If you had to leave your house in an emergency would you be ready?

[IAmInsignificunt]

This week, my friend had to leave her house with her DP and 3 DC in 30 seconds because they were evacuated due to a fire in a neighbouring building.

I have just been reading about the 400 people evacuated from flats under a pillar of the bridge in Genoa.

Are you ready to up and leave?

Here are things we do in our house to make sure we can leave if something awful like the above happens.

• We keep spare front and back door keys in our bedroom along with a torch.
• We have backpacks in an easily accessible place (near to the only exit route) which contain things we need such as

• Phone chargers
• List of essential email and phone numbers for family, friends, work, school, doctors, insurance.
• We keep our passports in these bags.
• Torch attached to bag
• First aid kit, hair ties, lip balm and spf
• Travel toothbrushes and toothpaste
• USB stick with all documents scanned including utility bills, insurance etc. photos of every room in the house
• Photos of everyone in the family and a list of their essential meds on a laminated piece of paper
• 72hrs worth of essential meds
• Nappies
• Cash in coins and small notes
• Spare credit card
• Cereal bars
• Sweets
• Tissues
• Antibac gel
• Foil blankets
• Fleece blankets
• Dog leads (tied to outside of bag)
• Small bag of dog food and treats
• Scissors
• Duct tape
• Change of clothes for everyone
• Bin bags
• Umbrella
• Swiss Army knife
• Bottled water

We keep this next to our hospital wash bag and rain coats. We have readily accessible flat shoes next to the front door.

Wow! That’s some grab-bag :)

The changing backpack has a few essentials in (suncream, baby stuff, tissues, antibac, contact lenses etc) and we have a few bits in the car (water, paracetamol, a book, tissues, antibac, warm coat/hat when it’s winter, umbrellas etc), and my handbag has money, chewing gum, paracetamol, ID and contact numbers. The keys are kept in/next to the door anyway.

I don’t feel the need to have a lot of what you do (afterall my insurance/utilities can be contacted using google and my personal details), and we have good insurance (and having experience of a house fire they generally just agree with whatever you say as long as they think you aren’t trying to pull a fast one).

It’s good to be prepared though, and if I had to leave in 30 seconds I could: I just might not be able to brush my teeth for a few days ;)

I always think I am but I know what I really need to sort is my valuable documents scanned onto an encrypted usb stick ...err...thing.

No, we'd need hours or even days.

It does sound like a lot but the bulk of it is clothes and the fleece blankets (they attach to the outside), the other things are small.
My DH is always changing who we have insurance etc. with so that’s why I make sure to scan all the details onto the USB stick because we would never remember!

MiddlingMum
Do you think you might take action to make your life easier?

We've had the same happen as OP's friend. We were in bed, and had to get out as fast as possible (there was nothing but thick smoke and flames outside the windows and people outside screaming at us to get out and all). Our house luckily didn't catch fire, but it took quite a while until the firemen allowed us back in. Sitting around outside in nothing but your PJs was NOT a great experience!

In that moment the best things to have had with us would have been some cash and some spare clothes. Had our house actually caught fire, the most important thing (apart from cash and clothes) for me would have been to have our important documents and wallets. If you're in a town (as we are), everything else could have been organised with insurance documents and money at hand, I think.

Oh my god - we'd be completely fucked. I'd have nothing ready - unless I could grab my handbag on the way out.

That sounds so incredibly organised.

I might do this.

I'm planning a go-bag with this scenario in mind. Only it hasn't gotten beyond the planning stage so far . For me the most important things are documents and family photos. I reckon that everything else can be repurchased.

I would prioritise getting my children, pets and DD’s urn/memory box out of the house. Otherwise my mobile phone is rarely far away from me. I have various important documents (passport, driving licence etc) scanned and saved, so I can access those from anywhere in the world and my app allows me to withdraw cash without a card. It’s an iPhone so if necessary I could borrow a charger relatively easily until I bought one.

I’d also grab my keys to take my car if possible - that has lots of change, spare clothes etc for the children, a phone charger, blanket, torch, water etc already in it.

This is going on my to do list this week. I have one but it's not nearly as impressive as your, OP!

A few years ago we had a series of earthquakes so I thought it would be a good idea to prepare a bag like this. Didn't actually do it though.

No we don't have anything like this. Could gather that stuff in 3 minutes I reckon as I always know where it all is, but I guess if it's 30 seconds it's pretty much life or death so would just get myself, DH and DC out, maybe grab our shoes and coats which are by the door.

Good idea. I think keeping clothes and non valuables in the car, and then a grab bag with spare car key, cash and cards, parents phone numbers, medication, contact lenses, might be more practical for me.

In 30 seconds I could get kids, inhalers, phone, wallet and passports. I think I could cobble together our world again with that lot. I wouldn't worry so much about coats and shoes.

Elf think I'm maybe thinking more of the scenario previously mentioned re standing about waiting to be let back in - like a fire alarm at work would depend on the scenario of course. Can't really imagine it ever happening in such a way with literally 30 seconds. Obviously house on fire or flooding then preservation of life would be all I'd be bothered about.

I was just thinking about how hard it is to get my kids into shoes and coats on a morning and thinking that keeping that lot by the door wouldn't help us. Maybe I should keep flipflops in the car

I'm thinking if you get burgled that bag is bound to get nicked and the thieves have everything they need to access your confidential info, hack your identity, take out credit cards in your name and many other nefarious things....

Which is why you put the bag somewhere you know which is accessible but not easily swipeable. To be frank, anyone who breaks into your house and who has more time to hang about will find that sort of stuff anyway.

I've kind of done this but more as a hospital bag in case we had to go in an ambulance in an emergency and then stay overnight.

If I had to leave the house in a hurry due to fire or flood then I have lots of friends & relatives in my town so would just go there.

Important documents are in a fire/flood box so would take that if possible.

I have a hospital bag ready packed as my ds ended up being admitted a few times (asthma) & whilst he was fine sleeping in pants & putting the same clothes on the next day I struggled sleeping in clothes/bra etc & not being able to brush my teeth or use deoderant etc

So my bag contains:

For ds - pyjamas, pants, socks, trousers & t-shirt. Toothbrush & toothpaste. Cuddly toy, set of mini dinosaurs & a reading book. Drinks bottle, snacks & squeesy squash.

For me - pyjamas, pants, bra, socks, leggings & t-shirt. Toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant, flannel, hairbrush & moisturiser. Book, cash & snacks.

I keep various spares like clothes, inhalers, money etc in my car so if possible would grab the car key if we had to get out quick. At least that way I could keep the kids & dogs contained!

*squeezy!!

Since the thread is being resurrected, I have a question about safety. I'm more worried about my house being broken into than about having to leave it in a hurry. Putting all that stuff (passports, money, USB sticks with important info, addresses, credit cards) in one bag would be a jackpot for burglars. Are you all not worried about it?

Also, chargers - do you charge your device and then put the charger back in the grab bag every single day?

We have a bug-out bag. Even containing waterproof maps of the surrounding area for DH's dream scenario, Zombie Apocalypse but I don't know about keys/documents. I suppose they're near the door but not in the bag.

Encrypted usb stick on a key ring.

Correction: on my key ring.

Why would photos of every room in the house be important?