Under prepare to evac order

[Snowmom]

 

Am for you and your family and your home, Mo7.

 

Please let us know how things are as soon as you can.

 

[cookiejar]

More prayers here and please let us know how you are soon?

[FlaGal]

Adding my prayers to help shield your home and family from harm.

 

Thankful for this forum of big-hearted ladies & gents.

[Jules]

Prayers on the way that you and yours are safe and sound. I know you are already packed and gone, but when you get back and see the support behind you that it will gladden your heart. Come back soon and let us know how it all went.

[-6]

Best to you Snow. Keep in touch, wc

[zzelle]

adding my prayers keep us posted when it is safe

[MommyofSeven]

Well we are safe. We did not have to evac, but the computer didn't get hooked back up until this am.

 

Didn't get ready to go out the door as fast as I wanted, but that was due to mainly not having enough stuff "ready" yet. I had stuff I could pull out of the pantry, but don't have storage room or extras to put in the BOB, so pulled it out of household stuff. We could have left with ONLY what we had in the BOB and been fine but we'd have had to do some shopping pretty quickly. Also I had asked DH to bring the tent and camp stove here from storage and he had never done that. It's here now

 

During the Mauricio fire, which was much closer, it took two of us TWO HOURS to get ready. This time I could have been out the door in 5 minutes, was ready to go much more comfortably out the door in 40 minutes.

 

There are two issues that I don't see mentioned much with BOB stuff that I think I should bring up.

 

One is packing for littles. For one, they can't carry anything. For two, you have to pack diapers and often special foodstuffs (our youngest is still on a bottle, for example). They need more clothes. You have to plan for more disposal if you're roughing it for diapers. For three, you have to worry about transport if for some reason you have to evac on foot. You have to bring more comfort items, and you have to have ways to occupy them that take space. Coloring books, new books to read, etc will occupy the middles and bigs but you have to have toys and such for the littles. Well you don't have to, but it certainly makes things easier. You also have to worry about heat. I would not have a camp fire around with littles, at least not close enough to provide good heat. So that means more blankets.

 

The other is ready cash. With the Mauricio fire, we had, I think, $37 in our bank account. That might have bought gas to get to my moms. Make sure that you have cash in your BOB. There are ATMs everywhere, but how far will you have to drive before you find one that hasn't been cleaned out by others who are evacuated? What if your bank, like mine, is a small local one and they are destroyed by fire. While I'm sure they have off site servers, are those in areas not affected by the fire? Are their computer link ups safe? We only have wifi and dial up here. If phone lines are down (all above ground) and the wifi satellite thingies burn, can they transmit to an ATM to tell it that you do indeed have money in the bank? Not knowing much about banks, I don't know the answer to that.

 

Was a fantastic test of our BOB, and I'm thankful beyond words that we didn't have to use it. Thank you so much for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers, no one was injured, no structures lost, so it was, in DH's words (he's a volunteer firefighter), "a good fire."

 

Mo7

[Bookworm]

So thankful that you are all okay! Glad it wasn't a harder lesson on the BOBs and glad you can share what you learned!

[Jules]

I'm glad you didn't have to go, and that was a valuable lesson for all of us.

[Cricket]

Mo7, I'm saying prayers of thanks for your good outcome.

 

My kids are grown, but I still plan my BOBs with them in mind. For our emergency evac supplies, I have a school-book type backpack for each of us, with a water and compact food, plastic ponchos, space blankets, flashlight, cash, socks, underwear and tee shirts. Also distributed between the packs are a small first-aid kit, small radio, spare glasses and the dog's leash. Small bible.

 

I keep these packs in a storage area. On the wall above the packs is tacked my list of things to grab: car keys, wallets, glasses, meds, cell phones and chargers, tent, buckets, pet carrier, water jugs. The list is in big print and covered by a page protector. I could read it without glasses. I don't want to rely on my memory in an evacuation situation!

 

I keep a heavy duty zipper top bag in the medicine chest. In a hurry, the meds and vitamin bottles will just be dumped in the bag and ready to go.

 

If we had to walk out with just our packs, we'd be okay.

 

If we can drive out, in the same storage area I have three 5 gallon buckets that are a distinctive color. In those buckets are canned foods, sterno stove, change of clothes, small blanket for each person, plastic bags, candles, mess kits, and a towel and wash cloth for each person. A backpacking tent is stored with the buckets, as well as a small battery operated TV/Radio.

 

You have special challenges with little kids. What do you put thier stuff in? Would it work to use an overnite bag on wheels? Together, a couple of middle sized kids could pull that along, do you think?

[MommyofSeven]

Well I have a list of stuff to grab, so yes, that was a big help. We are buying big bins this weekend so one of those will go to BOB stuff cause part of the reason I'm not fully stocked there is lack of storage for what I have been able to buy.

 

If we have to walk out, we probably wouldn't be able to, realistically. If the roads aren't passable, there are lots of arroyos and such through here, no clear path to anywhere. There ARE train tracks outside of town, but getting TO them would be a challenge. It would take us hours to clear the arroyos with the littles. At that point, we would follow the tracks, but I'm not sure about actually getting to them. All of the backpacks I have could be repacked with the lightweight food I have that is good protein and carbs, but carrying enough water to get us far would be next to impossible. Our stroller does really well overland but at each arroyo we'd have to carry the kids down and back out, then go back and get the stroller, and middle DD would probably have to be carried, too. In theory, a big who can shoot and who has the balls to shoot would need to be stationed with the littles on either side until we are all over. That leaves one person to carry. Actually it leaves no one to carry, cause while my nine year old can shoot, he's not yet what I'd call proficient, and I'm quite sure he couldn't shoot a person when it came down to it. Oldest DD, at 16, would not only shoot but keep body parts for souveniers, LOL. But still, walking out is a very sticky situation.

