Disaster! Must evacuate! Will your dolls go with you?

Here, we don't have tornadoes but we do flood and have earthquakes. Flood would be "easy" in the sense I would have time to really plan what to take and my dolls would certainly be on the list.

As for fire and earthquakes, we do not have pets, so no worries on that. My mother is also a light sleeper and tends to over-react when weather problems arise, so she would be out within a minute--Not saying I wouldn't check to make sure she was out if a fire broke out. My dolls would be in my arms, though, as they sit right next to my bed and would be simple to grab on the run.

If a fire broke out in my dorm, I'd smack my roommate, grab my computer and dolls and run. I'm pretty high up, so I would have to be quick in getting out.

 

In case of a major emergency, my dolls go in my purse (they're 25cm, each), and leave with my cats.

 

Most of the people here have said they would save lives first, but I can't help but think I would go for my dolls above all. I mean, I have two parents and two younger brothers, but the boys are 6 foot one and very capable of saving themselves. If there was a fire in my house, Artemys would probably already be in my arms, because I actually carry him around the house with me. When I'm on the computer or in the living room, so is he. I would scoop up my cats on the way out too. But they are pretty smart cats, I think they'd probably be out of the house before I was XD
So basically, I would save my dolls and my cats at the same time. My house is small, and my cat Fang follows me around the house. So it would be very easy to collect both cats and my dolls very quickly.

Edit: Wow, I can't believe I fully forgot to mention the REAL disaster I was in with my doll! It completely slipped my mind. While it wasn't a fire or anything like that, It was certainly terrifying.

I was going to the mall with my boyfriend and Family, and there were escalators and stairs to get to the lower level of the bus station. My boyfriend decided to take the escalators, but I wanted to go down the stairs. Artemys was in my bag, but his wig kept falling off, so I had him (in the bag) cradled in my arms while I tried to adjust his wig. Now I can be clumsy sometimes, but I'm very good at Multi-tasking while walking. As I descended down the flight of stairs, I kid you not, I was tripped by a punk kid who was walking beside me. I don;t know it it was intentional, but I felt his foot sure as can be, hit mine. and I fell. Down two flights of stairs, with my poor baby in my arms. And it wasn't just a slip and then slide on my bum. No siree bob, I went head first, and tumbled dangerously right to the bottom. I hit my head on the steps, and my elboys and knees as well. I came dangerously close to snapping my neck on the railing as I went down, And My mom had actually started screaming and crying because she thought I had. My boyfriend who was on the escalator next top the stairs actually jumped over the railing from the escalator to the stairs in an attempt to catch me.
I myself hadn't realized what had happened, only that I was falling and that I knew I wasn;t going to stop till I hit the bottom. I felt like I was falling for hours but it really happened in a matter of seconds.

And the only thought going through my head from beginning to end?
"Protect Artemys"
As soon as I knew that I was going to fall, I instinctively drew him as close to my chest as possible and held on for dear life. Not once did I think of myself, The thought never crossed my mind. in fact, when I reached the bottom, I couldn't move at all, and (with a severely sprained ankle) all I could do was Cry: "ARTEMYS! Don't touch me! Check if Artemys is alright first!" to my mom. It wasn't until she assured me that Artemys was fine that I allowed them to tend to me. I was taken to the hospital Via ambulance, and I was So very proud the whole trip there that I had protected my doll. Not only was he fine, but he had not a scratch on him.
My boyfriend thinks that if I had not tried to protect him I may not have sustained the elbow damage I did or maybe even my sprain (That put me on critches for quite a while might I add.) But I told him that if I had to do it again, sprain or not, I would still have chosen to protect him anyway.
Artemys stayed in my arms the entire time at the hospital, earning us quite a few odd looks, but he was there for me.

The worst part of the whole thing though (aside from the initial fear of him beng hurt) was that while on my crutches, I couldn't carry him anywhere. And this is where I feel just how much my mom and boyfriend love me, because they both took their turns carrying him for me when we went out places. (even though my BF doesn't really like holding him)


So yes, I definately see saving my dolls not only before anything else, but also before myself.

Holy crap it's alot longer than I thought it was. Damn my thorough detailing! ><

 

(first, I do apologize for the length.) This is an interesting question.

