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Cheat sheet: Your very short guide to getting packed up right now to evacuate
An extreme fire danger sign is posted at the entrance of Griffith Park back in 2017
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Damian Dovarganes
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AP
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These fires are fast-moving and straight up frightening. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Palisades Fire
Eaton Fire
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Go-Bag basics
- Three-day supply of non-perishable food and three gallons of water per person
- Map marked with at least two evacuation routes
- Prescriptions or special medications
- Change of clothing
- Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses
- An extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash or traveler's checks
- First aid kit
- Flashlight
- Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
- Sanitation supplies
- Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.)
- Pet food and water
Evaluate your risks
Want to take a closer look at some of your potential risks? First Street Foundation, a nonprofit research group, has a new tool called Risk Factor: Input your address for data about the risk for fire and flooding in your area. (The website notes, however, that this should not be relied upon for in-the-moment details about "active events.")
Sign up for local alerts
Sign up for local alerts. They’re a reliable clearinghouse for up-to-date news, and early warnings.
- L.A. County alerts ▶
- Orange County alerts ▶
- Ventura County alerts ▶
- San Bernardino County alerts ▶
- Riverside County alerts ▶
- Santa Barbara County alerts ▶
Be familiar with your reliable local news sources (we do our best here at LAist.com and LAist 89.3 to stay on top of any Southern California fires that lead to evacuations.)
- Bookmark Fire.CA.Gov/Incidents, which gives you an at-a-glance look at blazes in progress. This is especially important if you plan on traveling.
- ReadyForWildfire.org is your friend to get everything prepped. It guides you through the three critical stages: READY (go bag prepped), SET (the ability to leave at a moment’s notice), GO (get out of there as soon as authorities give the word.) It’s a great starting place on how to prepare your home and family.
Preparing to evacuate
Ideally you already have an evacuation plan in place. Ready for Wildfire suggests: “Make sure you know your community’s emergency response plan and have a plan on where to go when it is time to evacuate, and best routes for leaving your location.”
- Experts suggest working closely with neighbors. Be the one who sets up a neighborhood network. Exchange numbers with neighbors, and create a texting loop, to keep each other informed and lend help if necessary. If you work far from home, consider striking up an agreement with a trusted neighbor to evacuate your teenager or pet on your behalf if needed.
- Next up? Get in the habit of keeping your gas tank nearly full, advises the Red Cross. Sure, it’s a hassle to stop for gas every other day or so. But, in case of an emergency, you'll be able to drive your family hundreds of miles from danger, without stopping for gas.
- Evacuating also means having a “go bag” together for every member of the family, pets included.
- Designate a corner of a closet or garage for all the gear you’re setting aside, zipped up and ready to be snatched up. If wildfires are on the horizon, you can even pack up your vehicle in advance, and be at the ready to leave.
- When those basics are done, it’s time to level up: Start thinking about the important paperwork you might need, documents that would be hard to replace.
- Insurance documents.
- Bank account numbers.
- Photos.
- Passports.
- The title to your car.
- The deed to your house.
- Birth certificates.
Consider making copies of all these items and saving them to a USB drive — and giving them to a trusted relative on the other side of the country. Then put that drive in the bottom of your go bag. Keep the real copies someplace safe where you could hopefully also grab them and go — but the USB drive will help you replace those valuables if that is not possible.
- Advance planning should ideally include taking a video of everything in your home. Open drawers, closets and everything else.
- All that said, if danger is within striking distance, just take your loved ones and go. Sure, it would be heartbreaking to lose original photos or a PITA to replace passports and other important paperwork, but none of that really matters in the face of fire.
Ready to get started? This checklist at Ready For Wildfire is super helpful to get the ball rolling.
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Jacob Margolis, LAist's science reporter, examines the new normal of big fires in California.
Do you have a question about the wildfires or fire recovery?
Check out LAist.com/FireFAQs to see if your question has already been answered. If not, submit your questions here, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.
_
Resources to prep and cope with wildfire
- Wildfires are getting worse. What you need to know
- Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you
- Evacuation terms can be confusing. Here’s what they mean and how to sign up for alerts
- How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
- This is why fire officials don't want you to stay and defend your home
- What does 'containment' of a fire mean, exactly
- What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
- If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
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