@LiteraryLark

I am so sorry you went through that natural disaster trauma of experiencing a wildfire. Wildfires, earthquakes, sinkholes, hurricanes, the flooding after heavy rainfall, tornadoes, tsunamis, and other weather conditions can be perceived as traumatic, especially if you fear your life is in danger and/or experience any losses (e.g., such as the loss of all your belongings and your apartment/house during a wildfire). That's why there are categories of trauma such as natural disasters.

Manmade disasters are similar but different. Those can include things like oil spills that contaminate water and therefore cause medical trauma among those getting cancer diagnoses in a particular area, etc. Those, too, are considered a form of trauma.

Being prepared with survival gear is smart, especially after experiencing that kind of trauma. It's not paranoia, because the likelihood that you'll experience it again might be there, or because you just want to be prepared for the unknown.

Having an emergency backpack or rolling luggage that you can easily access in case you have to evacuate in a short period of time is best. Water, some food that you can eat without having to cook it, toilet paper, batteries, a flashlight, an extra charged battery for your cell phone, an extra cell phone charger, pens or pencils and paper, a list of emergency numbers and your local Red Cross, a change of clothes, sanitary wipes, a whistle, a blanket, a pillow, some trash bags (they can keep you warm if you don't have shelter), some tape, a pocket knife, some extra cash, and other survival gear are all useful tools when you're involved in an emergency evacuation. If flooding is an issue, then a blow-up life jacket would also be helpful, along with your items packed in fully sealed ziploc bags (some come in 2 gallon and larger gallon sizes now).

I don't have a survival pack yet, but I plan to get one soon. Where I live is relatively disaster-free, but I still want to be prepared just in case.