September 19, 2021
This series, a chronicle of one man’s experience before, during, and after a megafire that destroyed the Northern California town of Paradise, provides a series of lessons that others can apply to help them if they face a major disaster. The following links refer to the articles in which the lessons may be found.
Lesson 1: Accept that a disaster will happen to you
Lesson 3: Make a plan that works for you
Lesson 4: Know how to evacuate
Lesson 5: Sign up for an emergency mass notification system
Lesson 6: Train like your life depends on it
Lesson 7: Plan for transportation
Lesson 8: Think about your organization’s continuity
Lesson 9: It’s not a worst-case scenario. It’s worst-case imaginable.
Lesson 11: If you’re asking, ‘Should we evacuate?’ Leave now!
Lesson 12: Implement your emergency plan A. And B. And C...
Lesson 13: Get as much info as possible. Accept that it won’t feel like enough.
Lesson 14: Semper Gumby: Be flexible
Lesson 16: Not all information is equal
Lesson 17: Bad information arrives faster than good information
Lesson 18: Mind the information gap
Lesson 19: Take care before you share
Lesson 20: Be ready to communicate like it’s 1950
Lesson 21: Lessons for leadership
Lesson 22: There is no closure. There is only after.
Lesson 23: Be prepared for the aftermath
Lesson 24: Emotions breed rumors
Lesson 25: Think regional disasters, not just local ones
Christopher Allan Smith is an Emmy Award-winning documentarian and journalist. He is the director of the Emmy-nominated series, A High and Awful Price: Lessons Learned From the Camp Fire. He lived in Paradise, California, until the morning of the 2018 Camp Fire, and now lives in Chico, California. Find out more at ChristopherAllanSmith.com.
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