@rockymtnhigh hope you and your home stay safe
I live in an area that has seen way to many evacuate orders to count. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve not had to evacuate my house in recent years but I have friends who have done it so many times and others who have lost their homes. I have one friend who survived the fire but whose home didn’t survive the debris flow that came with the rains. She left with only the clothes she had on and her pets. In a lot of areas residents will evacuate for the fire and have to spend the next several years evacuating every time a heavy rain storm comes through. Several of my friends have stressed how good it feels to have clean underwear! My one friend who lived in a hotel for a very longtime said she just wished she had brought every pair she owned and a few extra t shirts. Also had never thought about sleeping bags but that is a good addition to the list.
Edit to add- my son in law’s grandmother lost her home in the Paradise Camp fire and lost just about everything she owned since the fire came so fast. What she didn’t know was who her fire insurance carrier was. It was eventually figured out but it was an issue for a short time.
@Hoggirl, what kind of steamer mop did you buy? You dropped that in the do not reply thread, LOL.
@VaBluebird - I got this one:
I sure hope that opens generically and not with my being signed into my account!
^^Thank you! And no, it took me to my account. Good to know.
In addition to other things already mentioned:
- Photos of your house and contents (particularly expensive items) that you leave there, backed up somewhere.
- Insurance papers, and photos of such backed up somewhere.
- Power and charging cords for computer and mobile phones.
- If you have camping equipment, having it may give more options (e.g. pitch a tent outside somewhere instead of going into an overcrowded shelter with SARS-CoV-2 laden air).
Oh, man. My insurer doesn’t cover expensive items (the “floaters”) without appraisal docs or receipts.
Also, the big boys (big corps) are double backing up or more. I’d imagine the cloud is set up this way. But if a key part of that network is impaired…
You could copy vital docs now, send the thumb drive or photocopies to some safe place, a friend or relative. The proviso is, not to be opened by them.
Sounds almost over conscious. But we’re now talking about putting a lot in the car. What if you have to abandon the car or can’t watch it overnight?
Key is, what’s already on record elsewhere. My fin guy has copies of the will, trust, etc, scanned.
Best wishes through the latest fires.
Plan is to each have a backpack with passports, id’s, meds, glasses, etc. kind of like when we used to air travel. I never thought of leaving the car or bringing a tent. Also never thought of having a fire extinguisher. Not sure that would be good if we are still in over 100 degree heat. I think it is good to give this some thought. It is actually comforting rather than terrifying to think of this ahead of time. I am a planner and I always like to have plan A, B, C.
I-70 stretch in Colorado strangely has been closed for 11 days. That is very odd. However, it is estimated to be open in a few days. I know California is having a very rough time.
Moderators, any chance of asking for a “dismiss” button next to every thread? That would be all kinds of awesome. I am sooooooo tired of scrolling through stuff I am never going to read.
What do you call the type of window covering where you can raise it or lower it by just using your hand on the bottom of the window covering?? Cellular shades are sometimes this way but I don’t want a cellular shade - but I want that hand motion for adjusting.
And if anyone has purchased a natural woven window covering like this (NOT a cellular shade) online please share where or link!
I guess they are just called cordless! 
Answered my own questions… now to find something that will work for me…
Where again is the new thread button?
Why hasn’t anyone started a checking in and checking up thread for Hurricane Laura?
Twenty foot storm surge?
When will this year be over?
I don’t see the new thread button either!
On my lap top the start a thread button is towards the top right, a brownish button that says “ask your question now”
New thread button is called “Ask Your Question Now” - on my computer and iPad, it’s in the upper right above the list of highlights. You may need to go to landscape mode on a device; doesn’t always appear in portrait mode.
On my Android phone, I don’t have it on portrait or landscape mode. Oh well.
Landscape worked on my iPad. Thanks!
Does anyone have a way to get family to notify them of important family things? H has been left out for years. He’d even find out about family funerals (aunts/uncles) after they happened - no chance to attend. No one has cut him out of their lives. Everyone seems to accept him when we visit and when the family had a reunion. They just don’t think to include him. I don’t understand it at all because my family definitely shared a lot more - first thing to do is make sure everyone knew “whatever” good or bad.
H is both frustrated and sad. Today he convinced his dad to go get his leg looked at - but reading the report just now it would have been far better if it had been done last week shortly after it happened. No one thought to tell him though. His dad didn’t call. His brother knew and didn’t call - even though he left his dad home alone for days when he could barely move. SIL is a Physical Therapist and looked at it telling him he should get it looked at, but no one thought to call H. We’ve told them repeatedly we’re available if anything is needed.
Watching the whole thing angers me, but I feel helpless to fix it. Is there anything I’m not considering?
@creekland - maybe your inlaws need to have it spelled out for them by your H. “I need you to call me when there is a doctor’s appointment.” “I need you to call me when someone is sick or has died.”
How often does your H call them to check in? If he’s calling frequently maybe that would help too.
@Creekland Yes, I’d say more frequent calls to check in. If they won’t do it, your husband could. It sounds like nobody would keep things from him or forget to tell him if they were in contact, so I think stepping up the frequency might help your husband get more info.
Sorry to hear about your FIL. Hope he feels better soon.
He calls about once per week now, though it used to be far less frequent in years past. That’s how he found out about the fall. It was a normal “Tuesday” phone call - quite the stunner. The fall happened last Thursday.
It’s been the same with heart attacks, his mom having her stroke that ended up being fatal, other relatives/family friends dying, and any other big news. H calls on a “normal” phone call and it turns out to be anything but normal. With his mom we had to make a same day flight to get him there because we were up at my mom’s. There was no time to drive. The stroke had been a couple of days earlier. He made it there before she died, but he shouldn’t be left out the way he is IMO.
He always tells his brother that he wants to know and for some funerals would have liked to have gone. He’s reminded him several times that he is flexible with his work (he owns the business) and can do a bit, but he never gets included. BIL is always included. Why FIL doesn’t call is H is also mystifying.
I’m trying to get H to call at least twice per week. Right now he’s with FIL. Time will tell if his leg can heal at this point.