Californians refine the art of evacuations

...Here’s how much of a difference timely action made:

The ‘evacuation warning’ advisory became a ‘mandatory evacuation’ order at 4am on Saturday night. My car was ready to go and I was on the road out of town within 5 minutes.

Several friends of mine left home just 45 minutes after I did. By that time, the fleeing traffic made the roads essentially immobile. My friends had to turn back to ride things out in their homes, simply hoping for the best.

So I’m reminded of the old time-management axiom: If you can’t be on time, be early. ...

...We were in no immediate danger, but the East Bay hills have burned before and it’s possible they’ll burn again. So I’d suggested to my partner that we pack as an experiment, just to get used to the idea. We had an emergency kit we’d assembled in case of earthquakes; on top of that I threw in some underwear and socks, chargers, a backup drive, and a toothbrush, with a bag of dog food and some leashes. I’ve long been proud of my ability to travel light. “That’s it?” he said when he saw my tote. “That’s all you want to save?”
I realized, then, that I’d misunderstood my own assignment. I thought we were packing only what we needed to survive a few nights away from home. I hadn’t appreciated what evacuating really means: saying a provisional goodbye to everything but what you can carry. And figuring out what the discrepancies are between what you must bring and what you can. ...
... It’s hard enough not to forget things for a short trip—even when you aren’t rushed or scared—but it’s something else to reconcile the two separate challenges of a) packing all you and your loved ones need in the short-term and b) packing all you might want to save of your life as you know it. ...