Shelley Stapley says there's nothing like getting a knock on the door with the command to evacuate.
"You just don't think as clearly as you think you would," said Stapley.
Her family has been evacuated more than a half dozen times from their Rancho Penasquitos home. Today they are better prepared than ever before. They now have an evacuation list taped to the inside of the closet in every room.
"We know what we're going to take," said Stapley. "We're not walking through the rooms wondering what valuable."
The family took weeks to devise the plan and have even practiced an evacuation.
"It makes all the difference in the world to just walk to the spot where you know the list is in that room and take what's there. You don't have to think, you just grab it," said Stapley.
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That list includes items like family photos, medication, important papers, extra clothes, food and cell phone chargers.
Shelley says the best time to make an evacuation plan is when there is no threat. When emergency crews turn down your street, it's too late.