 

The only forseeable situation I can see in which we'd have to walk out would be earthquake. In that case I would get somewhere away from anything that can fall, pray it was stable, and pitch the tent. I"d not be far, but I'd have easy access to all my stuff if the house was in any way standing.

 

We live close enough to Cheyenne Mountain that if there was a nuke with EMP that took out the cars all we'd need would be bullets, cause we could never escape the fallout. I would, first, attempt to shelter in a newer building that is more draft proof and try to stay there, but if we got radioactive, well...that's one of those hard truths that no one wants to think about. In case of some other form of EMP we would SIP.

 

Mo7

[Cricket]

"Oldest DD, at 16, would not only shoot but keep body parts for souveniers"

 

 

Oh, I laughed out loud at that, now my office-mates know I'm goofing off in here.

 

Actually, if she were 10 years older, I'd make a match-making pitch for one of my sons. I would love to have a nice girl that can shoot well and take no prisoners for a DIL!

 

[Snowmom]

 

Glad that you didn't have to leave and that you are safe.

 

I guess that is one thing bad about being in the mountains or so near them.

 

I think we would be kind of safe if something happened like the nuke you are talking about. We are far enough away, that I think we would be safe for a while at least.

 

Glad you are safe.

 

 

 

[cootie]

Please be careful. Praying for you....

 

 

[Mt_Rider]

Oh hon, I just saw this now. I'm SO glad you and your family did not have to actually EVAC. I was batty enough with DH and I and all our critters. CanNOT imagine doing it with kiddos. (((((Mo7))))) I did not even hear that there WAS a fire down in your area. That's what I get for not having TV, etc. I did know the entire eastern plains section of CO was under Red Flag Alert for the past week. HateFiresHateFiresHateFires!!!

 

Well, since I'm rather late in this case, I'm praying that the only lasting effect from this ordeal was Insight & Education to make you and your family even more prepared for whatever you might face. The fire season has just begun & I ask God to guard and protect you all.

 

 

LOL First thing I did when I got back to my house in that 3-wk EVAC was to sit down and write out things I learned I need to do differently. Sounds like you are doing the same. Atta gal!!! The CO terrain is a doooozey, isn't it? Bug-Out on foot would be.... I agree.

 

Cricket said:

Quote:

The list is in big print and covered by a page protector. I could read it without glasses.

THIS IS IMPORTANT! All us Over-Forty-Folks who need at least 'readers'.....you do not want to be trying to find your glasses in order to read your own EVAC instructions/lists!!! LARGE TYPE!!!!! One of the first things I changed...along with putting spare readers in every bag/place I could think of.

 

 

 

Well Mo7, you give your Fire Fighter hubby a big hug for the job he does for all the rest of us in these seasons. I'm glad it was 'a good fire'. Praying for his safety as he goes out on behalf of his community!!!!!

 

 

MtRider [keeping a wary eye open up here too... We're not as dry as the plains but.... HateFireHateFireHateFire...and don't like EVAC either! ]

 

 

[MommyofSeven]

I will give my fire fighting hubby a hug. He deserves that and more. He got promoted last night to [azz]'t chief. Their chief had a heart attack (he's fine after quad bypass, well not fine, but ykwim) but his wife put her foot down and said "No more". The board had an emergency meeting yesterday morning and decided they need to set up officers in their new positions. He is technically supposed to move up to Captain, with the guy that is currently Capn becoming [azz]'t Chief, but the current Captain is 19, very gung ho, right attitude, an asset to the department...but with no experience. They haven't had a large wild land fire since the 19 yer old joined the dep't, and he's not yet medically certified. So DH jumped up a level. They asked me to be dispatch, but I think I might turn it down. I'll need to be able to devote all my attention to any incident that might be going on and can't do that properly juggling a baby in one hand and a toddler in the other.

 

Mo7

[Abigail]

Just saw this...thanking God that you and yours are safe and didn't have to evac...but what a valuable wakeup call and "dry run!"

 

I agree about the money 100%. It's VERY hard to keep your hands off of an emergency CASH fund, but it's CRITICAL to have it, especially with gas being as expensive as it is.

 

If there's any way at all that you can have a few filled gas cans stored safely, I'd suggest that as well...to avoid waiting in gas lines that are guaranteed to form when a civil evac is ordered.

 

A thought about the babies...what about backpacks to carry the little ones in? I have one with a metal frame much like a hiking pack...my youngest is 13, but I've never wanted to get rid of it...the ones suitable for toddlers and young preschoolers aren't as easy to find as packs for young infants. You may be able to pick up used ones in garage sales or resale shops...people unload them all the time when their kids outgrow them. Just in case of having to travel on foot...

[Deb2of9]

I agree on the back pack idea. I did have one for my daughter when she was little and another for my grandson years later. It helped with getting around alot, and I mean just for shopping or other outings. The only problem with that would be that the person carrying the kid, might be limited on what else they were carrying. It would free your hands up though, and does make it easier. In fact we had one for one of my grandsons a few years ago. I went to the store with my grandchildren. We had 5 at the time. My 10 year old grandson carryied the one year old in the back pack while I pushed the stroller with the next oldest, while the two girls (5 and 3 at the time) walked along side. It worked pretty good. My point being an older child of 9 or 10 might be able to carry a younger child with one of those, freeing a grownup to carry the heavier stuff.

 

 

I like the large print list as well. I can not read without my glasses and am always getting my daughter to find them for me when they get knocked off the table. A list like that could make the difference for me finding what I need to take with me. Without a list, I am sure I would forget something important.