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- #11
We don't get a lot of natural disasters here in AZ, and unless the wildfires get apocalyptic we're not in danger from them. We do have an evac plan and a list of meeting places and what each of us is responsible to get out of the house. I don't worry about the computer or papers for the most part, I have digitized everything and it's stored in the cloud on an encrypted service.
* People
* Pets (and the chickens are optional. If they're in the coop and I can catch them they'll go, if they're running the yard and time is critical, unfortunately they are on their own. Same with the tortosies. We take the ones we can catch in 1 minute or less.)
* Clothing
* Food and water
* Meds
* Cameras and assorted gear
* If possible, some of the higher value collectibles. They're insured, but they're also sentimental.
* If possible, my desktop computer.
We've practiced a couple of times, if we have 60 minutes to clear out, we can do all of this.
Then we have a series of gradually increasing distance places to meet up (depending on the range of the disaster). I also have some decent 2 way radios with good range so in case cell networks are overwhelmed or down we can still coordinate between cars to a certain degree.
We're far from prepared, but at least we know if we have to we can do OK.
Practice! Yes. That is a great idea. So yesterday a wildfire broke out within eyesight of my home. We were talking about if we have to evacuate today. My husband said the chickens and ducks might have to stay, I said we at least have to unlock the cages and "set them free" so they have a chance. It's totally possible the fire department calls for evacuation and lets people return home in a few days, happens all the time. This way at least the birds can forage and find the creek if no one is around to care for them.


