By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer
Every time Southern California has another round of wildfires I remember something a homeowner told me after the horrendous fires of 2003. Laurie Sanders-Cannon and Jerry Cannon lived in Scripps, an area of San Diego that lost a lot of homes that year.
If you live in an area prone to fires, you need an evacuation plan, said Laurie. She woke up at 4:30 the morning of the fire, smelling smoke, and had already begun to pack. But when the evacuation notice came, she only had minutes to make decisions. "Don't rely on thinking calmly," she says. "When you're actually faced with an evacuation, your panic-brain takes over." Her remark made an impression on me because Sanders-Cannon seemed like a very level-headed woman -- the kind of person you would expect to be calm as a cucumber in a panic. So if she felt panic, I suspect anyone would.
(The Cannon's home, incidentally, suffered a lot of smoke damage but was spared.)
Here's some things to think when putting together a plan:
1. Make copies of all your legal documents and store them offsite. Include family recipes and other written documents you cherish, too.
2. Make a list off essential items you'll need -- eyeglasses, medications, and so forth. Post it somewhere easily found.
3. Establish an emergency meeting place outside the home for family members to meet.
4. Plan and memorize several evacuation routes. (Road closures may prevent the most obvious route.)
Use these links to develop a full-fledged plan:
Wildfire Zone (prepared by the San Diego University Cooperative Extension.)
Family Disaster Plan (prepared by County of San Diego)
Evacuation Plan (prepared by American Red Cross)
also, Jim's post yesterday reminded me of some other stories on our website regarding firescaping you might find of interest:
