How To Create A Get Back To Life Plan

Updated 3/23/2021

Imagine that you and your family are sitting around the house one summer afternoon just enjoying each other’s company, when a wildfire suddenly breaks out just a few blocks from your home. Depending on where you live, it could be a hurricane or a tornado, but let’s just call it a wildfire. A firefighter knocks on the door and tells you that you have to evacuate. Thankfully you know exactly what to do. You print a copy of your Family Emergency Plan, you all pile into the car with everything you need and drive directly to your evacuation location.

Two days later — one of two things happen…

Scenario One

Two days after the wildfire subsides, you and your family are in your evacuation location. The phone rings. It’s a friend of yours calling to tell you that your home is badly damaged, and doubts that you will be able to live in it for at least two months if not longer. After you and your family get past the initial shock, you finally feel strong enough to open your Backup Plan Notebook. There you find your Get Back To Life Plan and begin making calls to your insurance agent, your contractor and your boss. You call the local real estate agent in your evacuation city and ask her to begin looking for temporary housing, register your children in the local school and begin calling the contacts on your list that you’ve chosen to help you settle in.

Getting settled is easier than you thought since you have copies of all of the vital documents you need, like your birth certificates and property deeds in a safe deposit box at the local branch of your bank. With a little hard work and a lot of courage, you and your family are back to living a normal life in a matter of weeks.

Scenario Two

Two days after the fire subsides, you and your family are staying in a relative’s spare room two counties over. The phone rings. It’s that friend of yours calling to tell you that your home is badly damaged, and doubts that you will be able to live in it for at least two months if not longer. After you and your family get past the initial shock, you realize that you have no idea what you’re going to do.

Same scenario, same challenges, one difference.

One path comes with a plan for finding your way back.

Facing a disaster – even a small one without giving yourself a plan to recover from it is like trying to build a house with no blueprint and no tools!

It’s exactly what’s facing the survivors of the Nepal earthquake and what those who experienced the Fukushima & Haiti earthquakes, the Norman Oklahoma, Joplin and Tuscaloosa tornadoes and the Colorado wildfires are still dealing with.

Let’s make sure Scenario Two doesn’t happen to you and your family. In the last blog post, you created a plan to get you to your desired evacuation location. But once you’re there, you’ll need to know what you’ll need and how things will function over the next three days, three weeks, or worst case scenario, three months. Let’s see how prepared you would be to actually live in that location, until you can go back home.

Download a copy of our Get Back To Life Plan, or if you have our book The Backup Plan 3.0, you’ll find a copy in the back of the book. Go over the questions below and once you’ve gotten a feel for the exercise, go ahead and complete the plan.

1. Does the place we’re evacuating to have all the furniture and supplies we will need for up to one month?

2. What type of clothing would we need?

3. Can we store any basic supplies there before they’re needed, or do we need to purchase supplies when we arrive?

4. How will we handle our bank accounts, paying our monthly bills? How much emergency cash do we need to have while traveling? What are our credit card limits and toll free numbers for emergency increases?

5. How will we work? Will I be able to receive my paycheck in that location? Will we work remotely or have to look for new positions? What people or contacts can we call about temporary or permanent jobs?

6. How will we handle our medical, dental and prescription medicine needs while in the new location? Can we get referrals to doctors and dentists that we can use, if need be, when we get there?

7. How long can we stay in our evacuation location? If the evacuation lasts longer than we think, where will we go/stay? Do we have real estate contacts if we need to find new permanent or temporary housing?

8. How will we secure the property or vehicles we have to leave behind?

9. How will we take care of our pets during the evacuation and until we find new permanent housing?

10. How will we handle our transportation needs? What contacts will we need to purchase or lease vehicles?

11. How will we handle our daycare needs? How will we handle getting our children into school if it becomes necessary? What documents will we need to enroll them in a new school in a temporary or new location?

12. How will we handle any special needs in our family? How will we handle any potential problems we have identified?

Once you have you’ve answered the questions, complete your Get Back To Life Plan. Once you’re finished, print, scan or make three copies of the Plan, and store it in at least three secure, damage-proof locations. And while you’re at it, store a copy in your cell phone as well, in case an emergency occurs while you’re away from home.

Have Fun Getting Your Stuff Together!

Keep Everything You Love Safe | The Book Inspired By The Blog

Keep Everything You Love Safe, is filled with quick, easy, 5 minute steps you can take right now, to get everything that’s important to you organized, safe, sound and accessible. Each section covers a different area, from backing up and fixing family photos, home movies and music, to vital documents, medical and financial information and even getting your digital life in order. Paperback Or Instant Download

At Your Fingertips | Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter

What if I told you, there was something you have with you right now, that can give you the support, information & ability you need to keep everyone and everything you love safe and sound, PLUS the power to gather your family in seconds no matter where they are. What is it? It’s your smartphone! At Your Fingertips is an easy to read, easy to use guide that turns your smartphone into your very own life preserver. Paperback Or Instant Download