When wildfires forced 200,000 residents to evacuate parts of Los Angeles in January 2025, many families had less than 30 minutes to leave. In that chaos, people grabbed random items while forgetting critical medications or identification documents. The 5 P's framework exists precisely for moments like these: a simple mental checklist that cuts through panic and ensures you take what truly matters.
1. People: Your First and Only Priority
Every emergency plan begins and ends with people. Account for every household member, including elderly relatives, children, and pets. Assign a meeting point outside your home and a secondary location outside your neighborhood. Make sure every family member knows both locations without needing to check their phone.
Include pets in your planning. Shelters have varying pet policies, so identify pet-friendly shelters and boarding facilities along your evacuation routes in advance. Keep carriers, leashes, and pet food in an accessible location.
2. Prescriptions: Medications and Medical Supplies
Prescription medications are among the most commonly forgotten items during evacuations. Maintain a minimum 7-day supply of all essential medications in your go-bag, rotating stock to prevent expiration. Include a written list of medications, dosages, and prescribing physicians for each family member.
Medical Go-Bag Essentials
- 7-day supply of prescription medications
- Copies of prescriptions and insurance cards
- First aid kit with personal medical supplies
- Eyeglasses or contact lens supplies
- Medical device chargers and backup batteries
3. Papers: Documents You Cannot Replace
Critical documents take weeks or months to replace after a disaster. Keep originals in a fireproof safe and copies in your go-bag. Better yet, scan everything and store digital copies in encrypted cloud storage that you can access from any device.
Essential documents include birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports, insurance policies (home, auto, health, life), property deeds or lease agreements, vehicle titles, and bank account information. Having these readily available accelerates insurance claims and disaster assistance applications.
4. Personal Needs: The 72-Hour Rule
Emergency management professionals recommend preparing for at least 72 hours of self-sufficiency. Your emergency kit should cover the basics: one gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable food, a manual can opener, flashlights with extra batteries, a battery-powered radio, and weather-appropriate clothing.
Customize your kit for your household. Families with infants need formula, diapers, and baby wipes. Elderly family members may need mobility aids. According to Ready.gov, the most commonly overlooked items are cash in small bills, a phone charger or power bank, and sanitation supplies.
5. Priceless Items: What Money Cannot Replace
Family photographs, heirlooms, and sentimental items cannot be replaced by insurance. Digitize photos and important recordings now. Store digital copies in at least two locations: cloud storage and a portable hard drive in your go-bag.
Be realistic about what you can carry. Create a prioritized list so that under pressure, you grab the most important items first rather than spending precious minutes deciding.
The 5 P's give households a practical evacuation checklist, but emergency readiness extends well beyond what you pack in a go-bag. For a broader view of how prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery, and resilience work together at every level, explore the six pillars of emergency management.
Putting the 5 P's Into Practice
Knowledge without action provides no protection. Build your 5 P's readiness this week:
Your 5 P's Action Plan
- List every person and pet, assign meeting points
- Pack a medication go-bag with 7-day supply
- Scan documents to cloud storage, copies in go-bag
- Build a 72-hour kit using the preparedness checklist
- Digitize priceless photos and store in two locations
- Practice a 5-minute evacuation drill with the whole family