Comments on: Disaster uncluttering

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 26 May 2010 09:15:10 +0000

Glad everyone’s okay. Very helpful article worth sharing.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:22:16 +0000

I’m a registered vet tech, and about 18 months ago I was working at an emergency clinic when a huge wildfire swept through the area and hundreds of residents had to evacuate. We acted as a refuge for a lot of pets while their owners waited to find out if their homes had survived.

One very important thing I learned is that in case of an emergency evacuation, pillowcases make EXCELLENT cat carriers. Pop kitty in, tie the top, and you’re good to go. It’s not ideal of course, but there’s no WAY I could handle both of my cats, their carriers, and my dog if we had to evacuate. Two knotted pillowcases and my dog would be a lot easier.

Also, I highly recommend pet owners find out where the nearest emergency clinic is so that if they have to go somewhere in a hurry that isn’t pet friendly, they know where to take their furry family members. So many fire victims approached us after the disaster and thanked us for the peace of mind we gave them knowing their best friends were safe.

By: Beach

Beach — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:40:51 +0000

What an interesting post, something that I truly needed to read. My wife and I talk about things such as this when they cross our mind, but have yet to put a plan in action. Your list is just what we need to get started. And I’m glad that you and your family (pets included) escaped safely!

By: Wendy Blackwell

Wendy Blackwell — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:43:20 +0000

We have designated a remote contact person so if there is a disaster while one of us is away from home, neither of us has to panic about finding the other, even if services to our area are knocked out.

By: Put Together an Emergency Pet Kit « Simple Savvy

Put Together an Emergency Pet Kit « Simple Savvy — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:23:26 +0000

[...] past month, Unclutterer featured a three-part series on picking up the pieces after a disaster — in this case, a fire. The author, [...]

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:14:34 +0000

First of all, I’m delighted to read another great post on Unclutterer, and from a new author too!
Second of all, and I’m really surprised this hasn’t come up on any of the discussions about the fire-proof boxes and safes, there are risks to the misuse of these items. If the safes are left in the fire, it’s important to be cautious about reopening these items. The three things needed for a fire are heat, fuel, and oxygen. The basic principle of these items are to remove the oxygen from the equation. If you are too eager to retrieve your valuable papers, you’ll open the item before all the heat is gone and provide the oxygen to the equation (your valuable papers are the fuel). My father was a volunteer fire fighter for decades and he cautioned against the complacency of homeowners to think fire-proof boxes are fail safe. I just wanted to mention that there are still inherent risks to these devices, while there are some very important value-added reasons to keep these boxes, just pay attention closely to the operating instructions when you first purchase the box. It can save you from feeling the second disaster – losing it all anyway!

By: gypsy packer

gypsy packer — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:46:23 +0000

This is where the old white-trash custom of “junk in the trunk” comes in handy. Keeping a winter outfit for each person and some coats and blankets in a plastic tote during the cold months is an excellent idea, as well as that flash drive, stored in a condensation-proof container. Don’t keep any other records or valuables in your car if it is a theft-prone variety.

By: Counting My Pennies » Weekly Link Roundup

Counting My Pennies » Weekly Link Roundup — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:05:06 +0000

[...] Disaster Uncluttering [...]

By: CJ

CJ — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:49:16 +0000

@Lina, it can be a great idea if you encrypt everything. Just don’t forget the password!

There’s a very simple program called dscrypt, or a more advanced one called TrueCrypt.

I’d also highly recommend backups of your laptop/pc – I have an external drive that I clone my harddrive to periodically, and I’ve got the same setup for my parents. Each month we do a backup, then swap backup drives. If I have a fire or robbery at my house, I may lose their backup, but they will still have their PC and my backup at their house (and vice versa).

By: Gina

Gina — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:16:39 +0000

What a great post.

I am currently converting all of my files over to an external hard drive and then moving from PC to Mac.

I have recently heard of a company, DocuBank, that provides immediate access to health care info, living wills, orgon donor information, etc. Has anyone utilized this service?

By: lina

lina — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:14:55 +0000

My flashdrive with backup information stays clipped to my purse. It’s got credential paperwork scanned in, and many photos and work documents. Let’s hope the purse never gets lost!

That is a really TERRIBLE IDEA. Please don’t keep your sensitive information anywhere near your purse. Do you seriously think it could not be lost or stolen? It’s bad enough that a thief could get your keys, ID, cards, you want them to know everything?

By: Taylor at Household Management 101

Taylor at Household Management 101 — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:27:23 +0000

I am so sorry for your loss, but glad that you and your pets are safe. I strongly second the suggestion to create a household inventory.

It is not something we want to think about, but as we can all see from your post, disasters like this can happen to anyone at any time.

I am also an attorney, who deals with insurance claims all the time (and dealing with insurance adjusters)and having a household inventory really helps simplify the process of getting your insurance claim through the bureaucracy during an already difficult time.

It can also get you more money paid on your claim because of the good documentation.

I have written several articles about this topic, because I think it is that important. First, I created an article about why you should create a household inventory (click on my name for the link).

I also wrote one on how to create an inventory quickly and easily.

http://www.household-managemen.....ntory.html

I even wrote a post about a free household inventory software program provided by the Insurance Information Institute (note I am not affiliated with them, I just thought it might help people).

http://www.household-managemen.....tware.html

Check them out if you are interested.

By: Leonie

Leonie — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:20:30 +0000

@Erin
Good point. But like I explained – the things in the safe deposit box (my papers) are papers that I don’t need immediate access to – for example, I have two legal copies of documents such as the will, and other family papers. The other copy is in the fireproof safe in the house. The key to the safe deposit is on my key chain. I have my identification documents in my purse which sits (hidden) but by the front door. Our family has had fire drills so every member of the family knows what route to take in the event of a fire.

But as you pointed out there are no guarantees in a fire. Therefore, cutting down on any potential future amount of stress in an already stressful situation would be a good move. After all, even with all the preparation, perhaps one would be lucky to even run out of the front door with family members.

In which case, where you put your important papers would be a moot point. If the house burned down on Saturday, and you had papers in the house that burned with it, you wouldn’t have access to it on Monday either.

By: Another Deb

Another Deb — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:07:01 +0000

A friend had to evacuate her home during a midnight fire in only her nightclothes. She had the blankets off of the bed to cover up with and that’s it! I tend to have my next-day’s clothes laid out anyway and this is another reason to do so. I also keep my glasses and purse next to me on the night stand.

Since I am paranoid about having a wardrobe malfunction as a junior high teacher, I also keep a spare set of clothes in my car. Again, this could end up being helpful in an evacuation situation, although the cars are in the attached garage and may not be available.

My flashdrive with backup information stays clipped to my purse. It’s got credential paperwork scanned in, and many photos and work documents. Let’s hope the purse never gets lost!

I love the cat carrier/hamper hint. In one non-emergency situation I had to zip my cat into a duffel to transport her and she was NOT amused.

By: Erin Doland

Erin Doland — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:39:19 +0000

@Leonie —

1. You need a key and state-issued identification to get access to a safe deposit box. In an emergency, there are no guarantees that you will have time to grab the key to this safe deposit box and your wallet. In an emergency, there are no guarantees.

2. Safe deposit boxes are only open on set schedules. Your home could burn down on a Saturday and you wouldn’t have access to your things until the following Monday.