As someone who lives in A) a hurricane-prone area and B) the middle of the woods, emergency evacuation is probably higher on my list of priorities than for most folks. We have already bailed for one hurricane (though the traffic was so bad on the evacuation route that we turned around and came back home and rode it out). And the dry summers we've had the last few years make the possibility of forest-fire scarilly real. When I say we live "in the middle of the woods", I'm not exagerating. No yard, just trees starting a few feet from the house and stretching out in all directions. A fire in the treetops would rain flaming branches onto our rooftop.

Having thus set the stage, here's what we'd grab if a hurricane or fire was coming our way (Of course, this assumes a situation with some warning involved. If the house should just catch on fire in the middle of the night I'd just grab my wife and my ass):

1) Important papers - Already in a portable file-box and ready to grab.
2) A couple of suitcases of clothes
3) All the musical instruments - Not just because I like them, but because they are a liquid asset. They can be turned into cash very quickly in an emergency.
4) The potter's wheel and the sewing machine - Because they are the tools by which we make our livings and they don't come cheaply.
5) This computer - Because I put off buying one for so long that I'm damned if any fire or storm is gonna get it!

Our country cats would just have to be on their own. If it gets too hot, they know where the pond is.


Bruce