Rockport Fire

This past weekend a couple of our good Rockport Texas friends lost their motorhome and just about everything else they owned in an early morning fire. Thankfully they both made it out with only minor injuries... but with only their nightclothes. At this point I don't know the cause of the fire... only that it started in the mid-section of the rig, perhaps near the refrigerator.

These folks are experienced fulltimers who have lived and enjoyed this lifestyle for many years. They knew RV systems, the importance of good maintenance, and were safe and cautious in their approach to the lifestyle. But once in a while bad things happen to good people.

This tragedy reminds me again of the importance of having a "grab bag" prepared and near you at all times. We first heard about this idea when we attended a Life on Wheels conference before we started fulltiming almost 4 years ago. The concept is to have as many of your important and tough-to-replace papers and documentation in one place -- a portable bag of some kind -- and close enough so you can quickly grab it if you have to vacate the RV in an emergency. Things like a supply of cash, insurance papers, IDs, passports, birth certificates, a list of account numbers and passwords, cell phone, list of important phone numbers, backed up computer files on a USB thumbdrive, maybe a laptop computer as well. No system is 100% assured of working in every situation... you just do the best you can to cover the most likely scenarios. It certainly would make putting your life back together again much easier. We haven't done a good job of maintaining this grab bag discipline, but this tragic event has motivated us to get back at it.

Hmmm, where did I lay that insurance policy?
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