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Mountain View News Saturday, February 1, 2025

DOLLY & PINKY

You know we normally feature 
cats, but we couldn’t resist 
helping these two doggies 
find a new home together. 
They are female Rhodesian 
Ridgebacks, ages about 8, and 
very bonded. They were much 
loved, but when their owner died they were taken to 
a high kill shelter and separated. They were going to 
be put down, when a kind woman took pity on them 
and got them out, but she can’t keep them. They are 
both very sweet, and are good on walks. They don’t 
seem to like small animals. Dolly and Pinky may be 
seniors, born 2016, but they have lots of energy and 
love to give. 

They are wonderful together and will stick close to 
your side. See more of them at https://www.lifelineforpets.
org/pooch-place.html.

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is the author of several books including “Self-Sufficient Home” 
and “How to Survive Anywhere.” He also leads wilderness classes every 
weekend. He can be reached at School of Self-Reliance, Box 41834, Eagle 
Rock, CA 90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


EVACUATION

It’s painfully obvious that there is no definitive way to “prepare” for certain disasters, 
such as a tsunami coming your way, a major hurricane, or a wall of fire being 
driven by near 100 mph winds. You can only get out of the way, and then, when 
things calm down, take stock, and attempt to rebuild your life as best you can.

The fact that we have Insurance companies and FEMA helps, as everyone knows that money is a 
great survival tool. But if you are in the direct path of a wall of destruction, run! 

If you lived a life of self-reliance and frugality, you might have the tools to reconstruct your life 
quickly and efficiently. So this leads to a popular question if suddenly, you should have to evacuate.

What should you take?

We’ve had lots of recent fire incidents where neighborhoods burned, and people had to get out 
quickly – maybe within minutes. These recent cases include the Altadena Eaton fire, Pacific Pallisades, 
the Hawaii fire, Paradise and Santa Rosa in California, as examples. 

The only way you can calmly get out and get out with essential items is by being thoughtful that 
such a scenario might occur, and even though you don’t want to believe it will ever happen to you, 
you go ahead and plan and pack accordingly.

Harsh Reality check: Even if you did have such a survival bag of essentials, some residents of the 
Altadena and Pacific Pallisades fires were away at work as the winds and fires increased, and were 
never able to get back home. That aside, you should still plan such a bag or pack, and maybe keep 
one in your office or car.

What should you carry?

I had been away on a week-long camping trip when I was driving to my home in Altadena, seeing 
the flames of the Station fire in the nearby forest. I realized that I might be asked to evacuate soon 
after I got home, so I mentally reviewed what I already had In my car: tent, sleeping bag, clothes, 
towels and toothbrush, many outdoor tools, flashlights, solar shower, etc. All the neighbors in my 
area, the Meadows, were told to be ready to evacuate. So I spent that night considering what I did 
not want to lose, and I packed my computer, and two large boxes of photos. Yes, two very large 
tubs of photos, a result of having thousands of photos in the pre-digital era. I also gathered my 
passport, checking account books, and certain legal papers. 

The fact is you never really know what you need until you need it!

The neighborhood was finally given a “soft” evacuation order. They would not force you out but 
once you left the area, you couldn’t get back in. So I drove off the next day as the fire was dangerously 
close to the neighborhood, and spent the next 3 days at a friend’s house in Pasadena.

Our neighborhood didn’t burn and I was able to eventually return to my humble home with great 
joy.

When the Great Fire of 2025 began, I had less than an hour to grab whatever I considered important, 
and evacuate to somewhere. My neighborhood experienced howling 90 mph winds, with no 
lights on anywhere, with sparks that would occasionally rain down on us. We could hear police or 
sherrif’s bullhorns going up and down the streets, announcing “Get out NOW.”

I grabbed clothes, flashlights and batteries and solar chargers, towels, toothbrush and comb, checkbook, 
and a few essential notebooks. And my computer. Not much really. My wife had already 
grabbed the passports, bottles of water, a box of food, and her photos. We knew it was possible 
that our home would be reduced to ash, though that didn’t happen, thankfully.

So, what should YOU have in a pack, ready to evacuate? Though everyone’s situation varies, and 
you really need to customize a pack to your own needs, here are some obvious choices: clothes, 
flashlight with batteries and a charger, all basic toiletries, cash, medications, first aid kit, bic lighter, 
important legal papers. I always carry a Swiss Army knife too for countless things.

There is no shortage of published lists of all the things you should have ready for emergencies. Just 
remember that you should not rotely follow anyone’s list, but should collect those items that you 
know you need, and know how to use.


626.355.1451c21village.com 
@c21village38 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra MadreSales - Leasing - ManagementServing the Community since 1980