I have met with Central Fire, sheriff, and OR3 to discuss how we can safely evacuate families during an emergency when we have over 300 households on and off of NRG. Imagine 300 vehicles all trying to escape NRG at the same time? Now imagine if every household tried to leave with 2 cars? That would mean 600+ cars on the road!
Chief Oatey, SC Fire, suggested that I recommend that every household evacuate with just ONE CAR. That increases our success of getting everyone out by 100%.
I must admit that I had intended to take 2 cars during an evacuation: (1) my husband was going to take the dogs in his truck, and (2) I was going to take my car that is filled with Go-Bags, CERT equipment, and ham/MURS radios. OOPS – change of plans! Last night, we discussed a new plan. We are purchasing seat covers so our 2 giant labs can sit in the backseat of my car, while my Go-Bags and equipment are permanently stored in the trunk. I didn’t think about our impact on the road until Chief Oatey pointed it out to me.
So please, talk to your family members about your evacuation plan. What car will you take? Have you updated your Go-Bags? What clothes will you wear? How can you protect yourselves if you get stuck on the road?
We are planning a Mock Evacuation for January 2023. Get your MURS radios and learn to use it. Join your Micro Community so you know when you’ll need to evacuate even if you’ve been told to shelter in place. Remember, shelter in place recommendations are for about 80% of the wildfire scenarios. When we get hit with extreme wildfire, you will need to evacuate (along with everyone else) and we need to practice how this will all take place.
Remember, ONE CAR PER HOUSEHOLD! I’ll keep you posted on our Mock Evacuation plans.
Stay safe!