THE BOTTOM LINE: Time to plan for a disaster is now

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THE BOTTOM LINE:

Across our homeland, countless people have lost their vehicles, homes and jobs due to the recent storms.

As those affected work with FEMA and other disaster relief organizations to recover, we should all take stock in what we have and assess our own situation. We like to tell ourselves that it won’t happen to us.

We’ve all heard these wives tales: “We live between two rivers and a tornado will never strike” , “We live on a hill; the waters can never rise this high” or “We’ve never had a bad fire in these parts.”

I am neither a doom-andgloomer nor a naysayer. I am a simple, pragmatic man who grew up in the backcountry where the creek flowed over the road, the cedars popped in the fire and from time to time the roar of a tornado made us grab the lawn chairs and quarterback the weatherman.

I remember the stories my dad told that rose to mythological proportions. Even if it meant justifying not taking inventory of what he had to lose, he seemed to be as afraid of the insurance agent as I was of the doctor.

However, the truth is that it can, will, and does happen to many of us. According to FEMA, 8% of the entire population of the country was impacted by a natural disaster in 2017. From the looks of the last few months, 2019 is shaping up to surpass that number.

Now, I am not saying I am prepared for the wrath Mother Nature can inflict. I don’t think I could tell you half of the worldly possessions I own. But I suppose that is what inspired me to write this piece.

I can’t tell you the last time I evaluated my life insurance, renter’s policy and, other than who it is though, I am not sure I can tell you much about my auto policy. I don’t have an excuse, nor do I think a good one exists.

That said, I urge you and myself to do better.

We need to understand our risks, have a firm accounting of our material possessions and evaluate our needs.

If my house flooded tomorrow, I wouldn’t need to replace my teal boots and I would probably want a new microwave. A laptop would definitely be among the top five essentials, otherwise, my opinions might be constrained to the reach of my voice.

We all need a plan not just to rebuild our home or know which car we would buy, but to know what steps we need to take in order to get our lives back after a disaster.

I implore you not to cut-and-paste from some cookie-cutter template you find on some blog but think about your daily life and what you need. Your needs are going to be different than mine, your neighbors or anyone else’s. But the time to plan is before a disaster hits.

Even if you have full coverage on your car, a healthy homeowner’s policy and flood insurance, you should still review those policies from time-to-time.

Have our incomes changed one way or the other? Can we afford all of the high deductibles we have chosen in order to save money in the short-term? Could we afford to live on “1/23 of our wages in the highest-paid quarter of the base period or $490 whichever is less” if we lost our job?

If you were not impacted by the recent storms, I urge you to count your blessings. Then set aside the time to take stock in what you have. Assess your needs and make a plan that will help put your family’s lives back together should you experience such horrible losses.

Again, the time to plan is NOW - before disaster strikes.