Only weeks into 2009, an arson outbreak in a Pennsylvania suburb, deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma, flash floods in California and several earthquakes in New Jersey serve as a reminder that disaster can strike at any time.

There is no time like the present when it comes to sitting down with your family and preparing for the day when you may be forced to evacuate your home, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

The first order of business is to assess your evacuation preparedness by doing a real-time test. Give yourself just 10 minutes to get your family and belongings into the car. By planning ahead and practicing, you should be able to gather your family members and pets, along with the most important items they will need, calmly and efficiently, with a minimum of stress and confusion.

The I.I.I. suggests the following four steps to help you and your family on the road to safety.

1. Create a home inventory

Create a complete home inventory of your personal property. A home inventory will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your possessions. It can also speed the claims process and substantiate losses for income tax purposes.

To make creating a home inventory easier, the I.I.I. provides free online software at KnowYourStuff.org. The software allows you to inventory your home room by room and prompts you to enter important information, such as the make, model and place of purchase of each item. You can also upload and store related documents, such as photos, receipts and appraisal forms.

Once your inventory is complete, you can store it using your online account, which will allow you to access it from anywhere at any time in the event your home and/or computer is destroyed.

2. Plan what to take

You may be forced from your home for several days or even weeks. Be sure to take essential items, such as medicines as well as "comfort items," such as your children's favorite toys or books. In the event of an evacuation, have the following items prepared to take with you:

* Medicines, prescriptions and a first aid kit,

* Bottled water,

* Clothing and bedding (sleeping bags, pillows),

* Flashlight, battery-powered radio and extra batteries,

* Special items for infants or elderly or disabled family members,

* Computer hard drive or laptop,

* Photographs, and

* Pet food and other items for pets (litter boxes, leashes).

3. Gather important documents

Keep important documents in a safe place that you can access easily. In the event of an evacuation, take the following documents with you:

* Insurance policies,

* Prescriptions,

* Birth and marriage certificates,

* Passports,

* Drivers license or personal identification,

* Social Security cards,

* Employment information,

* Wills, deeds and recent tax returns,

* Stocks, bonds and other negotiable certificates,

* Bank, savings and retirement account numbers, and

* Home inventory.

4. Arrange your evacuation ahead of time

* Identify where you can go in the event of an evacuation. Try to have more than one option: the home of a friend or family member in another town, a hotel or a shelter. Keep the phone numbers and addresses of these locations handy,

* Map out your primary route and a backup route in case roads are blocked or impassable. Make sure you have a map of the area available, and

* In case your family members are separated before or during the evacuation, identify a specific place to meet and ask an out-of-town friend or family member to act as a contact person.