Did you feel the earth move? 5 STEP EVACUATION PLAN

As Halloween approached last night some people were scared

by a 5.6 Earthquake. Not only do we live in Earthquake country, but we are blessed with beautiful trees and landscape that can (and has ignited in the past). My Father lives in North San Diego County and was on evacation alert.

I thought this might be a timely and valuable reminder.

The following plan is a good one to keep in mind.

Thanks to Costello Insurance!

In the event of a sudden emergency, you may have just minutes
to gather your family and important papers, and get out of your house, possibly
for good. Are you prepared? Where would you go? What would you take with
you?With preparation and practice, you stand the best chance of getting out with
what you and your family need, and ending up in the right place. Planning ahead
is crucial; this five-step plan can help get you

and your family on the road to safety:

1. Arrange Your Evacuation Ahead of Time

Identify where you can go in the event of an evacuation. Try to have more than one option: the home of a friend or family member in another town, a hotel or a shelter. Keep the phone numbers and addresses of these locations. Map out your primary route and a backup route in case roads are blocked or impassable. Make sure you have a map of the area available. In case your family members are separated before or during the evacuation, identify a specific place to meet and ask an out-of-town
friend or family member to act as a contact person. Listen to Weather Radio,
local radio or TV stations for evacuation instructions

2. Create a Home Inventory

Create a complete home inventory of your personal
property. A home inventory will help you ensure that you have purchased enough
insurance to replace your possessions. It will also speed the claims process,
and will substantiate losses for income tax purposes. The I.I.I. has created the
Know your Stuff home inventory software, which can be found at www.knowyourstuff.org . This free, downloadable software helps you organize and list your possessions on your computer and then and burn the finished inventory onto a CD-ROM; you can also print a copy for your records. Whether you do your inventory electronically or on paper, make sure you keep a copy with your important documents and a second copy in a safe place outside your home (in a safe-deposit box, or with an out-of-town friend or family member).

3. Plan What to Take

Medicines, prescriptions and first aid kit. Bottled water
Clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, pillows) Flashlight, battery-powered radio and extra batteries Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members
Computer hard drive or laptop. Photographs, Pet food and other items for pets (litter boxes, leashes)

4. Gather Important Documents

Keep important documents in a safe place
that you can access easily. In the event of an evacuation take the following
documents with you:
Insurance policies, Prescriptions, Birth and marriage , certificates, Passports, Drivers license or personal identification, Social Security cards, Recent tax returns, employment information, Wills, deeds and recent tax returns, Stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates, Bank, savings and retirement account numbers
Home inventory

5. Take the Ten-Minute Challenge

To find out if you are ready, do a
real-time test. Give yourself just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings
into the car and on the road to safety. By planning ahead and practicing, you
should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most
important items they will need, calmly and efficiently, with a minimum of stress
and
confusion.