Seems like a good time to practice, so here's your test for the weekend.
Assuming a large event and you have to bug out; either do an actual test packing a bag or just write down what you would take...limit is one hour

Teacher

PS No we're fine. Not a lot of hurricanes in Berkley

Is this a temporary bug out or a permanent one?

Jeanette Isabelle

Given the abundant forecasting of hurricanes and their paths, why would you ever be restricted to one hour in preparing for evacuation?

We have a posted check list - people, pets, photos, important papers. We have packed for real on two occasions in far less than one hour.

My buddies and I hold packing competitions as we await hurricane's arrival. We do round robin, so one hour is the most we can spare per round.

I do so many 2-4 day roadtrips that I am permanently packed so this drill is a piece of cake. For starters, my SUV is always well-equipped with survival gear, including enough firesteels to ignite 50,000 conflagrations. My front hall closet is where I store camping gear.

In 20 minutes or so I could have bags in the car containing a week's worth of clothes, toiletries, etc. Maybe 10 minutes to put a couple bicycles on the hitch-mounted rack.

If this scenario is some horrible event that would preclude coming home for a long while and would empty out the city then I'd spend the next half-hour filling up coolers with food and beverages.

Being so prepared, I might beat my neighbors to the freeway -- where I'd sit for the next 14 hours crawling toward the Beltway and depleting my fuel tank.

Mass evac in my area is a grim prospect. It will not be quick and it would be scary.


.

Dagny makes a good point about getting on the route out, then getting stuck.

Watching the most recent highway gridlock in Florida the realization I had is that it does not matter how well you are prepared, if you don't get out early then you'll be on the road with everybody else. Which means the miles you can drive on a tank of gas plummets. And as I saw on TV filling back up may be a nightmare unto itself.

Thankfully, here in northwest Arkansas, evac for a hurricane is not on our required skill set.

Bug-out early or plan to bug-in. Anyone in the hurricane's potential path who was keeping up with current events would have topped off the tank and packed their bags well ahead of the evacuation order; then you wait to see where it's really going. When the threat becomes evident, just leave -- before the evac order. Otherwise you are stuck in traffic rather than leading the first wave. Like me after a wildfire starts up to the east with a Santa Ana pushing it -- pack the truck and leave it packed, keep the fuel tank above 3/4.

The 1 hour thing is a nice academic exercise, but really unrealistic.

Avoid getting stuck in the herd. Leave early or let the herd pass (12hrs) and then fly like the wind!

Grab records binder & sling bag.
Laptop & external drive in travel bag.
Backpacking food and travel snacks from the kitchen
Handful of extra clothes from closet
Toiletries and minimal clothes are always in the car.

The list would change if the reason to bug out changed.

Temporary