I have a similar suitcase packed (and fortunately never used) for
emergencies -- a small external hard disk that I use to periodically
download everything from my computer (data files, Quicken register, digital
photos, etc), a waterproof bag with a small amount of cash, a personal
telephone directory, extra checks, etc.  I have cases of cat food close to
the door, extra sets of keys, lots of batteries of various sizes, and some
bottled water.  I always keep some flashlights and a first aid kit in the
car.  I just got my first passport and had not thought of including that.
Thanks for the suggestion!  Also, I have some freeze dried packs of food and
some canned items that would not need to be cooked, in case I have an
emergency where I can stay at home but do not have power.  That *has*
happened to me on occasion -- as when I lost power for 7 days following
Hurricane Rita.

MaryL

That really was a terrible thing to do -- I would be angry, too.  Someone
else could have been hurt in a case like that by staying too long to try to
find her (and all the time, she had already left).  *Not* a good thing!

My mother died last month after spending 5 years in a nursing home.  I had
been her caregiver but finally had to place her in a nursing home when she
became completely bedridden.  Even so, one of my "emergency" plans was that
I planned to immediately head for the nursing home if we ever had an
evacuation order.

MaryL

Jo  I would have got the KY jelly out and said bend over this ain't going to
be pretty.  A gps tracker would have been permanently imbedded where the sun
don't shine.  I would have told them the pain you feel is nothing what you
put me through.

I have an evacuation plan being here in Florida.  By the front door I have
an orange bag that I can grab on the way out.  It has enough of everything
for 5 days for all of us.  The cat cage are in the closet by the front door.
I the back of each vehicle is an orange bag also

I know the feeling, Jo.  My parents are in their 80's and when a hurricane
threatens to sweep up the east coast of the U.S., if it doesn't hit Florida
it generally strikes somewhere near the coast of South Carolina or just
above it.  That's where they live.  There have been a couple of occasions
when they evacuated and didn't tell us about it.  There have also been times
when they should have evacuated and they just said f*** it.  Either way, no
communication about what was going on is worse than trying to figure things
out from a distance.  (Same thing with health issues.  I know all about the
HIPAA regulations but if I don't know they're in the hospital in the first
place... sheesh!)

Jill