What Would You Grab?

Last week my husband and I responded to a few house fires for the Red Cross. We help clients who have been burned out of their homes and try to give them some emergency relief. One of the important things we ask for is identification with proof of address. Sometimes clients have their driver’s license or can show some kind of mail with their name and address on it.

On the news you hear about flooding and mudslides in areas and how people have to evacuate. One family on the side of the mountain was going to lose their home because of all the rain. They were allowed to go in and get the valuables they could grab.

This made me think of things that I would grab if we had a house fire. I realized that I keep my purse with my wallet in my office and if we had a fire in the middle of the night, I might not be able to get to it. So, now my purse will be in the bedroom close at hand. I also thought that I would make a copy of my driver’s license and keep it in my car glove compartment. While thinking of these things, my husband and I thought we would make a list and keep it handy of things we must have if we have time to grab things. We would need my husband’s medication and his wallet. I would want to grab our cell phones, iPad, and laptops if I had time. I would want to grab so many things because I think everything I own is valuable to me. Otherwise, why would I have it?! Not only do I have things that are worth money but I have so many things that hold memories.

I also thought about the classroom and what I would need to grab if the school had a fire. At one school we had an evacuation bag hanging by the door. This bag had the class roster, emergency procedures (in case a substitute is there), a pen and pencil, some paper, bandaids, and rubber gloves. I would also grab a grade book and my purse but other than that, I think I would be okay. I put a lot of my files in dropbox online so I don’t have to worry about my computer or flash drive.

What would you grab in case of an emergency? Do you have a list or a bag? Please share.

Original photo by Pat Hensley