A couple of the other boards I frequent have started dead-serious threads about fleeing the U.S. before the racial purge/second Civil War. People are terrified after Charlottesville, and I can't blame them.
Anyway, a distilled version of the fleeing advice is:
- Updated passports for the entire family
- Go bag
- Cash (i.e. paper money, not a checking account)
- Bank account in target country (Canada will be best for most people)
- Important documents, including birth certificates and Social Security cards
Lastly, the answer to "When will I know if it's time to leave?" is "You won't until it's too late."