Do I…
Save my home?
Flee?
Help others?
Shelter in place?
What do I do?
Before we tackle all that, I feel like I probably first need to convince you that you are all susceptible to wildfires.
It’s not just people who live near the woods. I live on a small farm surrounded by hundreds of acres of woods and a goofy neighbor who likes to burn brush.
Yeah, it’s obvious I need to take precautions.
But so do you.
For the sake of the lesson I’m defining wildfires not just as fires that break out in nature, i.e. in the wild. I’m considering wildfires to be any large fires that burn out of control.
Check out the pics below. I took these photos in a small resort campground in Myrtle Beach SC. A small electrical fire started in this camper that burned half a dozen more campers to the ground before the fire department could put it out.
On a regular basis, wildfires in California, Colorado, Tennessee, and numerous other places burn entire communities and cities to the ground.
So, please don’t think that your house in a big city or the suburbs is safe from wildfires. You might even be in more danger.
We’re going to stay fairly basic in this post regarding wildfires, as you’ll see from the one page round-up. In future wildfire-related posts, I’ll discuss keeping your home safe and ready, what to watch out for, when to evacuate, and more.
Real Life Case Study: California Wildfires of 2018
The 2018 wildfire season was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire season in California history when it happened. That record has since been surpassed.
There were a total of 103 confirmed fatalities, 24,226 structures damaged or destroyed, and 8,527 fires burning 1,975,086 acres, about 2% of the state’s 100 million acres of land.
The catastrophic Camp Fire alone killed at least 85 people, destroyed 18,804 buildings and caused $16.5 billion in property damage, while overall the fires resulted in at least $26.347 billion in property damage and firefighting costs, including $25.4 billion in property damage and $947 million in fire suppression costs.
In mid-July to August 2018, a series of large wildfires erupted across California, mostly in the northern part of the state. On August 4, 2018, a national disaster was declared in Northern California, due to the extensive wildfires burning there.
Disaster Deck Resource!
There’s no way you can remember everything. That’s why I love cheat cards and flip decks for preparedness information.
Not only are items like this a great resource during an event, but they make it so easy to educate your kids, church groups, anyone.
The specs on the Disaster Deck shown above generally apply to most info cards and decks:
- EMERGENCY SURVIVAL – Durable and waterproof emergency survival instructions to manage and endure any natural disaster. Disasters can spark extreme brain fog so we include what can seem obvious but is critical to your safety
- TRAVEL SIZE – Pocket-sized to keep in your backpack, purse, bike bag, carry-on bag or vehicle
- EASY TO USE – Color-coded for quick reference with clear instructions for both outside and in a vehicle
- MENTAL WELLNESS & FOCUS – Keeping yourself and your family calm, controlled and ready to problem solve is critical. The “Be Well” card gives easy directions for mental and emotional safety, so you can focus on immediate threats to physical safety
- MADE IN THE USA. Woman founded and owned in Oregon.
- 12 disaster cards including wildfire, hurricane, power outage, tornado, tsunami, flooding, earthquake, heat wave, volcano, thunder and lightning, landslide, and a wellness card for emotional resilience.
Purchase your own Disaster Deck HERE.
I would recommend one of these in each vehicle and another in the house.
This is my core philosophy on preparedness.
Get prepared NOW as best you can with what you have. It’s better than nothing.
Stay simple. Don’t complicate things.
Upgrade and level up as time, money, resources, or training are available. Never stop improving.
Train and practice often. Always think of yourself as an amateur.
Don’t get complacent. Anything can happen anywhere.
I am here to serve.
If I can help with anything, feel free to reach out here or on social media at Facebook Instagram YouTube
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