The fires now occurring in Southern California– as well as those in Wine Country a few weeks ago–serve as a warning to all of us to prepare for emergencies. One place to begin is at http://www.uphelp.org/roadmap-preparedness Policyholders, a national nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in San Francisco, provides an array of very practical tools based on 26 years of helping disaster survivors level the playing field with their insurance companies. If nothing else– download their free home inventory app and document your contents now BEFORE you face a disaster. Most of the insurance companies in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino are requiring survivors to prepare an inventory of their lost contents– an almost impossible pressure on people who are already stressed. The link to the free app is on their home page.