Connie, maybe invest in a fireproof safe in which to keep those papers?

Hm, we inherited his mother's safe, sounds like a plan.

Knowing that TC would hide and die rather than come out to be rescued by any stranger, I had the softsided carrier ready at all times. First priority was grabbing him before he could hide and stuffing him in it. Then with the carrier on my hip, check on other adult people, grab the purse if it's handy, and out.

DS doesn't have to be instructed, he'd do the same.

Punkin, on the other hand, never met a stranger, so he'd be fine. He's also familiar with the outdoors, so if no one has time to stuff him in a carrier, he'll do fine outdoors till we can catch him. Dump TC outdoors without a container and we'd never see him again. His panic is such he wouldn't recognize us; he'd hide, then flee. So container it is, if nothing better than a pillowcase.

Bartleby has a crazy capacity for doing exactly what I need him to do in every emergency situation we have ever been in. Usually, it is me tearing down the street to take care of an accident victim, or me rescuing a baby bird (insert: crow, mouse, cat, dog). Every single time, he goes down where I tell him to and doesn't move until I can focus on him again.

A couple of years ago, I downed him at a dead run to take care of an old lady who had jumped the curb and crashed into an iron fence. I didn't even think about him (which is bad). About a half hour later, as we were walking home, an older woman came tearing down the street saying "I HAVE to compliment on your dog. I watched him the whole time you were working on that woman and he never took his eyes off you and never flinched. That's impressive." I was massively chuffed.

Today, he soaked up my anxiety and was pretty freaked by me, but he behaved ever minute...even with the smoke and the very loud (multiple) trucks.

Sigh. I am, indeed, blessed.

A regular Progressive policy covers our personal cars, a commercial Progressive policy covers both of the trucks, renters is through Farmers, commercial liability is through farmers, two life insurance policies through Farmers.

I've been very happy with both companies. I keep the auto insurance through progressive since I love love love how well their online policy tools work.

Lewis said I kind of scared him, how efficiently I managed to execute the plan.

Barb, this doesn't surprise me about you at all.

We have apartment insurance through Amica, and it is very inexpensive.

Our house caught fire during right after a blizzard, during a brownout, three days after Christmas. Mom was trying to get us to put our coats on. My sisters and I SCREAMED at her, in unison, from different rooms, "GET OUT OF THE HOUSE". (Mom credits the public schools of New Jersey for that reaction)

Mom grabbed the dog. I went for our pregnant neighbor and her babies (it was a duplex). My sisters ran next door to the other neighbors to call the fire department.

Our neighbor in the duplex was in the shower and heard me screaming as I came through the door. She had her robe half on and one child in each arm as I reached the top of the stairs. I grabbed the children and she tied as we ran out of the house.

Next door, my neighbor yelled to her husband in the back yard "Roll the trucks! Booth's are on fire!" and he went sprinting to the three blocks to the fire department where he was a volunteer. He yelled back, "Call the squad! The whistle is on power!" because even though the fire house had an emergency generator for the whistle and radios he was worried it might not have kicked in yet.

They got the trucks there quickly and started pumping water from the tanker. The hydrants were under four inches of ice. Another town responded with a truck that could draw from the river across the street. My cousin's company also responded but when the dispatcher heard our name on the radio he threw Johnny off the truck and told him to take off his gear. Someone drove him over.

The only fatalities were the fish. Three firefighters were thrown in a backdraft from our basement but they were all released from the hospital by that night. We lost basically everything from fire or smoke or ice. The neighbors lost less. Sort of miraculously, a bunch of our pictures were in a box on the front mudporch because we'd shoved stuff around to put up the tree and they got thrown out the front door by the entering firefighters. Definately lovingly, my uncle Bob spent three hours in our front yard the next day picking photos out of the snow with his bare hands... rubbing them together to warm them up and then melt the ice with his fingertips.

Bonny, you may indeed be blessed. But the reality is, you forged that bond with Bartleby, you educated him to understand your exact expectations for each command, and you worked to gain his absolute trust. I'd say you blessed yourself, and him too.

I fear i'd have to toss my cats out the nearest door and hope for the best as their carriers live in the basement and there's no way i'd get down and back up fast enough. Plus, they tend to hide in crisis situations which doesn't help anyone.

I have USAA for all insurance needs and they've always been fantastic. Had Allstate before that and hated the dedicated representative thing because he was NEVER there.

Right now Nico is sick (either a cold or allergies) and keeps sneezing. I woke up to him snuggled up against my chest repeatedly spraying cat snot on my face. Awesome. Now Nico is curled up on a pillow on the floor and Mal is pacing around him, occasionally stopping to lick his head. It's kinda precious, really.

...and Trudy and her family were obviously blessed, too.

Barb is indeed frighteningly efficient in an emergency. I'd want her planning my bugout, as well.

I have a theory that a depressive turn of mind that mentally plays disaster scenarios and permutations thereof over and over again serves as sort of a rehearsal for preparedness. What do you think?

ETA: syllable for sensemaking.

Oh Bev. Now you've done it. I haven't cried, or let myself go all day (except, of course, for celebrating LIFE! with french fries). Now, tears are running down my cheeks.