What will be the natural disaster to put Maine into national headlines? A dry fall could quickly turn this summer’s lush vegetation into abundant kindling for wildfires. El Niño and the marine heatwave developing in the south Atlantic has the potential to supercharge the hurricane season. A repeat of the 1998 ice storm would likely be even more destructive and disruptive, considering how much more of our lives are tied to the electrical grid.

Writing for the New Yorker magazine, environmentalist Bill McKibben warns, “If you’re not in a place currently experiencing or recovering from some weather emergency, consider yourself lucky, and use the respite to make preparations for the inevitable.” As extreme weather becomes increasingly common, municipal governments and local volunteer organizations would be wise to devote some amount of their already spread-too-thin time and resources toward identifying and communicating vulnerabilities in public infrastructure. Beyond direct threats posed by fire and floodwaters, consider how local roadways are or are not prepared to evacuation orders or similar contingency plans.

One precaution every individual could take upon themselves would be to prepare and maintain a go bag or bug-out bag. Once exclusively for doomsday preppers and militiamen waiting for “something” to hit the fan, go bags are meant to sustain you alone in a crisis for days up to 72 hours and be ready to grab and go at a moments notice. A go bag should include food and water or water purifiers, prescription medications and first aid, flashlights, batteries, cash or traveler’s checks, a complete change of clothes, important family information like IDs, and puzzles or games for kids. Also, consider including extra supplies to assist others less prepared.

A go bag will not keep the roof on your house in a hurricane, but it can help make the first days of recovery more bearable.

Jonathan Strieff

South China