Living a few miles off the Florida coast means I have experience evacuating. Here's my action plan.
- Have a full tank of gas long before disaster threatens. I typically have at least 3/4 of a tank during hurricane season, and top off at the first mention that a storm may be headed my way.
She who hesitates is SOL.
- Make a reservation somewhere out of harms way. Shelters suck. I'd rather not be in one.
- Call all my friends and see if they can put me up. Hotels have a nasty habit of cancelling reservations and raising rates. That means that reservation may not really be a reservation. Plus, friends will let you stay for free.
- Flip the main breaker, turn off the water, and head out doing my best to avoid the overflowing highways, especially I-4.
As for what I take? I take whatever I can cram in my car. That's my dog, my makeup, most of my clothes, some canned food, a couple gallons of water, and my fireproof lockbox. Everything else is expendable.