10 Things You Should Do Before You Evacuate

Whether you’re being forced to evacuate a dangerous situation or you have chosen to do so on your own, there are some things that you should do BEFORE you leave. When you’re in a hurry to try and protect your family, you may not consider these tasks important, but they are. Of course, only complete these tasks if you have time. Don’t risk your or anyone else’s life to do these things. This is why we prepare NOW, so we don’t have to rush around later.

I’ve told my readers for some time now that I plan to bug in whenever possible. I’ll follow directives to evacuate, but I hope to stay put in most emergencies. I’m at an age where loading up and going elsewhere is a real chore. Besides, I have plenty of food storage and water to get me through even lengthy emergencies.

Things You Should Do Before You Evacuate

Some items on this list aren’t new—I have shared them in previous blog posts—but having a list of action items right in one spot is fantastic. Go ahead and check out these tasks you should be doing before you evacuate. Please print out this list and keep it in your prepping binder. If you must evacuate and relocate a fair distance to your bug-out location or to be with extended family or dear friends, check for states near you that may have medical outbreaks. Right now there is a significant measles outbreak in Texas and surrounding states like New Mexico and Oklahoma. Traveling to those affected states could be dangerous!

#1. Stock Up on N-95 Masks

One of the best things you can do is stock up on N-95 masks. We were expected to wear them in certain areas a few years ago. Let’s talk about smoke inhalation, dust and small debris flying, diseases from others, HantaVirus (from mice/rat droppings), plague, or whatever may come into your location. Who would have guessed we would have a Measles outbreak in Texas? Now Tennessee (as of today)! There’s no sign that the outbreak is slowing down in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

The Texas Tribune

ABC News: “Cases linked not to the outbreak but to international travel have been reported in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.”

Measles is very contagious; a mask would be helpful if you travel to any of these states. One person can spread this respiratory disease to 10-15 people without knowing it. A person can have the virus for up to 4 days before becoming symptomatic.

Measles can cause brain swelling, pneumonia, and life-threatening complications. It’s more contagious than even Covid. I remember having measles as a child; I was born in 1950. Mark had them as well, and he was born in 1946.

N95 Masks

#2. Sign Up For Emergency Notification Services

As much as you’d like to believe you’ll be listening to the radio or television when an emergency strikes, this isn’t always the case. Take the time to sign up for an emergency notification service. Ready.gov is a good one! However, you can also visit PublicAlerts.org to sign up for emergency notification services. 

#3. Offer a Place for Others to Stay

What if you have friends who are evacuating, but you aren’t? Why not offer others a place to stay? Sure, it’s not always ideal to have others in your house. However, an emergency is an emergency. If you can, allow others who may be evacuating a natural disaster elsewhere to stay with you. You won’t believe the amount of gratitude they will have for you extending your hospitality. 

#4. Prepare Yourself Mentally

I have to admit that there is a lot of adrenaline when you are evacuating. You will likely forget a lot of stuff, so starting now is essential. You’re going to need time to prepare yourself mentally. Spend time learning your evacuation plan and what you must do before leaving. You should discuss your plans and practice them with all family members. Your family could be scattered around the community as they attend school, work, the gym, or other daily routine locations.

I also think you’ll feel much better mentally if you have your emergency document binder complete and handy as you go out the door. It should include a bunch of legal documents you may need, like your passport, professional licenses and certification, social security cards, birth certificates, identification (ID) cards for your state, copies of your property deed, insurance policies, recent tax returns, health records, etc. These important documents make it so you can sleep at night knowing you have what’s needed when in a new location.

For sure you’ll need your driver’s license, car registration, and car insurance in case you get stopped for some reason.

#5. Purchase a Battery Powered Radio

If there was ever a time that you needed to evacuate but your cellphone was useless, what would you use? Radios are a great way to keep in touch with others and hear what is happening worldwide. You’ll want to purchase a battery-operated walkie-talkie and an emergency radio. Both are great tools to help you get help or communicate with others. We recently purchased an emergency radio with batteries. It can also function as a hand-crank radio, so you can operate it if the batteries run out of juice.

You’ll always want a variety of extra batteries available. I like to use rechargeable batteries, but also have a flashlight brand that uses solar power for charging. I keep them charged on my window sills so they’re ready to go.

Having a NOAA-classified weather radio is a good idea too.

#6. Always Keep Your Gas Tank Nearly Full

You can’t evacuate in an emergency if your gas tank is empty. This is one of those essential tips. Don’t ignore this one. Everyone will try to get gas in an emergency or evacuation, and the gas stations will be packed if they’re still open. If at all possible, keep your gas tank as close to full as possible.

Keep in mind that your debit cards might not work and the ATM machines could be non-functioning. Have some cash on hand for emergency purchases. We used to keep traveler’s checks in our safe for this purpose too.

#7. Keep Your Phone Charged & Have a Backup Battery

When you need your cellphone most, it seems to have a dead battery. If you can, always try to keep your phone charged. If you unexpectedly need to evacuate, you would be in trouble if your phone wasn’t charged. Keep a backup battery in your emergency bag as well. It doesn’t hurt to keep an extra phone charger cable in your car. You have to think of these things now so they can help you later.

Make sure you have cables available in your vehicle so you can keep your laptops charged too. 

#8. Pack an Emergency Bag

Way before an emergency evacuation strikes, make sure you pack an emergency bag. You should have one packed for every single person in your family. An emergency bag will have everything you need to survive for at least a few days in case of an emergency. Of course, this isn’t a long-term solution, but it does help you survive for a few days in an emergency situation. 72-Hour Kits: Please have one ready for your pet as well.

Some things to be sure are in your emergency bag would include prescription medications, eyeglasses or contact lenses for those needing them, personal hygiene items to maintain proper sanitation, a first aid kit, a change of clothes for all family members, and baby items like formula and diapers. It also doesn’t hurt to have some gloves, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and other weather-related items.

Car Emergency Kit

#9. Gas Mainline Should Be Shut Off

When you’re asked to evacuate, you can assume you don’t know what will happen to your home while you’re gone. Like most people, you hope to return. To ensure your house doesn’t explode, on top of everything else going on, you should turn off your main gas line. This is something that not everyone remembers to do! However, it can help keep houses from exploding in a natural disaster.  Remember that you may have to have the gas company turn it back on, so be aware of that. Please have a 4-in-1 tool on hand.

How To Turn The Gas And Water Off To Your House

#10. Make Sure You’re Safe

If I am being honest, you should evacuate on your own if you feel unsafe before you are forced to evacuate. Don’t wait until someone tells you to do it. Also, don’t avoid evacuating. Your life is so important, and if emergency personnel think it’s important that you evacuate, then please listen to them. Making sure you’re safe is one thing you should always put first. 

Final Thoughts

This isn’t an extensive list of everything you should do before you evacuate, but it is a good start. You don’t want to get caught “with your pants down,” so to speak. When you spend time prepping and ensuring you’re ready, you can be prepared for anything. The last few years have shown us that we don’t always know what to expect. The world isn’t done with us yet! Remember that anyone can be asked to evacuate for several reasons and at any time. Are you prepared? May God bless this world, Linda. 

Copyright Images: Fire in City Deposit photos_46884281_s-2019