All sorts of emergencies have been in the news: Fire, Record breaking tornados, Earthquakes, Job Loss, State of the economy.
Any of these catastrophic events can cause us to pack our bags and leave our homes for a safer more stable environment. Some events are temporary, some could be permanent.

Do you have an action plan for you and your family? How would you ‘operate’ your lives and businesses if you had to leave home? Does it make sense to take a lot of everyday items with you so there is no ‘out of pocket’ expense, or just replace them later? Do you have room in you car(s) for all these items? The answers may not be apparent. Create a list of must haves within an action plan.

The action plan broadly would be who is going? Where would you go to set up house either temporarily or permanently. You may want to pack your bags and essentials to see what fits. Do you need to rent another vehicle or a trailer?
Start by having everyone in your family make a list of their ‘must haves’. This will be a tougher for kids. Help them pair down once they complete the list. Let’s not lie, its tough for adults to.
An easier way to make a list is to go thru your day. What are the clothing, snack and tools you use every day. This can include items needed for your business. Also what important items should you take that cannot do without?

Here are a few obvious items:
Clothing and toiletries
Airbnb: sheets, blankets, towels
Safety items such as flashlights and first aid kit
Electronics: Laptops, phones, flash drives, cords, chargers
Important papers, passports, credit cards, check books, pen and paper.

Some paperwork you may need with you. Err on the side of caution, scan and put all paperwork in the cloud even if need to have a copy with you.

The list can be overwhelming but if you have a framework you can make the harder decisions later.
Planning can help alleviate stress in an uncertain world.