We actually did this.

1. Stand up, right now, and go outside your office or place of work.

2. Walk about 1,500 feet in any random direction away from the place you work. Picture a radius of 1,500' centered on where you work.

3. OK, now assume that the 1,500' radius is a "hot zone" and you can't go back or through it for the next 24 hours at least.

3. From where you are standing now, and assuming you can't break the 1,500' radius rule, can you:

a) Get home?
b) Stay warm and dry?
c) Take any medications you might need?

This was not a fake scenario. This was very much the real-life situation here not too far where I work when there was a major steam pipe explosion.

Another fun drill.

Question: Is this in the clothes I am wearing, or do I at least get to grab my work bag on the way out the office door? If I'm walking past my car do I get to pop the trunk and grab things?

a) Get home?

Yep - its a 20 minute walk away

b) Stay warm and dry?

Its nice and warm where I live.

c) Take any medications you might need?

I don't take any Meds, but I am 5 minute walk from where I work that takes me to one of the biggest NHS Hospitals in the UK and if it gets really bad the hospital sits on one of the largest secret cold war nuclear bunkers in Europe.

But my office is in my home!

From my old office, yes. It would take a bit as it was 27 miles away, but all of the listed items would be possible for two reasons.
1 my "second in command's" home was about 3 miles away in route to my home. His family had bags at our house, and mine at his. We were friends before he came to work for me.

2. There was an outdoor store another mile from there.

Ditto. But if I was at my alternate workplace (25 miles) and this happened, I'd jump in my truck and drive the 500 yards -- then I'd keep driving and park in the garage.

At my alternate workplace the parking lot is the primary evac area. At the very least you'd need to go through the parking lot to get anywhere else. Moving it would be the right thing to do so that the truck is out of the way and fire/security/whomever needs to be there can have my parking spot.

If I couldn't take my truck, I'd just get a hotel room until the all clear.

Based on the scenario I can most likely get to my car but that isn't nearly as useful to think about so I'll assume I can't get to it.

Get Home - yep, less than a mile - easily walked in anything short of a blizzard or tornado/hail storm.

Stay warm and dry - yes, lots of choices, go into a different building (same company) on the other side of the street or the other side of the duck pond, go hangout at either the bar or mexican restaurant, both about 2000' away until things settle down (best choice ), home is pretty close too.

Meds are all at home.


-Eric

Get home? yes either by walking through 13 miles of flat farm country and suburbs, hitching a ride, or having the wife get me. No rivers or other blockages and a walmart, grocery store (2), drugstore (4), firestation (1) and dozens of resturants along the way.

Stay warm and dry? If I have a chance to grab my satchel from my office or get to my truck, yes. There's coats/hats/ponchos in both. If neither of those options are available I might at least be wearing a knee-length polyester lab coat. If not that either then hopefully this'll occur during a warm Houston day. Hmmm, heat would be a bigger issue.

Medications? yes, 3 day's worth in a case on my keychain.

-Blast

Well, I can't get home, because I AM at home, so it would be inside the 1500ft - but I do have 3 other houses I could go to, including one I own that has a spare car

At work - sure, no problem - at least 3 ways to get home. Some would be VERY hard, however, due to my leg

(I think I've mentioned in my profile that I have a chronic leg injury, and I'm NOT supposed to walk - a 100 -200 yd walk will make my leg HURT and set my healing back, unfortunately. Can I? Most days, yes, some days - I guess I die)

The newbie POV:

My EDC bag hangs well within arm's reach behind me at work. I can have it, my hat, a white consultation coat and two 1L bottles of water in hand before I even leave my chair. (Note to self: grab water, too, if evacuating!)

If I can grab my GHB from my car, I'm set, but if not (it's not the direct route off the property) I still have enough in my EDC to be okay for the hour or so it'll take to get home by public transit. If public transit was stopped, and I couldn't get a ride, it's about a 15 mile walk. I've walked that far before.

Warm and dry? I'm in San Diego. Work is hitting triple digits routinely, and home is hitting the high 90's. Last night's "low" was 72. Warm is taken care of. Maybe even over done.

When it cools down, I'll pull the jacket out of my GHB and start wearing it in to work. If it's raining hard, there's an emergency poncho in the GHB, and a large trash bag in my shoulder bag. (I'd use the bag as a waterproof wrap until I get onto the trolley rather than make a "poncho" out of it.)

Meds? No Rx's currently.

If I was at my office then my vehicle would also be within the 1500' hot zone. So I guess I would have to walk the 2 kms home; no big deal unless it was winter and I had to leave my coat, but it hangs on a rack behind my chair so I figure I could grab it on the way out.

Mike