When the Unthinkable Happens...Be Prepared! Be Ready! - Your Logo

My purpose in writing this book is to equip you with the practical, physical, and mental tools you need personally and for your business when disaster or crises strike. This book will also give you tools to reduce your carbon footprint. Most of the things you will learn apply to any kind of crisis you might experience. As a FEMA inspector and trainer for seven years, I witnessed the devastation that happened to people’s lives and businesses because they were ill equipped and did not know what to do. It is more than just being prepared with an emergency kit. You need so much more than a bag with some water and food in it. Much more! As a matter of fact, what you really need has nothing to do with physical things.

In March of 2020, we entered a time of isolation, anxiety, stress, and fear as a result of COVID-19. However, it also became a time of renewal and hope with the opportunity to realign our lives. Individuals and businesses have had to revaluate what they need to do in the face of adversity. For seven years, I witnessed many kinds of disasters including hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, fires, floods, tsunamis, and countless others. Although this is my first experience with a pandemic, the one thing that can be said is that the process of preparedness, survival, and recovery is pretty much the same no matter the type of disaster or other crises that might happen. There may be some minor differences, but when you are prepared for one you are prepared for most of them. The information you will learn in this publication can be applied to your personal life, business, and/or community.

One of the most important things that I want you to take away from this book is that there are gifts and opportunities to be discovered in the survival and recovery phases of disasters and crises. In my international bestselling book, Crystalline Moments, I talk about how to identify these important moments of clarity and to understand their significance. We all have thoughts, as well as small and large events that happen in life, that can reveal “crystalline moments.” COVID-19 is a large event that has affected lives worldwide. We will not know for some time all the gifts and opportunities that it will bring. We are already seeing how people have revaluated what is important to them and pivoted out of old jobs into new careers and businesses.

Although it was sad to witness the heartaches and challenges disasters bring, it was the self-sacrificing spirit of humanity that made my job rewarding. Post-disaster many ask themselves “why”. I believe that such events happen for a reason, to bring humanity closer together. History will tell the whole story of COVID-19, but for now reflect on the kindness, compassion, and love expressed by many while enduring so much. These are the gifts, or “crystalline moments,” that continue to be revealed by disasters, including COVID-19.

I founded my Crisis Knowledge Management and Preparedness Foundation to educate and assist individuals, businesses and communities with what needs to be done to be more sustainable, resilient and safe. The foundation has tools and initiatives that reach out into the community and increase the potential for surviving and recovering much faster.

Our first initiative is to provide KitsforKids through schools, churches and other organizations. By getting emergency kits in the hands of children we are hopeful that we will encourage parents to have their kits and plans for the families and businesses. 61% of American's believe they will be affected by some type of disaster or crisis in the next 3-5 years but only 15%-30% have any kind of preparation. In addition, according to FEMA 75% of all businesses affected by a disaster and have no plans will be out of business in two years. We want to change that.
I wish to dedicate this book to the millions worldwide that have lost their lives to this pandemic, and to all who grieve for them.