When Fire Devastates

Two nights ago a tragedy struck close to my home. Several buildings in the small town I live in caught on fire and burned beyond repair. It took 15 fire companies about 7-8 hours to extinguish the blaze. Thank God in Heaven that no one lost their life.

 It was a nightmarish scene as plumbs of black smoke billowed up into the evening sky chased by flames, at times, reaching 30 to 40 feet above the buildings, and the smell of burning tar from the roofs reaching for miles down wind. I thank the brave men and women of the fire departments that bravely fought the blaze. Who knows how much worse it could have been without their hard work.

As I write this I am reminded about a couple of posts I made in January and February about having some emergency supplies together in your home that could get you through if a disaster were to strike. They were written with the idea in mind that you never know when something is going to happen that could leave you fending for yourself until rescue crews can arrive to help, or utilities could be restored. This disaster was of another sort: What do you do when every thing you prepared is no longer there?

It’s difficult and unpleasant, to think that something like this could happen to you but it can, and it does, everyday. You owe it to yourself and your family to be ready when it does. The nice part about getting prepared is that it’s not as hard to do as you might think, and a little creative thinking and effort before hand can reduce the time and cost it would normally take to get ready.

To start, make a plan! A written plan that is discussed and practiced with your family, that teaches them what to do and where to go if a tragedy hits your home. Include escape routes for each area of your home, a “safe zone” at least 100 yards away from the home to meet at. This can be a tree, park bench, a mail box, anything that gets everyone back together out of harms way.

Put together a “grab and go” bag (also called a bug out bag) for each person. At a minimum it should contain a change of clothes (appropriate for the season), a jacket or sweater (even in the summer months), a first aid kit (with any medications you need), a flash light, pencil/pen and paper, rain poncho, 25-50 feet of utility or Para cord, a pair of gloves (work gloves or glove liners are fine), a knit hat or ball cap, and some basic hygiene supplies. The adults in the home should also have a copy of any important papers such as insurance papers, birth certificates, wills, or any other papers you may want or need, $20 to $50 to purchase a meal or other item, and a family Bible. Place them into a plastic zip lock bag to protect them and keep them together.

If you have kids in the home you may want to include some comfort items for them such as some type of snack food (trail mix, crackers, hard candies), a blanket, stuffed animal, or favorite toy. If you decide to go with a favorite toy, hit you local garage sales and flea markets to find a duplicate of a toy they are already playing with a lot. Something familiar helps them to deal with difficult situations.

You can hit the “back to school” sales at your local department stores, garage or estate sales, flea markets, or EBay to pick up a small day or school style backpack for each person to store their stuff in and a multi pack of LED flashlights are a great way to save money when supplying each person with a light (just remember to keep spare batteries with them). Most communities have a Red Cross chapter that will offer assistance to families but it may take a few hours to a few days for that assistance to arrive, having something already together gives you and your family something to fall back on until then.