It’s wildfire season, y’all! And you know what that means: it’s go (bag) time. With the frequency and intensity of climate-change-related disasters increasing, nearly all of us are at some risk of having to evacuate due to a hurricane, wildfire, or flood–which means we should all have “go bags” stocked and ready to grab at a moment’s notice. I just got mine refreshed for the summer wildfire season, so I thought I’d do a post on the contents in case you needed a quick handlist. You can find lots of recommendations online for what to put in your go bag, but here’s my personal list:
- cell phone (well, that’s always with me anyway b/c it’s also my wallet; bonus–it also contains my home and car insurance cards and gives me access to my dogs’ vaccination records since I have to scan and email them to the kennel every 6 months; not to mention it has a camera and flashlight. Smart phones really are amazing if you grew up without them….)
- Comfort kit (above, and more on that in a second)
- essential and hard-to-replace documents: passport, birth certificate, SS card, shot records, health insurance card, will and other current legal docs
- other small hard-to-replace and security items: keys to safety deposit boxes, extra set of car and house keys, etc.
- essential supplies for dogs (leashes, muzzle [Tali can get nippy when threatened and crowded], a couple servings of food in a ziploc, collapsible bowls)
- elemental protection (in case shelter site is exposed or there’s a long line): hat, gloves, umbrella for sun protection, light rain jacket
- power bars and a couple of small water bottles in case it’s a minute until I can get access to these things
- a couple of N95 masks for smoke inhalation, COVID exposure, etc.
- a deck of cards because who knows how long I’m going to be stuck wherever I am, and Bildergalerie is fun! Plus, cards are a great way to make friends.
Of course if I have 15 minutes, I’m going to grab my laptop, priceless family photos, irreplaceable art, etc. But the go bag contains the non-negotiables. My comfort kit is one of them. I did a brief post on it before, mostly shilling the Osprey ultralight organizer I use and love. But I didn’t give a full rundown in that post of what I carry in the comfort kit, so here it is in case you’re interested:
- “cheaters” (cheap reading glasses)
- lip balm and lip gloss
- eye drops
- pen and tiny notepad
- wet wipes
- kleenex (doubles as toilet paper!)
- an N95 mask
- Advil
- mints
- hair tie
- hand cream
- ear plugs for metal concerts and snoring roommates
- phone charger
- power bank
- sanitary supplies
The Rookery 