Mother Nature has opened our eyes again.  Many have lost their homes and valuables.  Others have been spared by the heroic efforts of our firefighters and the many other firefighters that have pitched in from neighboring counties.  I've made a few calls to clients that I have in these areas and luckily they're okay.  I was able to talk to them about a few things that I hope they put into practice.

We get so wrapped up in our daily routines that we forget to take care of certain plans that will help us with the unforeseen. I'm one of those people as well.  I'm going to start a checklist and please feel free to add to it.  Please keep these families in your prayers and if you could spare some money please make a donation to the American Red Cross. 

http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html

Checklist:

1. Create a list for all emergency service providers for all family members.

2. Have an emergency preparedness kit (i.e. blankets, water, canned foods, flashlights, etc...)

3. Emergency routes and meeting points.

4. Make sure your insurances are up to date and talk to your agent about your coverages.

5. Phone numbers for friends and neighbors so that you can alert each other and lend a helping hand to each other.

6. Back up all your photographs to an online database. I use costco to store my photos online and all they ask for is to order at least one print annually.

7. Keep fire extinguishers in the house, working smoke alarms, and earthquake shut off valves (southern CA residents).

8. For those homes w/ security bars make sure there is some type of emergency release.

I hope this list helps.  I'm sure there are items I missed so please feel free to add.  My prayers go out to all those families affected by these fires.