More Fire Planning

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

The weather patterns changed last week, but they still aren't good for lowering the risk of nearby fires.

Getting Ready

Because her job involves running a care home, the Purple Pack Lady (PPL) is stocked up with supplies for the residents. I've almost convinced her to keep some supplies for us there too, along with copies of important papers and impossible to replace mementos. 

I mentioned in last week's post that PPL is petite and carrying a bucket is easier than a storage box, so buckets are it. The use of my food-safe pails instead of regular 5 gallon buckets is bothering me, since there are no regular buckets to be had anywhere in North California. Short term, I'll be switching out food storage to totes. 

What caused the change from cautious to concerned? The broadcast news from a local station. The portion affecting me: 

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service upgraded a Fire Weather Watch for the North and East Bay to a Red Flag Warning for the region.

The Red Flag Warning has been issued for the interior North Bay Mountains and East Bay Hills and Diablo Range starting at 11 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon. Gusty winds up to 55 mph are forecast out of the north and northeast, particularly in the northeast Napa Mountains.

The winds coupled with extremely low humidity are combining for critical fire weather conditions across those regions.

This bit, and the fact that the next town over opened an emergency drop-in center, has me concerned that the power outages, planned or not, may affect us. 

What's Being Done

I'm putting half my Mountain House pails and a case of water with PPL in the care home. The others here are doing what they think is necessary and sorting out where they might be going and where backups could be stored. The way to get out of this neighborhood has been discussed, both on foot with the really important stuff, and what to do and where to meet if there is time to carry more items to a car. Half of my camping gear is also going to the care home in a tote, so that if something happens at either location, some of the equipment will be safe. Our goal this year is to have a complete set of everything stored both places, so the "One Is None" monster won't bite us in the butt.

Recap and Takeaway

• Pay attention to conditions in your region! The fire 50 miles away could affect power lines supplying you.
• If at all possible, get everyone in your group on the same page for evacuation planning. It's not necessary for everyone to go the same place, but having everyone know where all the most important items for the others are stored is essential. 
• Nothing was purchased this week, but there is a list of things both of us want to buy soon. 

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NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.