Surv · Guides
Wildfire evacuation checklist you can prepare in an hour
What Ready.gov asks you to have before a wildfire warning, how to split the list between go-bag, car and house, and why the plan must work with the network down.
In this guide6
Know the two words that matter
Ready.gov advises learning your community’s evacuation routes and leaving immediately when told to. An evacuation order means go now; a warning means be ready to leave. Decide in advance that you will not wait for a second message.
Pack the go-bag first
Ready.gov’s basic kit starts with water, food, a flashlight, a first aid kit, a battery or hand-crank radio, extra batteries, medications and copies of important documents. For wildfire, add N95 masks for smoke and goggles for your eyes.
Prepare the car before the sky turns orange
Keep the tank at least half full during fire season, park facing out, and keep a printed map in the glove box. Routes you know by heart may be closed; a paper map does not need a signal.
Give the house ten minutes, not an hour
Close windows and doors, move flammable furniture away from windows, turn off gas if instructed, and leave lights on so the house is visible in smoke. Ready.gov’s guidance is to leave early rather than stay to defend property.
Decide who meets where
Pick a meeting point outside the area and a contact outside the region. Text messages often get through when calls do not, and a relative far away can relay news between separated family members.
Keep the checklist where it works offline
Your phone may have no coverage or no battery. A printed copy in the go-bag and an offline copy on the phone cover both failures.
Questions
What goes in a wildfire go-bag that a normal kit lacks?
N95 masks for smoke, goggles, a printed map of evacuation routes, and copies of the documents you would need to prove identity or ownership.
Should I wait for an official order?
Leave when you are told to, and earlier if you feel unsafe. Ready.gov’s advice is to leave early, because roads fill fast once an order goes out.
How does Surv help here?
Surv keeps your kit inventory and checklists on the phone without a connection, so the list stays readable when the network is not.
Further reading
Guides
Prepare your phone to be useful when the network is not there
What survives a network outage, why text beats calls when everyone is dialling, how to keep documents readable offline, and how to make a phone last when there is nothing to charge it with.
An emergency kit inventory you will actually maintain
Why kits fail at maintenance rather than at assembly, how to build a list by walking through the box, what to record for each item, and how to run an annual review that takes under an hour.
A home emergency kit: the Ready.gov list, explained
What the United States government actually recommends storing, how much water and food, how to treat suspicious water, what to do when the power goes out, and how to keep the kit current.
What to put in a go-bag: an evacuation checklist
What an evacuation go-bag should hold, using the Red Cross and Ready.gov lists: water, food, medicines, documents, cash, and what each person adds.
How to purify water in an emergency: boil or disinfect
The EPA’s exact steps for boiling water and disinfecting it with unscented bleach, what these methods cannot remove, and how to store treated water.
Power outage checklist: before, during and after
What to prepare before a blackout, how long food stays safe, generator and carbon monoxide rules, and medical devices, from Ready.gov and the Red Cross.
How to use a compass: bearings, maps and declination
The parts of a baseplate compass, how to take and follow a bearing, orient a map, correct for magnetic declination, and avoid readings disturbed by metal.
First aid kit checklist: what the Red Cross recommends
The American Red Cross list for a family first aid kit, item by item, plus personal medicines, where to keep kits, checking expiry dates and getting trained.
How to prepare for an earthquake: Drop, Cover, Hold On
How to secure your home, what to do during the shaking with Drop, Cover, and Hold On, and what to check afterwards, from Ready.gov, ShakeOut and the Red Cross.
What to keep in an offline emergency kit, starting with your phone
A practical checklist for power, information, contacts and basic supplies when networks or electricity are unreliable.
Heat wave checklist: staying safe when the power fails
How to prepare a home for extreme heat, what to do when the air conditioning stops, and the warning signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke to watch for.
Offline emergency preparedness apps, compared
Alert apps, offline reference guides, checklist tools and paper: which ones still work when the network does not, and what to check before you need them.