{"id":100652,"date":"2011-09-07T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-09-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/getrichslowly.org\/blog\/?p=100652"},"modified":"2018-11-21T08:42:10","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T16:42:10","slug":"preparing-for-an-emergency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getrichslowly.org\/preparing-for-an-emergency\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for an Emergency"},"content":{"rendered":"
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how hot it was in the Lone Star State<\/a>. The update is that we’re literally on fire.<\/p>\n Wildfires have destroyed hundreds of homes in central Texas, and they’re breaking out all over the state (more than 60 fires so far). We were at dinner last night when my mom received four phone calls in quick succession \u2014 all family members and friends checking to see if we were okay. In the few hours since we left the house, another wildfire was reported north of Austin and less than 10 miles from our home. That fire evacuated 500 people, burned 300 acres, and destroyed at least 13 homes, but it’s not nearly as big as the one 25 miles east of Austin, which has destroyed 34,000 acres and nearly 550 homes.<\/p>\n This led to a conversation about how prepared we were if we had to evacuate at some point, whether in the near future or even years from now. Would any of us be prepared for such an emergency<\/a>? Mom said she wanted to make a plan, and Dad agreed that it’s not a bad idea. “People have done crazy things during emergency evacuations,” he said. “I’ve heard of people having minutes to leave and taking out the trash.” And minutes is about how long people in our area have had to evacuate, as a combination of drought and wind created the perfect storm for deadly and fast-moving wildfires.<\/p>\n The go bag<\/strong><\/em> During a voluntary or mandatory evacuation there just won’t be time to think through your choices calmly. You may not be interested in the complex workings of neurology and brain perception that are triggered during crisis. But if you are interested in emotional continuity management you know that people in crisis do really predictably crazy things…When something unexpected happens, people naturally try to grab and protect belongings. This is normal behavior. Unfortunately, normal doesn’t cut it during a disaster! It is heart wrenching to see people run back into burning homes desperately trying to retrieve pets or valuables and come out with a phone book, an old pillow, a teaspoon, and a broken heart. Trust me on this. You don’t want to be one of those people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As I sit in my home office, sipping coffee and typing on a laptop, I think to myself, “Surely I’d know to grab the cat, computer, safe box, and camera and make sure my wedding rings were on my finger before running out the door.” But that’s not necessarily the person I’ll be if I get a call or that knock on the door telling me that I have 5 minutes to get out of my house. That’s a scary and highly emotional situation. It’s easy to understand why a person wouldn’t be able to think clearly.<\/p>\n Create your own emergency bag<\/strong><\/em> After you’ve finished creating your own go bag and emergency plan, you can create a bag for each member of your family. Mitchell then recommends creating a 15-minute plan, 30-minute plan, and 60-minute plan, in case you have more time to evacuate.<\/p>\n It doesn’t sound like much of a time investment to make a go bag, but the payoffs could be huge if you’re ever in the unfortunate position to have only 5 minutes to leave your home.<\/p>\n What else would you include on the list of must-brings and to-dos? If you’ve had to evacuate your home or cope with a disaster<\/a>, tell us about your experience in the comments.
\nVali Hawkins Mitchell, Ph.D., the leading authority on emotional continuity management and author of \u201cEmotional Terrors in the Workplace: Protecting Your Business’ Bottom Line,\u201d wrote about human behavior during an emergency in the article Creating a Go Bag [PDF]:<\/p>\n
\nMitchell’s idea of creating a “go bag” is a practical solution that won’t take much prep time. You’ll need a backpack, preferably made from water-resistant material. You probably have one already, but if not, check around at discount and thrift stores. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to be prepared for an emergency<\/a>. You’ll also need a notebook and pen. Here’s the plan:<\/p>\n\n
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