The bushfire season may be over for another year, but I saw on TV, a house being demolish-ed in a Perth suburb because a water main under the house had burst without warning and damaged the 12 year-old house beyond repair.  The photo in the paper showed all the owner’s furniture and belongings just dumped in the front yard as the bulldozers moved in to raze the house as it was too unsafe to leave up.

We never know what is round the corner, so it is better to be prepared.  Debbie found that out a few years back when she fell and broke her leg in the kitchen.  If she had had a special bag prepared, she could have asked someone to grab it as she was wheeled out to the ambulance and had all her polio anaesthetic papers and whatever else she needed, with her in a flash without further preparation.

An EMERGENCY GRAB-& GO FILE is the suggestion of Annie Payne, a West Australian personal Historian, who kindly sent us a copy of her article and permission to use it.

Not only is this valuable for anyone in case of fire, flood, cyclone, earthquake, accident, injury or heart attack for polio people, who knows when we could be suddenly “off our feet”.  Why not have a couple of emergency “Grab-its” to suit the occasions.

SHORT TERM EMERGENCIES
To use Debbie’s example - what if you have to leave home in a hurry for a few days - like  to go to hospital, visit a sick relative, suddenly needed for extended babysitting, family crises.  Have a bag ready with a change of clothes, nightwear, toothbrush etc and personal papers like, records of Medicare and pension numbers, lists of medications you take and maybe a few days supply, bank account info, all insurance policy details, medical alerts and anaesthetic cautions for polios, personal dates like date of birth, marriage, children and their details and contacts.  Be prepared.

The other box needs to have your precious valuables that are irreplaceable in case of fire etc, like birth, marriage, death certificates; photos - old and new for each member of the family (even if they don’t live with you anymore). This bag, box, container, needs to be waterproof, capable of holding a number of items, but still light enough for you to carry yourself if need be.  A handle would be handy.
 

Items to include are: Legal Info - like Wills, Life Insurance and other insurance policies, “Super” details, copies of current Pension cards, medicare and private health and other insurances and all the other paperwork in the first bag or have them stored together. Identification Info - copies of driver’s licences and other licences, passport, birth/death certificates, Will etc. Important Info - like banking account data, family doctor, solicitor, safety deposit keys and numbers, details of employment and contact phone numbers and addresses for everyone in your family - you may have to contact them in a hurry and remember when you are under stress, all these details are wiped from your conscious thought.  Personal Info and photos - don’t forget, newspaper clippings, awards, medals, education degrees/certificates, baby’s first lock of hair or whatever memorabilia is really important to you that is not too big.  Get photos or copies of photos, of long dead ancestors, your childhood, wedding, children at all ages - all the important memories that can’t be replaced if they are destroyed. Irreplacable items - like the Family Bible (or like), precious jewellery, grandma’s silver etc.

REGULAR REVUE
Revise what you keep in your emergency box at least every year.  Keep up-to-date copies of everything in your emergency bag, from paperwork to medications.

Annie Payne says “Families should prepare for the worst and pray for the best.”

Annie keeps her emergency bag in an unobtrusive spot in her bookcase by the front door, ready to grab if she has to exit in a hurry.
How about you?  Are you prepared?