Okay. Some thoughts.

This IS NOT us.  It is the LaConchita landslide on 2005.  But it was what was running through my head those 16 minutes from when we woke up till we drove out.  Remember:  we got woken up in the dark of the early morning.

A few things to remember:

1. Emergency crews, while great, just might not be on top of things or may have more on their hands than they can deal with.  Mother Nature can be so cruel.  SO, it is very important to know how to take care of yourself and to act quickly.  Only 3 of us got the notice to evacuate asap.  Some of our neighbors didn't even get a door knock because everything happened so fast that the emergency teams couldn't keep up with all that was happening.  Scary.  We were already at Josh and Meredith's when we started calling some of our neighbors to make sure they were okay and they were still in bed asleep and hadn't even been notified.  Duff, Mike, Josh, and Shaun made the decision to go back and help them get out.  I was kind of afraid to let them go because all I could think of was the whole hill coming down like the one a few years ago up in the LaConchita area and all the houses were gone and so many people died.  It was an avalanche of mud.  But they couldn't not go back.  So we gals prayed for them and the neighbors.  They helped several pack up and leave.
2. From the time we were woken up from a deep sleep in the pitch black early morning at 5:19am when we were told to wake up everyone in our house and tell them to get dressed and to gather all our important documents and be prepared to evacuate until we got the next banging and doorbell ringing and told to leave NOW, was less than 10 minutes. We pulled out of our driveway at 5:35am.  That is 16 minutes to wake up, process everything, act and leave.
3. In light of #2, we need to keep 2 identical lists--one upstairs inside the linen cupboard door and one downstairs on the inside of the stairs closet--that lists what to take in an emergency/evacuation and where it is. That way we won't forget anything and we will know what to do.  It was very difficult to think of what to grab.  If it is written down we can act on it.  I felt a mixture of being paralyzed and panicked trying to make decisions.They need to be made when everyone is calm and can contribute and decide jointly.  We had some differences of opinion on what to take and everyone was telling each other what to do.  There needs to be a clear list, and a clear leader.  Decide before an emergency.  Don't forget the 72 hour kits.  We walked out without them.  Not good.  But if it was written down we could have grabbed them easily.
4. We need a 72 hour kit for Darla puppy. (food, water, leash...)
5. Get two collapsible ladders.  One for each side of the upstairs.  Just in case we couldn't get out the front and we would have to go out an upstairs window.  And then practice.