By Chuck Woodbury
Editor, RVtravel.com
Every few years, it seems, America experiences a catastrophic natural disaster. The “Big Four” over the past couple of decades have been earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires. RVers are typically the “lucky ones” during these times because their rigs can serve as temporary housing — as long as those RVs are “ready to go.” An earthquake, for example, strikes without warning. One minute, all is normal, the next the world is upside down. Local services, like gasoline stations, may be out of action. Within hours, supermarkets may be stripped of essential food items.
How long would it take you to get your RV totally ready to move and/or live in during an emergency? What if you had to leave town RIGHT NOW? Is your gas tank filled? Water and propane tanks? Cupboards packed with basic food items? Sheets, blankets, towels, soap and other essentials on board? How about a jacket, underwear, socks, shoes? Bottled drinking water? Is there a photocopy of your drug prescriptions on board? Are there plenty of batteries for flashlights and other devices? Is your RV generator in working order? Tires properly inflated? Do you have an address book on board with names, addresses and phone numbers of friends and relatives?
What if an earthquake were to strike ten minutes from now — or a tsunami siren to wail at midnight? Are you prepared to grab your family to immediately vacate the chaos or the impending danger?
Our RVs are portable shelters that can save the day during a crisis, but often only if we can use them without time-consuming preparation. So how fast can you get going? You might want to think about it.
