Taking a few extra measures to secure important paperwork, objects, and records can make it less catastrophic.
By Terri Blazell
March 2006
Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes …. No matter what part of the country you live in, there seems to be some sort of disaster just waiting to happen. Avoiding it should be one’s first course of action, but sometimes, even for motorhomers, this is not possible. The next best thing is to be prepared. As a motorhome owner, you are one step ahead of the game. Your coach becomes your mobile relief shelter as you travel to safety.
Your RV already may be stocked with some basics such as bottled water and food, but in an evacuation, there are many other things you may not even have considered taking with you. Don’t wait for the call to evacuate to get ready. Be prepared.
One of the most important things you can do is make copies of your valuable papers; have them laminated; and store them in a portable, fireproof safe. These safes can be purchased for approximately $50 and are available on the Internet and in mass merchandise stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.
Inside the safe, you will want to include:
- Deeds, leases, or rental agreements to all properties
- Social Security cards
- Driver’s licenses
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Contracts
- Insurance policies for property, autos, RVs, life, and health
- Insurance cards, medical prescriptions, immunization, and other medical records
- Optical prescriptions
- Bank account records and credit card account numbers
- Passports
- Wills
- Stocks, bonds, and other negotiable certificates
- Your most recent tax return
Make duplicates of your keys for your auto, home, motorhome, safe-deposit box, P.O. box, etc., and keep them in your safe. Some spare cash should also be stashed in there, since bank ATMs may not be functioning and cash could be much more useful than credit cards. A spare pair of eyeglasses could be a lifesaver, especially if you can’t function without them, and even an extra pair of hearing aids or a set of dentures should be stored for an extreme emergency.
Additional paperwork should be kept on your pets, such as vaccination records, rabies certificates, current licenses, and any medical prescriptions. One advantage to owning a motorhome is that your pet always will be safe with you in your RV, because they usually are not permitted in storm shelters.
In addition to the above paperwork and other items, it’s not a bad idea to select a few precious family photos and copy and laminate them, too. Try not to go overboard, but keep in mind that in a worst-case scenario, what you put in that safe may be all that survives. While you’re making copies of all your paperwork, make a second set and store it in a safe-deposit box or with an out-of-state family member or friend.
Keep your safe in an out-of-the-way place in your motorhome. It may be fireproof and waterproof, but it is not theftproof. When you drop your coach off for service or put it in storage, remove the safe and store it elsewhere. Some RVs come with built-in safes, but even so, it’s better to have a separate one for the items listed in this article. You want one that you can take with you, and since motorhome manufacturers have only a limited number of places in which to install permanent safes, a savvy thief would know where to look.
Another important thing to do is program your cell phone with “ICE” numbers. ICE stands for “In Case of Emergency.” Input the phone numbers of important people who should be notified in the event you are incapacitated and identify them with the ICE designation. You can have more than one ICE number. Code them “ICE son,” “ICE mother,” etc. Police and emergency personnel are trained to check for ICE on cell phones so that they can contact the right people.
Since your motorhome is self-contained, it might be easy to assume that you are prepared for an emergency. However, there may be some things you’ve overlooked. For example, do you have enough water? Ideally, you should carry one gallon of drinking water per person per day. You should plan for a minimum of three days, but five is better. For you and your spouse/traveling companion, that’s 10 gallons of spare water. Do you have enough food? Emergency food should consist of nonperishables that require no refrigeration, need very little water in their preparation, and can be eaten without cooking. Some ideas are ready-to-eat canned soups, fruit, vegetables, and meats. Also, consider juice in cans or boxes, energy bars, raisins, trail mix, and vitamins. (Don’t forget the can opener.)
A battery-operated radio, flashlights, and plenty of spare batteries are a must. Consider buying a flashlight that can be operated by pumping the handle so that you don’t need any batteries at all. Since you don’t know how long you will be in your coach or whether you will find hookups along the way, prepare yourself as though you are dry camping. Paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils should be used to avoid unnecessary water usage. Other essentials that you might not have thought about include pliers, duct tape, a compass, waterproof matches, paper and pencil, a signal flare, and a whistle.
Do you have a first-aid kit? Is it properly stocked? In addition to the obvious, such as adhesive bandages and antibacterial ointment, include small scissors, tweezers, rubber gloves, antiseptic wipes, and face masks. Medications should include pain reliever, anti-diarrhea medication, laxatives, and antacid. All these items should be kept together near your safe so that you have only one location to remember when you are stressed, injured, or fumbling about in the dark. If you can, have any extra prescriptions of daily medications filled and keep these medications with your first-aid kit (don’t forget to rotate the extra meds on a regular time schedule).
While what you take with you is very important, where you are going matters, too. Always have a map of the area you are visiting. If there is any hint that you may have to evacuate, check the map for escape routes right away. Try to identify more than one way out. While freeways are the most direct way, they often become so congested, you can find yourself trapped. Look for surface streets and side roads that parallel the freeway. If you have access to the Internet, sites such as Yahoo.com provide map search options. Mapquest.com is a Web site dedicated to providing directions and generating maps. The site includes an option button for some geographic areas that enables users to avoid highways when creating a route.
Whether you take the road less traveled or stick to the highway, pick an out-of-state contact. Let him or her know where you are headed, and the route you are taking to get there. Call at least every day and, in extreme weather, every few hours to apprise your contact of your progress. You never know when communication will be cut off. If you become trapped, having someone aware of your last location and your destination could save your life.
Some additional things to remember are to avoid trees when parking, especially coconut trees, for obvious reasons. Also, wind causes the most damage when it can get inside. Keep all windows closed, repair any broken ones, and seal up any with leaks. Keep a pair of slip-on hard-soled shoes near your bed when you are sleeping. Avoid placing them near a window or mirror “” hard to do in an RV, I know, but anyone who has been in a severe emergency knows that broken glass is one of the first and most serious hazards to contend with. You won’t get far if you’re barefooted. Depending on the type of disaster, you may even want to criss-cross the windows and mirrors with masking tape to reduce the possibility of injury caused by falling glass.
Finally, the most important thing that you can do is to follow through. Don’t just read this article; get those copies made, buy that safe, stockpile those water bottles. Disasters and accidents don’t wait until you’re ready for them. Use this article as a checklist, pull everything together, and put it in a safe place. Set aside one day; that’s all it will take. If a disaster strikes, you’ll be glad you did.