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33 Comments

  1. Excellent. Thank you for taking the time to write this in the middle of all you were going through. Your last comment was the most valuable “home is always where your family is”.

  2. Excellent article with priceless insight. You are right SoCal, “home is where family and the heart is”. The rest is peripheral stuff on the fringes. Your article confirmed what I knew, some sort of utility trailer is a critical essential, i’m buying one.

  3. SoCal,

    Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and new expertise on evacuating from your home. I am thankful that you and W are safe!

    I have had to be prepared to evacuate, but never had to pull out. Your timed lists have opened up a new line of thought for me as I would have to do the prep/loading for multiple people and pets. Having a carryon ready to go with clothing/meds is a great idea for a shorter term evacuation.

    I highly recommend multiple types of backup for photos and important papers. Sentimental items might be a downfall. When you have more “stuff” than the house can store, it is time to re-evaluate. Purging can be liberating!

    Thank you again.

  5. Great read. Learning is the never ending aspect of life that allows us to change, adapt and most importantly better serve the needs of our selves and others.
    As much as I desire to learn from others mistakes ~ my own are the most indelible.

  7. Insanity-doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Earthquakes, Fire, Mudslides, maybe it’s time to consider a move?

    1. At least the results have been good! Nothing lost but time and effort, and a bit of $$. Would we want the alternative–losing more?
      Yes, a move might be a good idea, but anywhere you go, the training gained in these evacs will be valuable.
      The family unit is certainly the most valuable of all earthly treasures.

  8. Very good article, concise and informative. As you stated, true wealth is family and friends; No financial institution will ever be able to amass that amount of riches. One thought, would it have been possible to reseed that hillside with cheap grass seed to help hold it for the future? I realize the first storm was very close after the fire and would not have allowed enough time for growth.

  9. Great article! This is life in our “fallen world”, where one better hang on to Jesus real tight as we are in for a very bumpy ride! Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and let Him guide you, as without Jesus, one is surely a lost!!!

  10. This article was wonderfully written and provides good food for thought. I agree with the comment have you given thought to a strategic relocation of the permanent sort? SoCal to me is not the optimum location for a survivalist.

  11. The author has provided us with one of the finest articles that I can recall on any survival-related blog for a very, very long time.

    In general, any article based on actual experience, rather than good-intentioned conjecture, is one that deserves closer attention. I’m sure that many readers will benefit from the many useful points the author has covered.

    Here’s a tip of the hat to SoCal9mm.

  12. Thank you for writing this article; it was very much needed for the prepper community. Your lessons learned and insights are extremely valuable!

  13. Very good article. One thing that I have always done when I / we went on vacation is What you said about hard locking your garage over head door, I I use the Irwin brand welding and carpentry vise grips ( the kind that is shaped like a double c or double u face to face) and I put one on either side of a roller, two to a side and then disconnect the overhead emergency release. the vise grips pushed tight against the rollers and tighten the handles really tight. Does it work, good question, it seems to .

    1. I agree. This is a good approach. But I must warn folks: be sure to unplug your garage door opener, so that it doesn’t try to tear itself to pieces if you hit the open button before removing the manual block or clamp.

      1. I have to chuckle, James. My hubby has clamped our garage door when we went on vacation, and we have had to repair it a couple times because we forgot and tried to open it before removing the clamp. Just goes to show how good it works!

    3. I do lock the garage door and the vise grip is just another level of security, not forgetting to mention that I also unplug the opener from the power. but yes that is a good question, I know of people who don’t even do that.

  14. I don’t normally comment, but this five-part series is one the best written and informative articles I can recall reading at Survival Blog. Thank you for sharing your experiences, sir. We are all obliged to you.

    Oh, and may your future evacuations be few and far between. I think you’ve overpaid your dues in that regard.

  15. https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-6291-Particulate/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=3m+mask&qid=1560626286&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-3

    perhaps a few of these are in order, they have changeable filters you can stack up on.

    also i concur with some other readers perhaps a strategic relocation is in order, god forbid you are away on business or a trip and cannot bug out your gear and family quickly next time. the mudslide factor alone,unless you are able to repopulate the tree line with drought resistant trees that also will shore up the unstable ground with massive root systems

  16. Hi all, thanks for the comments. In regards to moving – oh yeah! I definitely can’t wait to get out of Cali. We already have an out-of-state BOL, & I’m itching to move there or to the small town nearby. Our target date is still a couple of years out, but if this state keeps finding new depths to sink to, it may be sooner.

    1. Mad props, brother! Lessons learned are invaluable and you’ve clearly put a lot of thought and effort into capturing them in a clear and concise way. Thank you!

  17. Agreed this is a great article. I am hopeful for a follow-up and write about or list the final list of most important items for short notice escape. Thanks to Survial blog, for the great idea and good articles

  18. SoCal,
    You mention that your current list resembles nothing like the one you started with–would you be so kind as to post it for us?
    Thanks,
    H North

    1. H North & Socal..Yes, yes, yes…Super article and couldn’t agree more. Those lists could be invaluable. Please consider posting them. Thanks and good luck.

  19. Excellent read and I enjoyed your writing style with the mix of humor used.

    I agree with others here to do what you can to escape from California.
    I have read some serious diseases are in LA area that range from typhus
    to other 3rd world pathogens.

    Again thanks for your time

  20. The best (N-100) masks are expensive, and I can’t afford to throw them away when the flimsy rubber band fails. Locate a supplier (mine was on eBay) from whom to purchase a large roll of new elastic material. You’ll also need a heavy duty office stapler to secure the replacement band unless you have needles, thread, and a fair amount of time. Store the replacement elastic cord and stapler with the masks.

  21. What about shelters against fire, for property, persons, and vehicles?

    Hesco, earthbag, concrete, aircrete, ICF?

    How does one of those ICF tornado safe rooms do against a fire?

    New plastic water tank, buried for valuables and supplies, that way, you wouldn’t need to transport them.

    Hesco or dome garage for a vehicle, heavy concrete or stucco on the door…

    Would you need an air supply for a period of time?

    Seems to me that there is a risk of being caught in the traffic jam.

    Did any buildings survive the firestorm?

    I see a lot of new construction with nothing flammable on the outside, metal, metal shingle, or Terracotta roofs, heavy plaster or stucco walls, metal doors, steel shutters, etc… Would those buildings survive a firestorm?

  22. Thank you so much for sharing all of the troubles you went through and the insights you developed! I can’t imagine everything that you and your family encountered… Your detailed assessment will certainly help me and mine!

  23. Thanks for the great article. As a fellow SoCA resident living in an extremely wildfire prone area, I really appreciate all the information and comments. This really prompts me to get much more focused on evacuation preparedness. Mostly to this point it has been about getting my large animals out first. This prompts me to look more at my personal needs on a longer term absence basis. As always the devil is in the details. Your timeline assessment for grab and go was really on the money and highly appreciated.

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