Years ago, my husband Roger and I discussed the need to have a plan if we had to quickly vacate our home—such as for a fire, natural disaster, or medical emergency. The need for such a plan was reinforced after the March 31, 2023, tornado that hit the city of Little Rock that afternoon. That fateful day is still burned in my memory. I recall vividly during my commute home that due to a major traffic jam (caused by fallen trees, car wrecks, and other debris) that was affecting all the routes in West Little Rock, I was inadvertently routed into the vicinity of one of neighborhoods that had a direct hit of the tornado roughly 2 hours earlier. Although roadblocks were everywhere, it was obvious that homes had been destroyed because I observed people with luggage on wheels and other similar bags indicating they had grabbed their most important necessities before vacating their homes. Although I hadn’t seen the damage at this point, I could see the tears and the anguish in the faces of those seeking to deal with the trauma of their suddenly changed lives.

Then earlier this year, the fires in Los Angeles were another stark reminder that we need to be ready to go at any time—including the middle of the night. Those stories resonated with us as many people lived in areas where the fire spread so quickly, it was all residents could do to get their family and pets loaded up in time to safely vacate. 

Roger and I felt the time had come for us to be ready if such an event were to occur. So, we pulled together a “Go Plan” as follows:

• Car keys, cell phone, and wallet/purse where they could be quickly accessed
• Essential medicines all in one place and in containers so they could be ready to go. (Also, we had a list of current medicines nearby to be included.)
• Reasonable gas levels always maintained in the cars (at least ½ tank)
• A back up route for escaping on foot in case the main road in our neighborhood was blocked off (especially due to a fire.) This was essential as our neighborhood only has one road in/one road out.  

As fate would have it, our plan had to be implemented quickly last month when Roger had a bad fall in the middle of the night. I called 911 and they said, “We will be there in 7 minutes. Please be ready to go when we get there.” In my semi-sleep, the word “go” made me realized that this was it: In 7 minutes I had to pull our “Go Plan” together. 

I think I broke a speed record at pulling the essentials together, but one thing was missing. While I had all the key items in place for what we needed, I lacked a physical bag. So, having a “go bag” is now part of our “Go Plan.”

Based on the real-life drama that I’ve witnessed others encounter, as well as my own experience, I recommend strongly that everyone have an emergency “Go Plan.” You can visit Ready.gov/plan for more resources and a template for an emergency plan. In extreme circumstances (such as the Los Angeles fires), such a plan may make the difference between life and death. At a minimum it will give you direction or at least a starting point on how to respond in a difficult situation. 

Hopefully you will never need to implement such a plan, but if you do, you will be at least a little more prepared.

P.S. Roger had a few fractured bones, but is recuperating quickly

Kristina Bolhouse, CPA/PFS, CFP®

President/Shareholder

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