Preparing an Emergency Go Bag

Disasters happen. Are you ready?

With the recent catastrophic fires in Los Angeles that devastated thousands of structures and acres as well as killed more than two dozen people, and the horrific hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, blizzards, storms, and extreme weather around the United States and the world, everyone, everywhere needs to be prepared for an emergency.

Six years ago, at two in the morning, during a five-day power outage in freezing temperatures when I was quite ill, my husband and I awoke to pounding on our front door. Before opening the door, I looked out the window to see lights flashing and towering flames near our fence line. The firefighter who was knocking told me that we had to evacuate “NOW”. When I asked how long we had, he responded “About sixty seconds if you want us to save your property!”

Gulp! This was scary. Fortunately, I had practiced being ready for a disaster. I immediately pulled on a pair of pants and told my husband to grab his things as I rapidly grabbed my purse, phone, computer, keys, and the family go bag that was packed in the hall closet. I already had a smaller Go Bag in my car. In those seconds, my husband couldn’t find his keys, iPad, phone, glasses, or wallet. As we ran out of the house, I realized I didn’t have shoes. My gardening clogs were on the front porch, and those are what I grabbed. I didn’t have socks and that was a mistake. We evacuated to my StarStyle® Productions studio a few miles away, where the power was also out.

This frightening evacuation experience taught me several important lessons.

Amid the many disasters that seem to be continuous, I encourage clients to put together an emergency Go Bag. Whatever the calamity, it will behoove you to have an emergency supply kit in every vehicle and a larger one in your home near your exit. The reason you want a Go Bag in your vehicle is that if you are away from home when the emergency occurs, you will have supplies to get you through at least three days. Make sure you know where all of your important documents are located and upload whatever is possible to the cloud or a backup platform, including your passport, driver’s license, and credit cards. Hard copies can be placed either in your Go Bag or next to your Go Bag. Make sure you know how to manually open automatic garage doors and gates. Sometimes, as is the case with our California wildfires or earthquakes, a matter of minutes is the difference between life and death.

Pack duplicate chargers for phones, tablets, and computers. Keep some cash in your Go Bag because in a disaster, power may be down and credit cards won’t work. Back up your computers and keep files in the cloud or off-site. Make a plan for your pets and animals and have a bag ready for them as well. Know your neighbors and their contact numbers to keep in touch to make sure everyone is safe. Have a list of a network of friends that you can call in an emergency. Make two signs in advance and put them on top of your Go Bag in your home with a roll of tape. One needs to say EVACUATED. This will help fire personnel to know that no one remains in the home.

The other one can say HELP which tells first responders or others that you need assistance.

Know where you will go in an evacuation, and if it is an office, make sure you have the keys.

Most of all, remember that saving your life and that of your family is the most important. Everything else can be replaced.

WHAT TO PUT IN A GO BAG:

Fill a backpack or small case with the following items for your family in your home near the exit. Keep a smaller version of this Go Bag in ALL of your vehicles. For water, food, and medications, pack a three-day supply.
First Aid kit

Work gloves

Warm gloves

Towelettes

Small towel

Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day)

Warm Blanket

Walking shoes

Socks

Warm jacket

Peanut butter

Honey

Protein bars

Personal hygiene kit with a toothbrush, soap, medications

Eyeglasses, if you wear them

Matches

Candle

Flashlight and headlamp with extra batteries

Eating utensils

Breathing masks (Niosh-N95 or your Covid Mask)

Clothing change

Extra set of keys to home, office, etc.

Cash

Toilet Paper

Bottle of Wine (optional)

Another suggestion is to keep a headlamp by your bedside. If the power is out, it is easier to grab what you need when you don’t have to hold a flashlight in one hand.

It was cold at the StarStyle® Productions studio, but with my Go Bag essentials, we were able to be fairly comfortable. The blaze burned the hills, a few fences, and backyards, but the heroic firefighters saved all the structures in our neighborhood. It was later discovered that the fire was started by a vape pen that was tossed into the dry grass.

We never know when or where a man-made or natural emergency will strike. I hope that my family never has to use these emergency kits again and I hope you don’t have to either, but it’s best to be prepared.

Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach, as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3, which was just honored as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce. Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at https://sites.libsyn.com/556617. Her newest children’s picture book, Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!, from the series Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store.

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