolve to be Ready 2014 Project Checklist for your files that includes making your “fly-away kit” – Resolve to Be Ready Project Checklist updated 9-22-2014. If you haven’t yet printed this checklist, I encourage you to take a moment and print it and take those baby steps towards your emergency planning project. Every step forward means you are more prepared then you were yesterday.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other posts about emergency planning and preparedness)
Thanks Carole. I resolve to work on our fly away kit this weekend. Take care.
Good girl! Chip away at it and you’ll be done before you know. Stay safe!