Vicky C. and her son Andrew live in the Pacific Palisades in California.
When the wildfires broke out in the neighborhood, Vicky quickly picked up Andrew from school and raced toward their house.
But the mother and son couldn’t drive to their house because of evacuations so they ran the last few miles by foot.
Eventually, the duo reached their house and could see that it was still standing, however, they could also see flames in the backyard.
“This is our house. We’re going in,” Vicky said.
Thankfully, 18-year-old Andrew was an Eagle Scout and was prepared for emergencies.
You see, a few years prior, Andrew and his father had talked about being prepared for a wildfire.
The two decided to purchase a gas-powered water pump that could be used during a wildfire.
The family wanted a way to keep their house wet during a fire even when there was no water pressure.
When Vicky turned the kitchen faucet on there was barely a trickle of water.
So, Andrew pulled the heavy water pump to the edge of their pool and snaked a hose down into the water.
Then, he attached a second hose to the other end of the water pump, and soon, Andrew had the pump up and running.
“It’s running. Now you’ve got to get it up on the roof!” Vicky shouted to her son. “I’ll turn it on when you get up there.”
In a matter of minutes, Andrew was on the roof while the water pump roared.
He sprayed pool water all over the shingles of the house, keeping them wet enough to keep the fire away.
After spraying the roof for about 15 minutes, Andrew and his mom went to check on their neighbors.
The duo returned to their home later that day and soaked the roof again with the water pump and pool water.
“One of us will be up here the rest of the night,” he said.
Now, it’s no secret that California is prone to wildfires.
But few people were as prepared as Vicky and Andrew.
Even worse, it didn’t help that municipal water stopped flowing.
Plenty of politicians have made excuses for why the recent wildfires were so devastating.
But the fact is, fires always have and always will rip through California.
The state has long dry seasons and intense Santa Ana winds.
It’s that simple and it’s nothing new.
This is why the state, and residents alike should be more prepared. Much like Vicky and Andrew were.
Sadly, these days, many Americans seem to be less prepared.
So, here are a few of the major reasons many people aren’t prepared for a disaster and how to make sure that you are.
Conveniences:
Society has developed an over-reliance on convenience.
Thanks to online shipping, Americans have gotten used to the many conveniences in life.
For instance, if you live in a big city, you can likely order something from Amazon and have it delivered within a few hours.
Also, you can order food from hundreds of different restaurants and have it delivered to your house.
Most people don’t know how to grow their food, build a fire, or purify water.
Americans need to go back to the basics.
Start with food storage and water storage and build the skills to survive. If you live in an area prone to natural disasters, prepare for the specific disaster.
Also, as much as you may depend on delivery services it’s still a good idea to visit stores.
Don’t completely depend on someone to bring you everything you need.
Dependence on technology:
Today, we are over-dependent on technology.
In fact, a recent study found that one in five people from Generation Z can’t change a light bulb (that is horrifying).
Instead of learning how to do things, we often “Google it.”
If you need to fix a broken faucet you might try to look it up online.
But this is something you need to be prepared to go without.
So, instead of always relying on the internet, start teaching your family how to be self-sufficient.
This can start with basics such as building a fire to planting seeds.
Prosperity:
It was only five years ago that we lived through the pandemic.
And already, too many people have forgotten about empty shelves and no toilet paper.
The famous quote says, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”
Thankfully, America seems like it is headed in the right direction.
The population overwhelmingly elected a new President to get the economy roaring and bring back prosperity.
But, no matter how great things are right now, there will be hard times down the road…
Which means the time to prepare is now.
So, continue to build upon being self-sufficient in every aspect of your life. Be ready for a disaster, food shortages, and long-term power outages.
