Burning Truth #7: Preparing for disaster is a process

by | Dec 16, 2024 | 2024 Holiday Wildfire Truths, Evacuation, News, Preparedness, Wildfire

We’ve all seen the images: Long lines of traffic moving in one direction, families tossing belongings into the car, fleeing in the face of a raging wildfire, a devastating hurricane, or rising floodwaters.

What if that was you? Imagine that a wildfire is coming, and you have just been ordered to evacuate. You must leave home quickly, and don’t know when you will come back.

Suddenly you have a million things to do. You frantically search for the kids’ shoes. The cat has sprouted the claws of a tiger, and its carrier has shrunk to half its usual size. The dried leaves on the porch look like a major bonfire waiting to happen. Your phone is pinging and ringing with worried messages.

You’re kicking yourself for not having packed those go-bags and not having a plan for what you would do in this situation. Like you meant to do.

The truth is, most of us aren’t prepared for disaster. Life gets in the way — work, family, the constant demands of daily living. The idea of creating a “go-bag” or developing an evacuation plan can feel overwhelming, like just one more thing to add to our already overflowing to-do lists.

But, what if you thought of preparing for disaster as an ongoing process of small steps, rather than a monumental ordeal? Like cleaning, it’s something you can do a little bit at a time — with occasional deep dives — and that’s never truly “finished.”

Your focus shifts from “must-dos” to “what matters most.” You get to decide what worries you most. You get to take small manageable steps. You get to think of preparing for disaster as something you do, not as something you have to do.

What are your top concerns? If you had to evacuate today, what would be your biggest worries?

 

What one small step can you take now?

 


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For inspiration on small things you might do today, check out these posts:

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