What to Take When You Must Evacuate

Two times in two months, I was almost evacuated from my home due fires that threatened my neighborhood.  On one of the occasions, my family and I were actually hosting another family that had been evacuated; if we had to leave, it would have been round two for them.

As the fire edged closer and we waited for word from the rangers, we watched two CH54 helicopters and another smaller helicopter gather water from the lake across the street.  The two CH54s dipped their huge tube in the lake, sucked up water, and flew off to douse the fire.  It would take eight minutes for them to return.  The smaller helicopter dunked a dangling bucket as it's water gathering method.  

The helicopters were my cue that this was serious business and I needed to kick into gear.  With help from my already-evacuated friends, we made a pile of the important things to take in case we needed to abandon our home. 

Here's our list of things to put into your car if you have been given a warning (and time) that an evacuation is pending.  All the rules change if danger is eminent...if there's a fire in your home, forget all and get the heck out!

Irreplaceable pictures
medications
pets stuff (food, cages, liter boxes, leashes, pet bed, medications)
Passports
checks
Financial Paperwork
Insurance Policies
Wills
Deeds
social security cards
birth certificates
Jewelry (especially personal pieces)
computer
heirlooms
a suitcase of clothes

what am I forgetting?