Today, more than 500,000 Southern Californians are displaced as wildfires continue to race across their area. The loss of life has been minimal (only two fatalities as of the time this was written), but the loss in personal property is going to be staggering. Three hundred forty six thousand homes have been evacuated in San Diego County alone.

The smoke from the California fires are visible from space. NASA Photo

A perfect combination of dry conditions and high Santa Ana winds have defeated all the efforts of 6,000 exhausted firefighters. And the fires still aren’t under control. The state has rescinded the closure of fire season, allowing them to re-hire seasonal employees, providing more manpower to pour into the fire lines. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for 1,500 national guardsmen to come help exhausted and overwhelmed emergency service workers as they fight what is, at best, a holding action.

As always, others are also pitching in to help, from emergency workers to one luxury RV company already repositioning its fleet of RVs to the west coast. Allstar Coaches CEO Rob Tischler says it’s “an effort to help those who have been displaced. We’re proud of the help we provided victims of hurricanes Katrina and Wilma and want to continue making a difference to those in need.”

While the rest of the nation watches average citizens and celebrities evacuate, it seems apparent many are woefully unprepared for such an emergency. While emergency response teams have changed their procedures since Hurricane Katrina, most of us continue to function on the “won’t happen to me” model.

One guy who’s never functioned that way is Doug Ritter. A recognized expert in survival, Ritter and his Equipped to Survive website (www.equipped.org) are a great source of information and common sense advice. As he looked at the Southern California situation, Ritter has observes it’s essential in areas with regularly unstable weather that everyone be prepared to evacuate and survive 72 hours from their own resources. In fact, Ritter says, 72 hours may be the absolute minimum for which to prepare.

The first basic human need hasn’t changed in centuries - water. You can get by for days without food, but a day without water in many environments -without the additional depletion of heavy exertion and stress - can disable or kill. Ritter says a minimum of one gallon of water per person, per day. That’s only enough to keep you going - not to allow extra water for bathing. Water can be purchased or self-stored. If you’re not buying containers for water, a word of advice: don’t use milk cartons. Use the clear or colored plastic bottles used for soft drinks. They have screw-on caps and can be cleaned with soapy water and re-used. They stand up well in storage, are easy to carry and generally don’t burst if dropped. I also have a small Triton M2 water purification filter I carry virtually everywhere (www.prismedical.com) it’s gravity fed and can allow me to drink virtually any clean water. If I’m afield for any length of time, I wear a hydration pack and the M2 allows me to replenish it.

Next, you need nourishment. There are a variety of ways to get that done, from your own foodstuffs to prepackaged survival meals. Remember you need complex carbs and starches as they provide long-lasting energy and are easy to digest with minimal water. You need to plan on a minimum of about 1,200 calories per day - if you’re exerting yourself, 2,000 is better. Here’s a tip from personal experience: when you’re looking at food, look at food your family normally likes to eat. Don’t add to the misery with food that only causes grumbling.

Shelter’s important, too - and Ritter says it doesn’t have to be a tent or an RV. If you’re in a pinch for shelter a pair of 33-gallon garbage bags per person can serve as a improvised sleeping bag and poncho. If you’re in cold weather areas, a wool blanket per person is also a good idea. We use the “Space Bags” for our gear as it enables us to keep all our equipment in a small footlocker - ready to “bug out” should the need present itself. We also keep a change of clothes (adjusted seasonally) per person and three changes of underwear. In a tough setting, even the smallest comforts are big - so toilet paper and baby-wipes are also essential items.

Other stuff’s pretty logical: medications, spare glasses, batteries for hearing aids, and flashlights (LEDs are practical and tough) and a fairly comprehensive supply of first aid materials. The “basic” first aid kits are just that - very basic, designed to cover nothing more than minor cuts, scrapes and burns. Ritter provides a very comprehensive list of recommended items for a first aid kit at http://www.equipped.org/home1staid.htm.

As far as tools, a good knife isn’t an option, and it’s the most basic tool. I also have a multi-tool, a multi-tip screwdriver, mini socket set, pliers and hatchet. Flashlights, are tools, but they’re more than that - they are basic comfort items, so they bear repeating - and have some of the long-life “light sticks” in my daypack, along with a hand-crank flashlight and radio. A second small crank unit can be used in a pinch to recharge my cellphone - although it’s not realistic to expect cellular service to survive a natural disaster - cell towers can come down far faster than they’re built.

Finally, paper, pencils, a small sewing kit and safety pins give us the ability to effect minor repairs. I also carry several small tubes of “super glue” and duct tape along with a windproof lighter and matches.

That might sound like a lot of stuff - but other than the water, everything else is in my daypack and a plastic footlocker. It really is ready to “bug out” if the need arises.

If, however, you’re looking at the possibility of losing your home rather than being inconvenienced for a few days, what would you take?

Having the 72 hour kit ready saves a lot of time, but there are some things that insurance simply can’t replace. Ritter suggests taking the time to scan all critical paperwork, insurance policies and such, and put it on a USB drive. The few hours of effort can save untold hours of hassles - in addition to being basic safeguards all of us should use in our homes anyway. After scanning your critical papers, you might want to consider putting originals in a safe deposit box. Bank vaults are pretty secure locations.

If you have a notebook computer, you can keep tremendous amounts of important paperwork - in addition to important family photos in a small, easy to use and move package. If you have scrapbooks or treasured possessions, Ritter suggests either keeping them in plastic tubs, or having one nearby so you could quickly dump everything in them.

One thing to keep in mind - the amount of actual space you have in your vehicle(s). You need to have a priority list and the understanding that the list will be followed if the need ever arises. The key is to minimize the items and time necessary to get them ready to go.

If you’ve not already done it, now wouldn’t be a bad time to start.

–Jim Shepherd