Apocalyptic skies over a pandemic – It’s time for a new ‘Bug Out Bag’

Compare your #WFH #Workfromanywhere Bug Out Bag to Mine

When apocalyptic skies hover over a pandemic your next task is to transition your Bug Out Bag from a #WFH to #Workfromanywhere bag!

Text from my 25 year old daughter:  “Mom, they are moving us to a Level 2.”  The absolute LAST text I ever expected to receive from my 25 year old daughter.

Me:  “What?  What is Level 2?”

25 year old daughter:  “Mom, we were just at Level 1 Fire Evacuation.  Aren’t you watching the news?”

Me:  “Baby girl, I love you but I am working.  I suppose I will to log in to local news.”

25 year old daughter:  “Mom, stop what you are doing and PACK.”

Me: Logging in to local news……….”OMGosh! We are being evacuated due to wildfires.

Note to self:  STOP whatever you are doing and pack all important documents, bug out bag and essentials for at least 3 days.”

I am working in my home office, my surroundings are familiar.  I take a deep breath and glance around my space.  The things around me are things I know but the weight around my shoulders and my body seems untenable.  Am I still on earth?  Is this real?  Am I in the Matrix?  These are all questions I am asking myself during the moment of crisis.

I snap “to” and shake my head.  I am here, in my town, in this life that I have come to know.  Someone has asked me to collect my belongings and be ready to evacuate.  Give up my beautiful home, that I have come to know as comfort, as life.  One hour.  To collect everything that I value; family heirlooms, and memories that usually hover on the end of a smore and marshmallow stick when you ask them to arrive.  How in the world do I prioritize everything I know to be true?   To be of comfort, to maintain meaning for future generations, lead my family and friends to safety.  One hour.

This is the list of things I packed upon Evacuation #1:

1. Food for 3 or more days for two humans (bug out bag)
2. Water for 3 or more days for two humans (bug out bag)
3. Clothes for 3 or more days for two humans (bug out bag)
4. Sundries for 3 days for two humans (bug out bag)
5. Crank radio to stay in touch with all of you (bug out bag)
6. Iodine tablets for water purification (bug out bag)
7. One warm jacket person (2)
8. One warm blanket and pillow per person (2 each)
9. Dog food for 3 days
10. Dog bed (comfy orthopaedic cushion as we have an old dog)
11. Pepper Spray (tested and working)
12. Firearm (Cleaned and 3 pre-loaded magazines, empty chamber)
13. Toilet paper and fresh wipes for 3 days (bug out bag)
14. MAC Laptop computer
15. Samson Meteor Mic
16. Headphones
17. iPhone earbud headphones
18. File with Important Documents
19. Chargers for all devices
20. Beanies for our head (2)
21. Gloves (2 pair)
22. Extra pair of long distance running shoes

We opted to evacuate at Level 2 (Get Set).  We decided to come back the next day and re-pack in the event we were moved to Level 3 (Go Now).

This is the list of things I re-packed upon Evacuation #2:

1. Food for 3 or more days for two humans(bug out bag)
2. Water for 3 or more days for two humans (bug out bag)
3. Clothes for 3 or more days for two humans (bug out bag)
4. Sundries for 3 days for two humans (bug out bag)
5. Crank radio to stay in touch with all of you (bug out bag)
6. Iodine tablets for water purification (bug out bag)
7. One warm jacket person (2)
8. One warm blanket and pillow per person (2)
9. Dog food for 3 days
10. Dog bed (comfy orthopaedic cushion as we have an old dog)
11. Pepper Spray (tested and working)
12. Firearm (Cleaned and 3 pre-loaded magazines empty chamber)
13. Toilet paper and fresh wipes for 3 days (bug out bag)
14. Headlamp (recommendation from Son-in-law)
15. Chapstick (one tube)
16. 2 Sleeping bags good to 28 degrees F (after this temp we throw our hands in the air and do the Chicken Dance)
17. MAC Laptop computer
18. File with Important Documents
19. Chargers for all devices
20. Beanies for our head (2)
21. Gloves (2 pair)
22. Extra pair of long distance running shoes
23. Samson Meteor Mic
24. Headphones
25. iPhone earbud headphones
26. File with Important documents
27. One roll of Whiteboard sheets
28. Blue ink pens (3)
29. Pack of Sharpies (all colors)
30. Pop Filter for voice recordings
31. One heirloom from Grandma Elsie’s generation
32. One heirloom from Grandma Bonnie’s generation
33. One Picture of my Mom from the 1950’s
34. One Picture of my best friend Cynthia Boyce from 2001
35. One picture of Emali and I when she was little (age 2)
36. One picture of Arianna and I when she was little (age 5)
37. I ran around taking photos of old photos in case we lost everything
38. Family Coin collection
39. Family Jewelry collection from 4 generations
40. Extra flashlights (in Bug Out Bag v2) bold pink
41. Extra batteries (in Bug Out Bag v2) bold pink
42. Extra Almond Milk and Blueberry Lavender Almond Milk (no refrigeration needed until opened)
43. Two Christmas ornaments (sentimental only)
44. Duct tape (one large roll) (in Bug Out Bag v2) bold pink
45. Rubber bands (one small bag of about 20) (in Bug Out Bag v2) bold pink
46. Can opener (added to Bug Out Bag v2) bold pink
47. Paper clips (added to rubber band bag, about 20)
48. Plastic bags (about 50 in a roll)
49. Knife (passed down from Dad)
50. Bose Mini Speaker (I couldn’t help it!!!)
51. Extra long sleeve shirts (2)
52. Ski goggles (in the event fire ash continues to fall)
53. Eye drops for overnight
54. Computer Adapter for any device

As we were discussing the details of our Evacuation as a family, we decided the men would go ahead and set up camp. They had planned to take this time off to fulfil their hunting tags anyway.  They would be 4.5 hours ahead of us should we need to join them.  I created a very basic algorithm for communication should we lose all mobile communication.

Back to the sheer moments of terror.  The tears are racing from my eyes to my chin as I write this.  The emotions I did not allow to surface two weeks are coming flooding back.  I am realizing I was solely responsible to pack EVERYTHING for my two girls and myself.  This task is daunting at best.  The H2O around me feels heavy.  Very heavy.  I am dizzy, again.  I cannot help but re-visit the thoughts I suppressed two weeks ago.  Is this real?  Or, are we in the Matrix.  Either way, we are being tested.  Are we now wearing a mask to help diminish the spread of a pandemic or, rather, to help filter the giant chunks of ash slicing through the air as though on a critical mission?

We suffered only the loss of time, immune systems on high alert and a slight inconvenience to re-adjust after the wildfire threat.  Many, many of you lost lives, possessions, time, emotional health, physical health as well as faith.  My heart goes out to all of you, you are in my prayers.  My most sincere Thank YOU goes out to all of you #firstresponders around the globe for continuing to fight on the front line.

Please write us with your Evacuation Bug Out Bag List.  Don’t you have one?

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