Do You Need a To-Go Box?

A week ago today Southern California was hit with the largest earthquake since 1999.  Just a day earlier, the region shook as a magnitude 6.4 pre-shock rattled through before the main event which was 11 times stronger.  Meanwhile, my buddy John in New Orleans spent his Wednesday of this week moving sand in an attempt to minimize potential flood damage from Tropical Storm (and potential Hurricane) Barry.  While Atlas has no expertise in disaster survival skills, there is one thing you ought to consider: a to-go box.

This box isn’t for those times when your eyes are too big for your belly or Atlas orders too many pies at a Pie Party.  It is about making sure you are able to leave home in an orderly fashion with necessary items should a disaster strike.  If you need to be away from your home for an extended period of time with little notice, some preparations could make things a little less difficult.

So what should go in your box?  Identifications are a must.  You probably don’t carry passports and Social Security cards on your person but will want access to them quickly if you need to leave.  Medical information is crucial too, so have your insurance card, a list of prescriptions, and a log of your doctors on hand as well.  Copies of your estate plan could prove useful also, so include them in your box. 

The ability to conduct commerce might be hindered if there are power outages, so you’ll want to have some cash on hand too.  With your credit cards and petrol pumps rendered useless without electricity, it’s a good idea to keep your car filled with half a tank or more of gas at all times; you may need to travel out of the area and will want the option to do so.  Of course, getting out of Dodge is difficult when your car sits in a garage with a disabled door, so if you have time to get it out of the garage prior to a disaster (like after a substantial shaker that may just be a pre-quake), take advantage of the opportunity.

Finally, keep pictures in a safe place.  Some sort of cloud storage is probably one of the easiest ways to store your keepsakes.  More pragmatically, you probably want photos of insured valuables kept there, making it somewhat easier to make claims if they are necessary.  Another helpful service is a cloud-backed way of protecting passwords.

Consider storing these items (or copies thereof) in a portable plastic container that can be fastened securely.  There is no telling when we might need some or all of items listed above.  With any luck, the answer is never.  However, if they become necessary, you’ll be glad you weathered the nominal inconvenience to prepare ahead of time.