<p>Our family had to prepare to evacuate a few years ago when San Diego had its big fires. It can be very stressful with out a plan, so I thought maybe we could all give some suggestions to help plan for a potential evacuation. My suggestion would be to have your students who are away from home pack a box labeled “Please Evacuate This”. It could contain yearbooks, pictures, keepsakes, etc. That way, while your packing up, you don’t have to be searching for and deciding what’s most important to them, and you’ll hopefully be able to save some of their special things. Any other ideas?</p>
<p>Also include important documents like passport, copies of driver’s license and S.S. card.</p>
<p>Jd…this is an excellent idea! We did just the same thing after my sister-in-law lost her home and everything precious after a house fire. We saw the things that are truly irreplaceable. We took one of the plastic large storage containers bought at Wal-mart and put wedding pictures, baby pictures, high school yearbooks, and all the things that we wanted to save. Everyone knows the things I’m trying to talk about, certain things just can’t be re-created so I felt like we needed to do all we could to protect our memories. It would have been the first thing we would have tried to save in an emergency.</p>
<p>My other suggestion would be to have a fire-proof file box or small tote which would have insurance policies, copies of birth certificates and phone numbers of credit cards, and account numbers for bank accounts. I personally know someone who after a tornado found checks and very important personal information on a person 20 miles away. You want to be able to know where these items are and be able to grab them quickly if you need to evacuate.</p>
<p>We had to evacuate in Hurricane Floyd…You figure out pretty quickly what you value…What was in the back of our car? Photo albums, documents, some sentimental jewelry and a good bottle of chardonnay.</p>
<p>One thing that has stayed with me this past week or so is the people who were left alone in the nursing homes. Those who lost their lives since the caregivers left them. While listening to the radio on our way to Houston a woman called the radio station and asked how to get help to her neighbor whose husband was in a nursing home and all the staff had left but 1. And this was only early sunday. It you have family in any sort of care facility or hospital find out now what procedures they follow in an emergency.</p>
<p>For parents of students - before they leave for school - make a copy of EVERYTHING - liscense, insurance info, SS card, all ID’s, credit cards, banking info, copies of prescriptions, basically anything you can think of (front and back) etc… take a photo of anything of real value - jewelry, computer, stero stuff, etc… and put it ALL in a special file.</p>
<p>For the student - have a small kit or fill a backpack - include a state/US map, important papers - what I listed above + - a list of phone numbers, computer, things of value - jewelry, etc…medication, banking stuff, etc…oooo and don’t forget the phone charger also.</p>
<p>And take as much as you can carry with you comfortably - some can only manage another bag with clothes, personal items, etc… and some can fill a car. There are times that one will not have much time to figure out what to take - so would be good to consider things before you need to maybe really have to do it.</p>
<p>This is also one of those times when that phone company 800 call home cards also comes in very handy - for when cell sevice is out but old fashioned phones may work.</p>
<p>Just some ideas - we had to evac a student from hurricane Isabel</p>