Unexpected emergencies can happen to anyone at any time. Having a well-prepared go bag can make all the difference for you and your family. A go bag, also known as an emergency kit, is a portable pack containing essential items you’d need to survive for at least 72 hours in case of evacuation or disaster. Today I take it one step further and focus on how to keep the essential things you cannot replace safe. Think of all the old photos you have, the soccer roster, the certificates and awards that you can never replace.
Why Is a Go Bag Important?
Emergencies often strike with little or no warning, leaving little time to gather necessities and sentimental items. As you have seen in the news lately, an outage, flood or fire can hit with little warning. Most of the people in California had less than 10 minutes to evacuate. A go bag saves time by keeping essential items in one place, ready to grab and go.
Timing
Just yesterday our outside pipes burst and the energy of the water tore through our inside wall and sprayed everything in its path. My husband turned on the outside hose and heard something strange so he quickly turned it off. Within 3 minutes we had a huge flood.
Non Replaceable Items in the Path
Sadly, I had a box of old photos and memorabilia (up high) in the path of the water pouring from the wall and ceiling. We spent hours moving everything out of the basement and laying things out to dry. I know it’s just stuff, but some things have sentimental value and cannot be replaced.
Easy to Get
Where are all those precious photos, important documents and passports? When disaster strikes people are panicked and don’t have time to think. Most people in CA had less than 10 minutes to evacuate. Have your bag ready and in a place where it is easy to grab. I keep mine in the front coat closet. My husband has his in the garage. If your family has multiple members, consider preparing individual go bags tailored to each person’s needs. Keep one in your car or at your workplace for added preparedness.
Start with the Actual Bag
Any backpack will do but a military style bag is best because it is very sturdy, waterproof and has lots of straps and pockets where you can store a lot in a small space. A backpack is best in case you need to walk along rough terrain and use both your hands. My go to pack is under $40, comfortable and durable. Click HERE for black. Click HERE for gray. I can get my essentials in here and even clip things to the outside if I want.
Protect Irreplaceable Items
While watching videos of those evacuated, the thing I kept hearing over and over again was I lost photos I cannot replace. Grab a HARD DRIVE HERE and make sure it is ready to go. Back up all your photos that are not on your phone or on the cloud. If you prefer the shock proof more rugged style hard drive, click HERE. You can also scan and upload health documents, birth certificates, vehicle registrations and more.
Duplicate Backup – Not a Bad Idea
I take this step very seriously, in fact I backup my stuff every 3 months or so. I can replace most things I own, but old photos? Those are priceless. My last box of photos was in the basement that just flooded, but we got to them fast enough that I was able to save most of them. Now I am backing up the final box!
The Cloud
I know we have many newer photos stored on the cloud but I still back up my favorites (you never know what could happen to those services) and of course all my older print photos. I scanned those and have backup copies on my external hard drives (yes, I have 2 identical copies in case 1 hard drive fails). I worked in IT for several years and know that tech can fail. So I always have 2 backups.
Thumb Drives
Thumb drives fail often for me, but if you are on a budget, these can suffice in an emergency. The main issue is the amount of space is way less than an external hard drive so you will have to make several duplicates. Click HERE for a single thumb drive (great to get started) or HERE for a pack of thumb drives (if you have a lot to back up).
Protect your Documents
Another way to protect paper documents and photos is the fireproof, waterproof bag. This is one of the most critical pieces to the emergency go bag that is not mentioned by many experts. I keep our passports, marriage certificate, car titles, health records, insurance policies, copies of prescriptions, a copy of my password list, contact information for family and emergency services and some cash in the bag.
Fireproof Waterproof Bag Saves Time
This bag is not only critical, it saves time trying to relocate all those documents later if something does happen. Sure you can track everything down, but it takes weeks or even months to get all those documents back. And if the offices are closed for a while due to the emergency, you may really have a tough time locating those documents. Save yourself the headache!
Gift Idea?
In fact they make great gifts. I purchased them for my college age children for valentine’s day. Yesterday’s basement flood just showed me that we all need to keep our items safe.
Click HERE for the Small Bag. Click HERE for the Large Bag.
What Else Goes in the Bag?
If you are working on your go bag, start with the items I mentioned. You can add food, water and medications next but I have that in another blog. Don’t put off backing up your documents, old photos and sentimental paperwork. Anything can happen at any time.
Amber has a BA in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Human Resources. She spent 9 years working in youth and multi-generational ministry where she focused on making faith fun. Her book, The Beginner’s Guide to God, will be out spring of 2025. She is the author of the blog AuburnRaven – Balancing Faith, Family & Fun. She has a passion for introducing people to God’s love and biblically equipping parents and teachers so children can grow in faith. Her journey, tips and lessons can be found on her blog www.AuburnRaven.com. You can connect with her on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.
