The Marshall Fire really started a conversation around the #GoBag. If you had just five minutes to evacuate and leave your home, what would you take with you? Food? Water? Just how much can you take?
I’ve been asking my friends, family and clients, even strangers on chairlifts I meet every Wednesday. The most common answers have revolved around documents: passports, birth certificates, etc.
Many have cash ready to go. How much? Hard to tell. In emergencies, machines will usually be down. Maybe your access to ATMs and electronic cash registers at stores will be down. Do you keep five thousand dollars in cash, or maybe fifty, to buy gas, pay for a place to sleep, medical attention or simply food and water?
What about weapons? Do you keep a gun or a knife in your #GoBag? Medicine? How about drugs? A book? Solar charger for your phone? My #GoBag certainly will have a bottle of scotch – for disinfecting wounds, of course.
A gentleman I met on a chairlift last week shared with me that he’s had a #GoBag for the last 50 years. He was a military man and learned early on the value of being ready. His valuables were in a safety deposit box at the bank. (I was curious about having access to that during an emergency.)
A co-worker shared that during the Marshall Fire evacuation she grabbed her and her husband’s passports, but her husband grabbed off the wall a framed picture of their first date. Touching indeed.
You never know where you‘ll be or how much time you’ll have. No “do overs” here. As a Realtor I’ve seen many ready-to-go bag packs in people’s garages, sometimes with an inventory list even attached to the outside of the bag.
What’s in your #GoBag? Write to me and tell me.
Auxiliary Dwelling Units – ADUs – are all the rage now. Denver has seen sweeping approvals and zoning changes across just about every district in the name of creating more living space and allowing homeowners to generate income. Wheat Ridge will be discussing the possibility of allowing them, and what to do with those that have been here for years.
What do you think of ADUs? Are you ready to build one in your own backyard? Would you approve of your neighbor building one?
Congratulations to our friend Stevens Elementary Principal TJ Bonham (McManus) who has accepted a position in a neighboring county – a huge loss for Wheat Ridge no doubt. She turned a school into a destination and built a community that helped every student believe they could make a difference. TJ will be missed and we wish her the very best.
Lastly, I have been obsessed with the Olympics: the competition, drama and the athleticism of every competitor. And while I know some would like everyone to get a ribbon, I know the athletes would not. I loved watching each one being graceful in winning as well as in defeat.
We sure could use more of that these days.
As always, thanks for reading.
Contact Neighborhood Gazette Publisher Guy Nahmiach at WRGazette@gmail.com.
