New Realizations
The Los Angeles fires have brought a new realization to many of us. Nowhere is safe. As I read about these fires, I learned that a large fire can send embers miles away; embers that then land on houses and vegetation and set them on fire. I had previously wondered whether fire would ever come to my home. Now I realize that fire probably will come to my home, sooner or later, because the massive fires we've been seeing in recent years are only going to get even larger as global warming worsens.
The Various Dangers
For my location, the issue is fire. For others, it may be hurricanes, flooding, sea level rise, heat waves, or droughts. The only disasters that come out of the blue, with no or little warning, are earthquakes (not related to global warming) and tornadoes. All the others are events that we will receive warnings about (although some people have died when rapidly moving fires have reached them in the middle of the night while they were asleep).
What to Do
I had previously prepared a go-bag, a fire-proof briefcase with important papers, a video of my home and its possessions (for insurance purposes), and have always kept my car's gas tank at least half-full.
But now, a new problem has occurred to me. I live on a dead-end street with many apartment buildings and if we were told to evacuate, there would be a massive traffic jam. We'd be stuck. So now I have decided that, if possible, I would leave before an evacuation order, and I would plan to check into a hotel by the water (just in case). If I were stuck and couldn't get away, I would jump in our pool with a hollow pipe with which to breathe. I've read that others have survived fires this way.
Creativity Helps
A creative idea is one that links two separate ideas together. Although I had read in the past about fires where people were stuck trying to get out, it hadn't occurred to me that this would ever happen to me, because I live in an area where fire is not a major risk. But when I read about the Los Angeles fires, and how embers could travel miles to cause new fires, my mind linked traveling embers with the massive traffic jam that would occur on my street in case of a fire and understood that a new level of danger existed for me. This led me to take additional steps to protect myself.
The Inner Guide
Although we all have creative ideas from time to time, our Inner Guides will cause these to occur systematically, as we need them. If you don't yet have an Inner Guide, you can acquire one, for free, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ4G9VIxS94
