Please be gentle on yourself. I live in a hurricane zone and the decision about evacuating is so hard. For the past 15 years my job requires that I stay and work in our Emergency Operations Center, which is another agonizing process. I also recommend some trauma-centered counseling for you all. I never feared the wind until Hurricane Florence. Now it completely unnerves me. Holding you all close to my heart and praying for all affected and donating. World Central Kitchen fed us during Florence and I had the honor of meeting Chef Andres and I will never forget the kindest eyes and the biggest heart.
As someone who has lived through this many times(I’m from Orange County) and every time we think we would pack up and it would all be gone. I was talking to someone on the plane the other day from Connecticut and she said I never thought that the smell of fire would affect someone so much and I said as someone who evacuated as a child, the smell of ash and fire is something that I’ll never forget. I evacuated the night after my senior year homecoming dance and I bought my homecoming crown was the most important thing at the time now I’m not so sure I would grab it.
We now have fire extinguishers in every room with a list of all the things that if we had 5, 10, or 30 minutes what we would want to grab from the room, but I’ll never forget the first time when we had camcorders, and we went around the house video recording everything thinking that was our best bet to save the things that we couldn’t remember later on. I think the hardest thing is that my mom hadn’t digitized all of her photos and choosing between a wedding album, the year we were born and so many of her other memories, especially of her dad, was one of the most heartbreaking things that I’ve ever experienced. All that to say, the people in my community became our family after this, staying behind to hose the roof down or sitting all together in a parking lot just waiting until we knew more, the possessions we had in our cars, that was it. I hope you never have to experience this again and your family stays safe and sound, but please know you have a whole village of people to support you whenever you need it.
This was really touching to read and my heart goes out to you and your family. I can’t imagine how it feels to be tested in this way. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just because you didn’t lose everything, doesn’t mean this isn’t really, really hard. This devastation is so heartbreaking and I’m at a loss for what to say.
I’m in Silver Lake, likewise safe although it’s been a very nerve wracking week and we also left for a night when the Hollywood fire broke out a little too close for comfort. I was stuck in Las Vegas where I’d been for a work trip, 5 months pregnant, while my husband was here with our two cats and dog. When it came to packing up to leave, the pets and their needs were the biggest priority by far; and I had him grab one box with our important documents including marriage license, social security card, passports etc. It was interesting to realize we really didn’t care as much about any of our actual possessions—what I was most worried and upset about was our house itself, our first real home we bought together a year and a half ago, and our surrounding area which I love so much. When you have to face potentially losing everything, it is almost like you realize none of it really matters except the biggest stuff: each other, our pets, and our actual house. Our memories are all digitized and other than a couple of sentimental items, everything else—my books, my husband’s record collection, our furniture—seemed ultimately replaceable. But I’m also aware that we are fortunate enough to worst case afford replacing our belongings, which so many others are not.
So glad you all are safe and sound. As another mother who’s lost her mother, you grabbing the quilt resonated with me. Those are the items I’d like to think I’d grab - my small vase of her ashes, for sure, but also the bin of baby clothes I’ve saved that she made for my babies and I want future nieces/nephews to have. We also save all important docs (passports/birth certs/passwords) in a small fireproof lock box so I’d grab that.
Things are just things, on one hand, but some things are not replaceable. And all those things add up to what makes your house your home. Praying for you and all of LA.
My heart is with you and everyone in LA, and I’m sorry this is happening. It’s just heartbreaking.
Please go easy on yourself for your reaction! Trying to do that sort of emotional and mental calculation while you’re more worried than you’ve ever been about keeping your family safe - that’s just so hard. I have 3 kiddos too, and I know gently and perfectly navigating all the emotions through extreme stress sometimes just isn’t possible.
As someone who lives in Florida and has evacuated for many hurricanes, we’ve sadly grown accustomed to this mental calculus. It’s an awful reality, but we’ve now done it enough that we feel better about our choices each time, and we’re able to be prepared year-round. When I pack up the Christmas ornaments each year, I have a special small box with the handful of ornaments that we couldn’t stand to lose, and we keep our most precious and irreplaceable photos and documents all on the same shelf so they’re easy to gather. It doesn’t make it easier to leave, but it helps provide a bit more peace about what we’re taking.
Immediately after reading this, I walked around my apartment and looked for the special items I would take. Twenty minutes later, I remembered a handful of deeply sentimental items I would be devastated to lose. I did this all as a single person (ie no partner, kids, or pets to worry about) and currently under zero threat of danger. I can only imagine the panic and tailspin I would be in if I was trying to do this under a real threat with no where near enough time.
