what the california wildfires teach us

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So the thing that has been on the news the most frequent has been the fires in southern california.  It brings me back to the time when I had to evacuate from hurricane katrina.  However, the big difference here is that the wildfires are definitely more widespread and the people dealing with this situation seems more prepared.  There was even a mention of a meditation station at Qualcomm stadium which I couldn’t possibly imagine happening at the Superdome.

Anyway, what can you do to prepare for such disasters?

• get homeowners or renters insurance. I cannot stress this enough.  The amount of coverage that you get for the money that it costs to get your place and things insured is totally worth it.  I only paid 200 bucks to cover 25 grand worth of stuff and I’m covered for liabilities if anything happened to guests or people who just want to sue.  Its also piece of mind when you do have to evacuate for a hurricane or wildfire.  Especially when i came back to an apartment that was looted.  In some ways I came out ahead because some of the stuff that was stolen I did not want anymore.
• file your important documents. In some instances, these people had minutes to get whatever they could and leave.  For some that came back to their houses, their important documents were burnt and gone.  Save yourself trouble by backing up your documents on the computer onto a disk or store it in gmail.  You could also invest in a fireproof safe.  Know where your important stuff is located so you can grab them and leave.  These may include car deeds, insurance information, health records, bank statements, marriage certificate, etc.
• take pictures of everything that you own. This is crucial for insurance especially because they need proof that you actually own the things that you are claiming.
• take time to gather up emergency supplies. This includes bottled water, canned foods, medicines, batteries, etc.  Things that are going to be pretty valuable when you are stranded and rescue is out of sight.  This happened to a lot of people in new orleans because they did not prepare.  I was planning on staying so what I did was fill my tub with water, I had 3 cases of bottled water, batteries, candles, canned food to last me for a month and remember that can opener!
• keep your gas tank full and your cell phones charged. when things get hectic- the gas stations begin to close and there are long lines to get gas everywhere you go.  Don’t you feel that everytime you need to really use your phone, you phone is out of battery? 
• Have some cash with you at all times. Whether you put a few hundred dollars in a safe place in your home, it may become necessary especially when ATMs don’t work and credit cards become useless.

bottom line: save yourself heartache by being a little prepared for emergencies.  You will thank yourself after everything is said and done.

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