The recent devastating fires in LA/Ventura and Northern California should be a less-than-gentle reminder that residents of disaster-prone areas (like Laguna Beach and many others in California) should not be complacent about being ready to evacuate—and do it fast.
The sad tales of bodies found in cars as people were trying to flee surrounding flames—and even some who were killed by fire as they ran from cars that caught fire—should be a wake-up call to all of us that readiness for emergencies also means being able to act fast.
Laguna Beach CERT is still collecting signatures from residents promising to be prepared (www.lagunabeachcity.net/getprepared) as a reminder to do just that. And the city now is offering basic go-bags for $50 to residents who are still without the essentials. Anyone who signs an interest list indicating they would like to purchase the go-bag from the city will get a call when the go-bags are ready and—if you still want to buy it—a CERT member will deliver the bag to you. What could be easier? If you want to buy a bag, contact Jordan Villwock at [email protected].
Meanwhile, make your 15-minute list of what you’d take if you only have 15 minutes to get out. Make sure you know the location of those items (tip: medication, flash drive with important documents, cash, IDs, laptops/notebook computers, cell phone and charger, pets, and a photo of family members with the pets, as well as photos of every room in your home for starters). Put a big reminder on your garage door to turn your car around facing out when a fire is in your area and—if there’s time—fill up the tank before you’re told to evacuate.
Survivor after survivor this week spoke of not knowing what to take and just grabbing a few things. Others spoke of the horror of driving through flames to get out. In Paradise, residents pretty much had only one access road out of town. Sound familiar? Plan a route, let someone know where you are headed and hit that evacuation route as soon as you can when a fire is approaching.
And first, have that go-bag with water, snacks, pet food, extra medication, masks, first aid items and basic tools ready to go whenever the next disaster may hit.
Sandi Cain, Laguna Beach CERT Outreach Chief