My kids are both old enough to know what to do in emergencies (and, yeah, we go over it all monthly, much to my kids' dismay). When we lived in Arizona I didn't really worry that much about the storms, but was cautious about fires. Now that we're in Ohio I'm a little more concerned about weather, but not by much.

Basically (if given enough time) here is how we do things:

We keep a backpack of spare clothes in our closets that we change each season (nothing like having summer clothes when the wind chill is -14!) In those 'packs we keep a little cash, a simple first aid kit, flashlight, a couple candy bars/granola bars, a list of important phone numbers and photocopies of important documents. There are other things in there but I won't go into the whole list. We all keep the same basic stuff (cash, papers, etc) in there in case we aren't able to get all the 'packs (like a fire). So, we grab these.

Anthony (17yrs old) & Brianna (12yo) grab both cats & puts them in the carrier (they're indoor cats and would probably freak if we just let them out) & I gather cell phones, wallets and other essentials. They each have a list of what is "allowed" to be brought and they aren't to deviate from that list. For example - Anthony grabs his mp3 player, laptop and external hard-drive (which has a lot of my important stuff on it since its a terabyte). Brianna grabs her mp3 player and has added Athena to her list (she doesn't really have anything else on her list - she says nothing else is really important). I grab the family quilt (it has something from 5 generations so far, we keep adding to it), gun safe (small), my knitting needle set (interchangeable Harmony), tarot deck, guitar and spinning wheel. Once my first girl arrives I'll most likely remove the spinning wheel from the list and add her (my wheel only cost $200 and I can find it in most online shops).

After that, we leave the house.

Now if we don't have time, we grab the backpacks and cats and run to our meeting place. The kids and I have all witnessed a fire consume an older house in mere minutes. It's not the time to take an extra moment to grab anything.

Just my 2cents.

 

i had this nearly come up last summer. A house two doors down from us caught fire in the early hours of the morning. The firemen warned us to keep an eye out for burning embers landing on our roof, (it was quite windy at the time and bone dry to boot). We had friends staying over, so i basically told them if the roof caught they would all be taking a bjd for me....they did all agree too. Fortunately nothing happened to our roof so the 3 strapping lads (plus my fella) didnt have to suffer the embarresment of carrying out a doll rescue.

 

If I had time to plan, like for a hurricane, of course I would bring my dolls.
But if it was a fire or something immediate, I would grab my laptop and go.

 

What an interesting question . . . when I think about it, it makes me glad that a good number of my dolls are tinies. I would likely shove as many of them into a travel bag as I could, throw in my mini-laptop, scoop up a cat in each arm and run (or at least waddle very quickly under that load!)

 

Living in Florida, we have some vicious hurricanes. Even though I'm in the middle of the state, we get really strong winds and TONS of rain. Of course, I'm really paranoid, and always have some plan to escape from anywhere. (Like if I walk into a movie theater, classroom, store, ect. one of the first things I do is locate each and every exit and how to get to it fastest. I don't mean to... I just DO it.)

If anything ever happened (hurricane, fire, or tornado) Oliver would DEFINITELY come with me. Along with my money and laptop. Oliver would be easy enough to grab, because he's going to be stored somewhere in my room, and very possibly 'put to bed' in his carrier every night. My laptop is usually on my bedside table and my money is stored in a book in a drawer in my room. All three I could get to easily, and aren't hard to carry.

If I had time, I'd grab my iPod (though with music on my laptop, that's replaceable) and some things of sentimental value. However, if it was something like a tornado or fire, where I didn't have a lot of time, Oliver would be first priority, then my computer, then my money. I can replace my computer, and I still have some money in the bank, but Oliver is a limited doll, and therefore, not replaceable- that's part of why I'd want him first. As for other important things- My sister would grab her cat, my brother would probably grab his guitar, and either my mom or brother would get the dog. My dad probably would be the one focused on getting his family away and safe, and not on material possessions. But, yeah.... I know what I'd do in an emergency. -nods-

 

If I had plenty of time, like a day or two to evacuate with no immediate danger, I would pack my doll. In that kind of a situation I would only want to leave things I could easily replace if they are damaged, and my doll would be one of my more expensive belongings. My doll would not be the first to be taken with, though--I'd have to be sure my pets were taken care of and any important documents were coming with me.

However, if it were something like a fire, where the danger was immediate, I have other things that are more important to save--like my family members or my pets. It would be awful to have to replace my doll, but it's just not one of the most important things to me.

