One woman’s 18-point survival checklist for fleeing Ukraine as Russia invades : NPR

wildfireexpert - March 11, 2022

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Found this on NPR two days ago.   Thought it was fascinating and wanted to share with y’all since there are several threads about Ukraine on the forum.

One woman’s survival checklist fleeing Ukraine

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Things I learned from this article (thanks for sharing it by the way.):

1. Have a way to quickly cut down your bag into the bare essentials and carry that if your current bag is too bulky and not allowed on. Be able to leave strollers for kids behind and have a way to carry your child out on foot.
2. Evacuate and arrive to the evacuation vehicle/train as early as possible.
3. Keep fluid intake to a minimum (but stay hydrated) so you don’t have to leave your position in line to use the restroom and give up your spot that you were waiting 4 hours for. You may not have access to a restroom at all. Bring your own toilet paper. If hundreds of people are evacuating at the same time and there is an unusually higher level of traffic in that area, the toilet paper will run out quickly and the janitor that restocks it probably is evacuating as well.
4. Have some ready to eat food on hand, you won’t be able to break out the stove and boil some water for your Mountain House pack while evacuating. Bring food that is high calorie, not stinky, and that has minimal packaging, you might not have anywhere to throw away the wrapper and you will be with dozens of other people in close quarters who don’t want to smell your canned sardines.
5. Be patient. Everyone is stressed and trying to flee like you are. Everyone’s in the same boat (or train in this case) as you are. Don’t add to the bad situation by acting entitled or selfish
6. The article says “Dress in layers. If you get inside the wagon it gets really, really hot. If you don’t get inside the warm part of the wagon, it is very cold.”
7. If someone you know is evacuating, they might not have cell service, internet connection, or battery power to stay in contact with you. Do not bombard their phone with constant calls and texts. Be patient, leave a single text and voicemail message for them to call you back when they are able to. I know you are worrying, but don’t make them feel bad when they are physically not able to contact you themselves.

I liked that article a lot and felt a sense of the confusion, loss, and stress that the people evacuating must have been feeling.