25 Things You Can Do Before a Climate Disaster Affects You

The day before New Year’s Eve, out-of-the-ordinary, hurricane force winds fueled Colorado’s most destructive fire in the state’s history, completely leveling community neighborhoods right in front of my eyes…in just half a day.

Wildfires aren’t supposed to happen in December, but the fall had brought severe drought due to climate change, and not the usual winter snow you associate with Colorado.

It happened so fast. Over 1000 homes and businesses burned, hundreds of pets perished trapped inside homes, and 32,000 people were evacuated.

Tens of thousands of people are now displaced, with nowhere to live long term.

We were lucky enough to be 9 miles from the fire and are safe in our home, but after watching it all happen from our window, I’m still rattled.

I keep thinking, this could so easily have been our neighborhood.

And frankly, we all should be thinking that this could have been our neighborhood.

Because these kinds of climate-related events don’t seem to be going away anytime soon, it’s only a matter of time before one impacts you and your family.

This fact can be so disheartening.

It’s easy to fall into a well of despair and hopelessness when these catastrophic events happen.

How do we enjoy life and be happy in the face of all this?

Yoga has taught me that random unlucky disasters (which are going to happen at some point in your life – we call this lila, or divine play) can be handled more gracefully when you prepare in advance for possibility.

Plus yoga has taught me that it’s all in how we react, right?

When we take action, despair turns into empowerment, and in turn fulfillment, and eventually, happiness.

Cry, rage, weep, and pound your fists now, but then get back on the horse and transmute those feelings into choices and actions.

Instead of going into denial or avoidance mode, yoga also shows us that we must dive into things that make us feel a little more certain in an uncertain world.

To that end, I’ve been listening and learning these last few days and I’ve put together a list of 25 things you ought to know and do long before a climate event strikes near you.

Hopefully this gives you agency and makes you feel a bit more uplifted:

1. Have an evacuation/disaster plan – start a Google Doc that you can share with your family and add to it periodically as life changes. Google sample plans online for ideas. A plan includes things like filling your sinks & bathtubs in case of fire, pulling items off the floor in basements in flood zones, and more.

2. Check on your neighbors, especially elderly ones – think, people first! Make sure everyone around you has the help they need to evacuate when the time comes.

3. Create an evacuation packing list as part of the above Google Doc. Have it printed out and taped to the inside of a convenient cabinet so you can easily access it. Google has sample lists that have things like valuables, important documents, pets and their supplies, keepsakes, medications, etc.

4. Build an emergency preparedness kit to grab as you’re going out the door. You can Google sample kit contents for ideas and start putting the items together in a duffle bag or container. This includes items like first aid kit, nonperishable foods, flashlights, emergency radio, survival blankets, fire blankets/gloves etc.

5. Hire a fire mitigation service to assess your home – whether you own or rent, having your dwelling checked for fire risk by a professional can make the difference between the building catching fire or being spared.

 

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