You did a beautiful job of writing on such an emotional topic. Thank you for sharing this. Sending your family and dear ones love and light. ❤️
I’m so glad you and your family are safe! It is absolutely devastating to see what is happening right now! Reading your article and having lived through multiple hurricanes I always start thinking of what I would bring and if I should prep a plastic bin or two with non-negotiables. Good luck to you! Stay safe!!!
My husband and I were evacuated from (what quickly became) a mandatory evacuation zone late last week. We had semi-packed a few things but because our area wasn’t in immediate danger, it felt strange to do too much. One thing I truly did not comprehend AT ALL until it happened to me was just how little time you have between when you start getting those evacuation notices and when you’re expected to leave and just how brief that time feels. It felt like seconds. And the whole time your cell phones are making that horrible emergency blaring sound and also ringing with calls from the city, texts from the city and calls and texts from well meaning friends and family. The sirens are incredibly loud and feel like they’re everywhere. It’s incredibly hard to think in the cacophony. And then you drive out past the national guard with their giant bullet proof vehicles making it clear you CANNOT turn around and then… a few blocks away, and everything seems normal again, except that your car is full of stuff and you have no idea what happens next.
That said, things I wish I had packed, in no particular order:
1. The shoes I got married in. Did not think to pack a pair of metallic heeled sandals to evacuate in January but they’re obviously sentimental to me. I’m sure I have other sentimental items of clothing but it just didn’t occur to me at the time.
2. Bras. If you have ones that fit you and you like, pack all of them. Getting new bras is terrible.
3. (If you drink) a good bottle of something so when you land, you have…something.
I’m going to think about what else we missed but those are the first things that come to mind.
It sounds like you did a great job getting together everything you could fit in your car that you would have needed or couldn’t have replaced (important documents, the quilts, hard drives). One suggestion someone told me long ago would be to photograph or video every room of your house so you have evidence of what you owned in case you have to make an insurance claim. The house of my neighbor across the street burned due to a dryer fire and such photos were very helpful to her. She is an interior designer which is why she had them to begin with but we should all take the time to document.
Thank you for sharing this with us and for being so open about your feelings and reactions. It must have been so hard to try to decide what to take, balancing emotions and the needs of your dear children. I am glad you and your family are safe. This is an excruciating experience filled with sadness and grief for so many people. I am sorry you have had to experience all of this - one can feel quite helpless. I feel so sad for Los Angeles, a place I called home for many years.
We live in Napa and after several earthquakes we put together our earthquake preparedness items and filled an outdoor storage container that now is free standing in the back yard away from the house and falling things. We consulted many lists of things to have and even have a tent, sleeping bags and water purifiers.
Then, the fires came - though they did not touch us personally, they were very close one time. People we know lost their homes in one of the fires and wineries were hit hard. The fear was awful, and the air quality was bad for so long. That's when we got air purifiers for every room of the house, and I made sure both the car and truck had emergency kits in them. This year, my goal is to digitize all photos and slides and get them stored in the cloud.
Please take care and know that we are all thinking of you and sending our support.
I have friends who did a similar thing to you, leaving when the evacuation zone got a little too close for comfort. I live in MN, so it's not likely that I would have to leave my home in a hurry for a natural disaster, but I have been thinking about what I might take with me other than the obvious essentials. The bin of Christmas ornaments definitely came to mind, as my mom gives me one each year, and so did my grandma, who passed away last year. I would also take the quilt she made me when I graduated college, my scrapbooks and travel journals of European trips in college, the teddy bear I recieved when I was born, and my French horn (it's my baby). All things that speak to my personal history and reminders of people who love me the most.
Thinking of you, Elizabeth, and sending y’all much love. It all seems unfathomable and horrifying. Be gentle and kind to yourself. Glad y’all are safe!
flashlight, batteries, water, plugs for electronics...and duct tape. Lord knows why but it is on every list. helpful column. I went to school in Utah and all my friends were from California; every car had "earthquake bags" just in case.
That must have been so scary and so much added stress with your kids in mind! Thankfully it was a close call and now a learning experience for what to do differently next time. <3 what is unfolding in LA is devastating. I cannot image losing my entire community. It’s just awful!
The home I was renting burned down in a wildfire in 2010 - the Fourmile Canyon fire in Boulder, CO. I was just out of college, so I didn’t have a family home full of memories, a large collection of things, etc., but it was still very upsetting! I wasn’t able to go home to pack, but my roommate at the time grabbed a box of photos, a few clothing items, and some of my old school work! I lost my grandmother’s jewelry and obviously all of my furniture and household items. 14 years later and all those items have been replaced, but I am still thankful to this day my roommate thought to grab my photo box since this was before everything was digital. So all that to say, prioritize the truly sentimental things, because household items and clothes will be replaced and fade into the past with time.
