Back when the emergency response plan was simple; grab the pack, guitar, cat, and boogie out of there. Nothing spurious about how I state this; life was much less complicated. And yes, we did boogie once or twice.
Today things are complicated. The Carreras estate is not so vast that escape would be complex, but it could get tricky with several people, pets, and things that need saving. It is, in fact, a work in progress with many missing parts. But it is coming together.
Last year, aware of some of the tragic wildfires- and living near the woods – escape ladders were added to bedrooms to allow escape. Hidey holes of pets were surveyed, everyone informed of where they were, and parts of the house routinely shut up at night to help simplify an escape. Not perfect, but a plan is developing. My digital plan is an offsite backup and cloud storage. I still have some scanning to do of essential family documents. An iPad and a laptop are included, but I’ve tried to keep this part of the plan as simple as possible; to bulk that up would take up too much space in the car needed for essentials.
In the offing are the family meetings about “GO” bags, plans on rendezvousing from disparate workplaces, and the like. In some ways, this is the hardest part of the planning because we are all on varying schedules and work in very different places.
I’ll be learning what others’ plans are, comparing them with my own, and changing plans as I make inquirey about what I need to add.
One of my favorite quotes is Eisenhowers’ observation on plans: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. About the escape plan, this observation is valuable. I might be escaping any of several scenarios. I think flexible planning for a getaway and providing food, water, and shelter will ultimately beat plans too inflexible to survive changing situations.
What’s “the pack”?
In the very old days almost everything I owned fit into a back pack; except Clancy and the guitar – and Clancy maintained that he owned me. Who was I to disagree?
I had to escape from a fire in 2003. My neighbors were packing heirlooms and stuff. I wasn’t. Everything material I cared about was in my house and my house itself. I packed dog food, food for me, sleeping bag, tent, pillow, water, my dad’s Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a new testament my grandma gave me and my mom’s diamonds and headed out with three dogs. Since that day, the Rubaiyat sits by the front door, which, now I think of it, I’m now more likely to use the back door! I’d better move it. 😀
Thiss prompt actually prompted some actual discussion at the house. I’m with you on what the priorities are.
I hope you never have to put the plan into action.