{"id":3355,"date":"2025-03-16T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T19:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=3355"},"modified":"2025-03-30T10:12:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T15:12:08","slug":"why-a-go-bag-can-mean-the-difference-between-life-or-death-during-a-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=3355","title":{"rendered":"Why a \u201cGo Bag\u201d Can Mean the Difference Between Life or Death During a Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Why a \u201cGo Bag\u201d Can Mean the Difference Between Life or Death During a Disaster<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"CCCNewsletterGoBag\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When hurricanes bear down, floodwaters rise, wildfires rage and that big earthquake finally strikes, it\u2019s critical that you and your family members are ready to evacuate. <\/b><\/i><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tPerhaps the most important thing to bring with you: a \u201cgo bag\u201d full of emergency supplies. Go bags exist to save you from having to run around and gather items when a threatening situation is imminent.

\n\nThese bags are designed to provide everything a family of four needs to survive for several days after a disaster, especially if tried-and-trusted services aren\u2019t available.

\n\nThe bags don\u2019t have to be bags at all \u2014 they can be boxes, cartons or crates, so long as they contain all of the important supplies.

\n\nThe contents of a family\u2019s go bag could mean the difference between life or death, depending on how bad a situation becomes, according to Jonathan Sury, senior staff associate at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, or NCDP, at Columbia Climate School.

\n\n\u201cHaving yourself and your family be prepared will ease the burden on our response system but also make you more mentally ready for what lies ahead,\u201d Sury said. \u201cPreparation is the difference between being panicked and being calm, collected and cool.\u201d

\n\nDisaster preparedness certainly is an important topic; a 2015 NCDP survey indicated that only 35% of respondents had an adequate disaster plan and supplies.

\n\nWhether your home is currently threatened, now is a great time to put a plan together.

\nYour must-haves<\/b>

\n\nMost of the items disaster preparedness experts suggest you include in a go bag are things you can find around your house. You also can purchase items separately or as part of package kits designed to offer one-stop shopping.

\n\nWhichever strategy you choose, the Federal Emergency Management Agency website says a basic emergency supply kit should include:

\n\n
  • One gallon of water per person, per day <\/li>
  • \n\nThree-day supply of nonperishable food per person and per pet<\/li>
  • \n\nYour family\u2019s prescription medications<\/li>
  • \n\nBattery-powered or hand crank radio<\/li>
  • \n\nFlashlights<\/li>
  • \n\nFirst-aid kit<\/li>
  • \n\nWrench to turn off utilities<\/li><\/ul>
    \n\nSome of the items on extended lists include emergency blankets, extra cash, solar cell phone chargers and a multipurpose tool such as a Leatherman or Swiss Army knife.

    \n\nPeople also should include digital copies of all their important documents such as birth certificates, insurance policies and passports, Sury said, as well as ample supplies of over-the-counter and prescription medications for every person in the family.

    \nAre the roads clear?<\/B>

    \n\nAnother key component: good paper maps.

    \n\nIt is critical to have printed maps of the area with two exit routes marked clearly, said Samantha Montano, assistant professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

    \n\n\u201cHave plans on how you would evacuate your home including what type of transportation you would use, how you would afford it, and where you would stay,\u201d Montano wrote in an email.

    \n\n\u201cThis is particularly important to think about early on because the pandemic may have made your existing evacuation plans obsolete.\u201d

    \n\nThe American Red Cross also published a checklist that echoes these sentiments.

    \nIs it time to leave yet?<\/b>

    \n\nDuring the pandemic, many families rethought their \u201cgo plan\u201d and considered leaving before an official warning, if for no other reason than to get out of harm\u2019s way, said Eric Alberts, assistant vice president of emergency management at Orlando Health, a health care system in Florida.

    \n\nPeople can still catch Covid-19, the flu and other contagious illnesses, so those who are immunosuppressed or currently ill need to be even more careful as they evacuate, packing masks and hand sanitizer and their specific medications. (That\u2019s good advice for everyone.)\n\n\u201cIf people are in a location that requires them to evacuate, they should be proactive and leave before it is too late,\u201d he said.

    \nA video record of your home<\/b>

    \n\nIf you have time to prepare, do a walk-through of your home and take video of the contents. If the structure is destroyed, your insurance company will want to see what your home was like.

    \n\nSury, the expert from Columbia, said that while doing so isn\u2019t a must, it\u2019s always a good idea to have such a record.

    \n\n\u201cAnything that can be required for your identification or compensation after disaster,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a way to make formal record of everything with value, it will help you in the long run with recovering from a disaster.\u201d

    \n\nSury\u2019s organization has put together an app to help people determine how ready they are to respond to a disaster. The tool, dubbed the Preparedness Wizard, is fun and educational but also offers important practical information and input about how to maximize readiness and minimize risk.

    \nDon\u2019t forget the stuffed animals<\/b>

    \n\nIn addition to whatever medicine and other basic supplies your children will need, remember their teddy bears, blankies, favorite books, tablets (and chargers) or other things that will help calm their fears as you leave your home.

    \n\nSonoma County, California, resident Rosie Monson learned this firsthand. In 2019, as the Kincade Fire was bearing down on her Alexander Valley home and she and her husband were evacuating, Monson made a pass through the house for her kids\u2019 most cherished possessions.

    \n\n\u201cIn our case it was My Little Pony dolls, a Nintendo Switch, jewelry and stuffies,\u201d Monson said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have time to pack everything and couldn\u2019t fit everything in our car with the pets and kids, but I didn\u2019t want my kids to feel sad or stressed or different from other kids because something in their normal routine was gone.\u201d

    \n\nMonson and her husband lost their home in that fire, and she said her kids still cherish everything that was saved. Her advice on packing for evacuations: \u201cIf your kids don\u2019t have their favorite stuff, the tears start every time they think of something and it\u2019s so sad.\u201d

    \nAlways be ready<\/b>

    \n\nThe bottom line: always be ready, even beyond the bag. Just because someone puts together a \u201cgo bag\u201d does not mean that person is prepared, Montano warned.

    \n\n\u201cWe know from the research that it\u2019s much more complicated than that,\u201d she said. \u201cYour social network, your economic situation, the preparedness of your local government (and) other factors all influence how ready you are to go through a disaster.\u201d

    \nContributor: Matt Villano, CNN<\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Why a \u201cGo Bag\u201d Can Mean the Difference Between Life or Death During a Disaster When hurricanes bear down, floodwaters rise, wildfires rage and that big earthquake finally strikes, it\u2019s critical that you and your family members are ready to evacuate. Perhaps the most important thing to bring with you: a \u201cgo bag\u201d full of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","category-lifestyle","category-news-and-information"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3355"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3362,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3355\/revisions\/3362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}