For those who don't know me too well, I am a wildfire survivor. I lost my home during the California Tubbs Wildfire and my parents and I relocated North.

I don't recall which steps I took before the fire to prepare for disaster, though I was adamant about taking care of my old Trusty Steed (my very old SUV). A very wise decision. It taught me the basics of car care, and it dragged my SUV on it's final run towards a new beginning.

Now, I'm actively taking steps for disaster preparedness. My main focus is car preparedness. It's definitely a work in progress, and I think it's because where I live there are many weather and location elements that make it essential to be prepared for the worst and because I travel so much in the car, it's a given to be well off on survival gear. One of my favorite Christmas presents I received the first year in my new home was a go-bag from my dad, and I truly enjoy expanding it.

As I said, it's a work in progress, but on the driver's side I have a cubby chalk full of maps (thanks to previous jobs, I have a basic proficiency in map reading), I have an emergency whistle with a compass on it, and I have pepper spray. I intend on acquiring LED flashlights to place on the driver side, passenger side, glove box, and trunk.

In the trunk, I have a bag full of all-weather clothes, hiking boots, and a bag full of socks. I have a container with non-perishable foods (cliff bars, snack mixes, cup of noodles, and soup/chili with a pop-top). I have a big container that I try to keep stocked with water and other drinks (I go through it, but I try to keep replenishing it regularly). I keep toilet paper, paper towels, and garbage bags on hand. I keep a basic Walmart first aid kit.

And then there's my go bag.

I won't go into every single detail, but a few things I try to keep is a roll of quarters (I usually dip into that so I usually go through them, but I try to keep it on hand because in my mind from movies I watch, some things require quarters and cash/bills isn't enough), latex gloves, something really important to me that I keep is a sewing kit and an eyeglass fixing kit, I have glowsticks and window marker-paint-type thing, camp soap and sponge, an assortment of lighters...I keep and replenish a med kit of basic over the counter meds AND I have a pill container that contains not only several days of psych meds I take regularly but a piece of paper that contains emergency numbers.

My friend mentioned I keep a go-backpack in case I need to ditch the car. I like that idea. My school backpack also contains some survival gear, but I have another backpack I can use for a go bag.

It may be obsessive, but it gives me a sense of security knowing that if the worse occurs (again), I'm ready.

What really dumbfounds me is that some people don't prepare at all for disasters. Not a single plan. Just assume nothing will happen to them. Per the anniversary of the fire this year, PG&E decided to black out a vast majority of California. So many people weren't prepared when they lost power. There's so much one can do to prepare for outages, floods, fires, earthquakes, etc.

I know a lot of what I am feeling is PTSD from the fires and the blackouts, but I wanted to discuss what others have done to prepare for disaster. Have you done anything to prepare for a survival/emergency/disaster situation? Do you have any tips for survival situations? Is there gear you swear by?