Keeping your car well-stocked with emergency items will save you time if you ever need to evacuate. This article is not about what to do during an evacuation. It’s about getting your car ready beforehand. Don’t expect shelters to be up and running when you arrive. Your car may be the place you sleep and hang out for several days.
My car has many compartments and pockets to store items in. Here is the printable list of the items I chose to keep in my car. An asterisk means it’s also an item you could keep in a grab-and-go bag too. I put several items in Ziploc bags or pencil pouches, and put them throughout my car.
DRIVER’S DOOR POCKET
PASSENGER’S DOOR POCKET
- AAA road map in ziploc baggie (this will help you get out of town if your GPS stops working)
- Emergency Essentials 5-in-1 Survival Whistle: waterproof match box, compass, whistle, signal mirror and flint fire-starter
FRONT STORAGE COMPARTMENTS
- Sunglasses
- Cell phone wall charger (the cord is plugged into the car USB port: however, I want the wall charger in case I need it at an evacuation facility.)
- Gum or mints
- Hand sanitizer (store away from direct sunlight)
- Mittens
- Cash & coins (small bills)
CONSOLE BETWEEN FRONT SEATS
Groom Me Pouch:
- Hair elastics
- Brush and comb
- Mirror (use an old makeup compact)
- Tweezers
- Nail clippers
- Nail file
- Tissues (these tissues fit in cup holders)
- Lip balm
- Lotion
- Safety pins
Feed Me Pouch
- Napkins (gather fast-food)
- Plastic utensils (gather fast-food)
- Cleansing wipes
- Mini can opener
- Scissors
- Candy
- Paper cups
- Small trash bags
Communications Pouch
- Pens & pencils
- Notepad
ACTIVITY POCKETS behind driver/passenger seats (People get bored at evacuation shelters, so keep some activity items in your car that don’t require electricty.)
- Sudoku and word search activities (I printed some from online)
- Coloring books
- Small spiral notebooks
- Colored pencils
- Colored markers
- Cards
- Small kid toys
- Paperback books
- Scriptures like The Book of Mormon
- Magazine like The Friend, For the Strength of Youth or The Liahona
- Laminated copy of LDS patriarchal blessing
REAR EMERGENCY COMPARTMENT
- 12 ft. jumper cables
- Folding shovel
- Snow remover brush
- Work gloves
- Assortment of bungee cords (enough to tie down items you evacuate on the roof of your car. You won’t have time to search for these.)
- Fire extinguisher
Since fire extinguishers don’t last forever, put a reminder on your Google calendar to have it checked a year from now. Never try not to tackle a fire that is large or out of control.
WHEELED DUFFEL BAG, BACKPACK OR CARRY-ON BAG (Use any size that fits in your car. Put heavy items towards the bottom. I prefer something with wheels.
- Water bottles
- Millenium food bars
- Blanket
- Tarp
- Emergency thermal blankets, several
- Rain ponchos, several
- Cargo pants with multiple pockets
- Shirts
- Underwear
- Boots & socks
- Sun hat that covers neck
- Beanie
- Toiletries
- Liquid soap
- Headlamp
- Duct tape
- Wash cloth
- Toilet paper
- Feminine items
- Stove in a can
- Enamel cup
- Large trash bags
FIRST AID KIT
- Bandages, various
- Gauze & pads, various
- Medical gloves
- Ace bandages
- Adhesive tape
- CPR mouthpiece
- Dust masks
- Bandana
- Alcohol wipes
- Needles and thread
- Triangular bandages
- Benadryl kids chewable (bee stings, allergic reactions, etc.)
- Prescriptions
- First Aid Guide
C.E.R.T. BACKPACK (Community Emergency Response Team). You’ ll recognize these search and rescue items if you’ve been CERT trained. Everyone should be CERT trained and CPR trained. Become part of the solution.
- C.E.R.T. safety vest
- C.E.R.T. hard hat
- Goggles
- Leather work gloves
- Knee pads or foam gardening pad
- C.E.R.T. victim identification tape 4 colors
- Carabiners
- Light Sticks – 12 Hour Green
- Permanent markers
- Notebook
- Pencils & pens
- Rubber bands
- Multi-use tool
- Pocket knife
- Emergency Solar Radio
- Extra flashlight batteries in dated baggie
- Crowbar
- Nylon rope
- Sunblock, travel size
- Insect repellant, travel size
Wow! That took some time to put together. And please don’t think my car is all ready. I’ve still got some work to do.
Do I have sleepless nights worrying about evacuations? No. But it feels soooo good to get this idea moving forward. I hope you’ll find something useful in this post to help you prepare your car for an evacuation. And I hope you never ever, EVER have to evacuate.
Best wishes,
Valerie Albrechtsen
The Food Storage Organizer
I am curios as to what you are using for your pouches (Groom Me, Feed Me, etc.)