Please be gentle on yourself. I live in a hurricane zone and the decision about evacuating is so hard. For the past 15 years my job requires that I stay and work in our Emergency Operations Center, which is another agonizing process. I also recommend some trauma-centered counseling for you all. I never feared the wind until Hurricane Florence. Now it completely unnerves me. Holding you all close to my heart and praying for all affected and donating. World Central Kitchen fed us during Florence and I had the honor of meeting Chef Andres and I will never forget the kindest eyes and the biggest heart.
As someone who has lived through this many times(I’m from Orange County) and every time we think we would pack up and it would all be gone. I was talking to someone on the plane the other day from Connecticut and she said I never thought that the smell of fire would affect someone so much and I said as someone who evacuated as a child, the smell of ash and fire is something that I’ll never forget. I evacuated the night after my senior year homecoming dance and I bought my homecoming crown was the most important thing at the time now I’m not so sure I would grab it.
We now have fire extinguishers in every room with a list of all the things that if we had 5, 10, or 30 minutes what we would want to grab from the room, but I’ll never forget the first time when we had camcorders, and we went around the house video recording everything thinking that was our best bet to save the things that we couldn’t remember later on. I think the hardest thing is that my mom hadn’t digitized all of her photos and choosing between a wedding album, the year we were born and so many of her other memories, especially of her dad, was one of the most heartbreaking things that I’ve ever experienced. All that to say, the people in my community became our family after this, staying behind to hose the roof down or sitting all together in a parking lot just waiting until we knew more, the possessions we had in our cars, that was it. I hope you never have to experience this again and your family stays safe and sound, but please know you have a whole village of people to support you whenever you need it.
This was really touching to read and my heart goes out to you and your family. I can’t imagine how it feels to be tested in this way. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just because you didn’t lose everything, doesn’t mean this isn’t really, really hard. This devastation is so heartbreaking and I’m at a loss for what to say.
I’m in Silver Lake, likewise safe although it’s been a very nerve wracking week and we also left for a night when the Hollywood fire broke out a little too close for comfort. I was stuck in Las Vegas where I’d been for a work trip, 5 months pregnant, while my husband was here with our two cats and dog. When it came to packing up to leave, the pets and their needs were the biggest priority by far; and I had him grab one box with our important documents including marriage license, social security card, passports etc. It was interesting to realize we really didn’t care as much about any of our actual possessions—what I was most worried and upset about was our house itself, our first real home we bought together a year and a half ago, and our surrounding area which I love so much. When you have to face potentially losing everything, it is almost like you realize none of it really matters except the biggest stuff: each other, our pets, and our actual house. Our memories are all digitized and other than a couple of sentimental items, everything else—my books, my husband’s record collection, our furniture—seemed ultimately replaceable. But I’m also aware that we are fortunate enough to worst case afford replacing our belongings, which so many others are not.
So glad you all are safe and sound. As another mother who’s lost her mother, you grabbing the quilt resonated with me. Those are the items I’d like to think I’d grab - my small vase of her ashes, for sure, but also the bin of baby clothes I’ve saved that she made for my babies and I want future nieces/nephews to have. We also save all important docs (passports/birth certs/passwords) in a small fireproof lock box so I’d grab that.
Things are just things, on one hand, but some things are not replaceable. And all those things add up to what makes your house your home. Praying for you and all of LA.
My heart is with you and everyone in LA, and I’m sorry this is happening. It’s just heartbreaking.
Please go easy on yourself for your reaction! Trying to do that sort of emotional and mental calculation while you’re more worried than you’ve ever been about keeping your family safe - that’s just so hard. I have 3 kiddos too, and I know gently and perfectly navigating all the emotions through extreme stress sometimes just isn’t possible.
As someone who lives in Florida and has evacuated for many hurricanes, we’ve sadly grown accustomed to this mental calculus. It’s an awful reality, but we’ve now done it enough that we feel better about our choices each time, and we’re able to be prepared year-round. When I pack up the Christmas ornaments each year, I have a special small box with the handful of ornaments that we couldn’t stand to lose, and we keep our most precious and irreplaceable photos and documents all on the same shelf so they’re easy to gather. It doesn’t make it easier to leave, but it helps provide a bit more peace about what we’re taking.
Immediately after reading this, I walked around my apartment and looked for the special items I would take. Twenty minutes later, I remembered a handful of deeply sentimental items I would be devastated to lose. I did this all as a single person (ie no partner, kids, or pets to worry about) and currently under zero threat of danger. I can only imagine the panic and tailspin I would be in if I was trying to do this under a real threat with no where near enough time.