 

In an emergency, I would help my family and my puppy, Remi, get to somewhere safe first. I would grab my dad's laptop, some clothes, my sewing machine, Jinx, and some books that aren't in print anymore in a mad rush.

 

If in an emergency in which I had time to prepare, I would pack up all my dolls in my room and only bring perhaps one or two (definitely Loki, my Breakaway).
In a fire or something, assuming that my fully capable family members can run on their own, I would do my best to grab my laptop, a few important childhood momentos and Loki before running out.

My dolls are important to me, but I wouldn't risk as much for them as I would for irreplaceable things such as some gifts that were given to me when I was born and perhaps photo albums. If worst comes to worst, I can always get new dolls.

 

Oh... Good lord yes. There's no question in my mind that if there was ever an emergency and I absolutely had to get out ASAP that my laptop, my cats, and my dolls would be the first things out.

 

hmmm I would say in a situation where I had enough time to actually evacuate (like you know a hurricane will hit in 3-4 days I would defenetly pack my dolls, and all the other stuff I really can't live without, in the material sence of the word.

if it were a fire and I had mere minutes to get out of the house I would grab my pet before my dolls anyday, You can replace most dolls...... you can never replace a life, but if I had time to throw some of my dolls in with my pets, be sure I would.

 

this is why a house fire is my biggest fear. I'm very much a 'stuff' person and have a lot of shit that I could not bear to part with...and all this stuff is fairly expensive and big in size! I also come from an animal loving family so aswell as making sure my mum, bf, sister were ok and out I'd have to evacuate the dog, the rabbit and the hamster (no creature no matter how big or small deserves to die that way). After that I'd probs have to chose between my imac, my many many dwollies (not bjds but yeah i love them too), my lego millenium folcan (laugh all u want) and yeah when I get 1 my BJD. I'd also want to grab the box of photos in my mums room. I know its a lot right? lol odds are I wouldn't save it all if any! unless my sisters and mum helped me but I wouldn't want them to. I'd want them out asap.

although now i think about itI'd probably throw the majority of my plasic dolls out the window lol place my bjd (when i get 1) on my hamsters cage and ask my sister to carry that out. Ask leon to get the dog. my sister and mum would tend to the rabbit... and I'd probably grab... errr.... *tries to decide* irronically probs the photos and a few dolls... And leave all the most expensive stuff i own behind lol I'd tell myself that i can always buy them again, but i cant replace the photos and a few of the dolls (1 in particular my nan brought me. she was my first proper collectable doll. she started the whole obbsession. My nan is dead now so you can imagine how important she is).

If I had time to plan, then yeah definatly Why on earth not?!

 

If I have some time to prepare for the evacuation, I will bring the doll with me.
If it's emergency and I must act in seconds, I may bring the dolls beside me and leave, but I won't take time to collect others.

 

Say my house was on fire. (If I wasn't in too much of a panic) I would grab my dolls on the way out of the house, if I could. I wouldn't get them if they weren't on my way out.
That's what I'd like to think at least...I know if I wasn't able to get them I would be devastated.

If there has a hurricane and we had to go to the basement to sit, I would get them no matter what.


My house is by a nuclear power plant. If I hear sirens I'd grabbing my dolls and sister on the way out and throwing them in the car. Then I'd worry about my dog.

 

My mother, pet turtles, and then my doll. Lives are more important afterall, I think Sarang would forgive me... It's depressing to think about tho... >.<;;;

 

Items that get packed up in order.

1) Ferrets.
2) Photos/Legal documents
3) Dolls
4) Clean underwear...


My house almost was burnt to the ground once. My parents in a flury packed one thing... the dog. we were lucky that a family member was borrowing the family photo albums. But ever since then they taught me to keep photos/legal documents in a plastic easily moved tote.

I would venture to guess my yarn box would get pitched and all dolls and security blankets would be packed in the next bin and I would be floating in a canoe with two tupper wear tubs!

 

I wonder how the firemen would react if you stood outside your burning house with a blanket full of dolls. But then again I would do the same lol.

 

If there was enough advance warning such as in the case of hurricanes, I would definitely pack up my dolls & take them. In a real emergency though, while I would regret loosing them, it would be more important to me to rescue my cats & get my little 93 year old Mom out safely. I'd probably try to grab a few favorites though if at all possible.