Interesting what people are taking when they have to leave in a hurry. Documents, valuables, and maybe, a couple changes of clothes. It seems that the emphasis is not so much immediate self reliance, but continuity after the smoke clears.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/06/americas/c...il_bottommedium


Compared to what the Syrian refugees carried, it seems that sentimental items were the common thread.

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/syrian-refugees-what-they-carried/

"In this time of crisis when we have lost almost our entire city and packed our whole lives into a car or a suitcase we need laughter. I urge each and every one of you, as you unpack wherever you are, to post a picture of the funniest thing you packed while fleeing for your lives," Knuth wrote on a Fort McMurray Facebook group called Controversial Humor.

Many were happy to oblige, confessing to packing everything from a bear's head to half a blender."