You did a beautiful job of writing on such an emotional topic. Thank you for sharing this. Sending your family and dear ones love and light. ❤️
I’m so glad you and your family are safe! It is absolutely devastating to see what is happening right now! Reading your article and having lived through multiple hurricanes I always start thinking of what I would bring and if I should prep a plastic bin or two with non-negotiables. Good luck to you! Stay safe!!!
I echo the commenters - be gentle on yourself. You did and are doing amazing. ❤️🫂
My husband and I were evacuated from (what quickly became) a mandatory evacuation zone late last week. We had semi-packed a few things but because our area wasn’t in immediate danger, it felt strange to do too much. One thing I truly did not comprehend AT ALL until it happened to me was just how little time you have between when you start getting those evacuation notices and when you’re expected to leave and just how brief that time feels. It felt like seconds. And the whole time your cell phones are making that horrible emergency blaring sound and also ringing with calls from the city, texts from the city and calls and texts from well meaning friends and family. The sirens are incredibly loud and feel like they’re everywhere. It’s incredibly hard to think in the cacophony. And then you drive out past the national guard with their giant bullet proof vehicles making it clear you CANNOT turn around and then… a few blocks away, and everything seems normal again, except that your car is full of stuff and you have no idea what happens next.
That said, things I wish I had packed, in no particular order:
1. The shoes I got married in. Did not think to pack a pair of metallic heeled sandals to evacuate in January but they’re obviously sentimental to me. I’m sure I have other sentimental items of clothing but it just didn’t occur to me at the time.
2. Bras. If you have ones that fit you and you like, pack all of them. Getting new bras is terrible.
3. (If you drink) a good bottle of something so when you land, you have…something.
I’m going to think about what else we missed but those are the first things that come to mind.
It sounds like you did a great job getting together everything you could fit in your car that you would have needed or couldn’t have replaced (important documents, the quilts, hard drives). One suggestion someone told me long ago would be to photograph or video every room of your house so you have evidence of what you owned in case you have to make an insurance claim. The house of my neighbor across the street burned due to a dryer fire and such photos were very helpful to her. She is an interior designer which is why she had them to begin with but we should all take the time to document.
Thank you for sharing this with us and for being so open about your feelings and reactions. It must have been so hard to try to decide what to take, balancing emotions and the needs of your dear children. I am glad you and your family are safe. This is an excruciating experience filled with sadness and grief for so many people. I am sorry you have had to experience all of this - one can feel quite helpless. I feel so sad for Los Angeles, a place I called home for many years.
We live in Napa and after several earthquakes we put together our earthquake preparedness items and filled an outdoor storage container that now is free standing in the back yard away from the house and falling things. We consulted many lists of things to have and even have a tent, sleeping bags and water purifiers.
Then, the fires came - though they did not touch us personally, they were very close one time. People we know lost their homes in one of the fires and wineries were hit hard. The fear was awful, and the air quality was bad for so long. That's when we got air purifiers for every room of the house, and I made sure both the car and truck had emergency kits in them. This year, my goal is to digitize all photos and slides and get them stored in the cloud.
Please take care and know that we are all thinking of you and sending our support.
I have friends who did a similar thing to you, leaving when the evacuation zone got a little too close for comfort. I live in MN, so it's not likely that I would have to leave my home in a hurry for a natural disaster, but I have been thinking about what I might take with me other than the obvious essentials. The bin of Christmas ornaments definitely came to mind, as my mom gives me one each year, and so did my grandma, who passed away last year. I would also take the quilt she made me when I graduated college, my scrapbooks and travel journals of European trips in college, the teddy bear I recieved when I was born, and my French horn (it's my baby). All things that speak to my personal history and reminders of people who love me the most.
Thinking of you, Elizabeth, and sending y’all much love. It all seems unfathomable and horrifying. Be gentle and kind to yourself. Glad y’all are safe!
flashlight, batteries, water, plugs for electronics...and duct tape. Lord knows why but it is on every list. helpful column. I went to school in Utah and all my friends were from California; every car had "earthquake bags" just in case.
That must have been so scary and so much added stress with your kids in mind! Thankfully it was a close call and now a learning experience for what to do differently next time. <3 what is unfolding in LA is devastating. I cannot image losing my entire community. It’s just awful!
The home I was renting burned down in a wildfire in 2010 - the Fourmile Canyon fire in Boulder, CO. I was just out of college, so I didn’t have a family home full of memories, a large collection of things, etc., but it was still very upsetting! I wasn’t able to go home to pack, but my roommate at the time grabbed a box of photos, a few clothing items, and some of my old school work! I lost my grandmother’s jewelry and obviously all of my furniture and household items. 14 years later and all those items have been replaced, but I am still thankful to this day my roommate thought to grab my photo box since this was before everything was digital. So all that to say, prioritize the truly sentimental things, because household items and clothes will be replaced and fade into the past with time.