Are you and your family prepared if disaster strikes? A few gallons of water and some protein bars aren’t really going to keep you and your family safe or comfortable.
A personalized readiness plan gives you peace of mind around things that a pre-made kit can’t. For example:
- Do your kids know how to contact you if cell service is out?
- Can you manage your existing medical conditions in an emergency?
- Where will you go for shelter?
- Do you know what will happen to your pets?
I help San Franciscans create personalized emergency plans that are based on their specific day-to-day needs. My process and information is based on recommendations from FEMA, Neighborhood Emergency Response Team, Ready Gov, SF Animal Care & Control, and California First Aid & Safety.
How does this work?
I’ve laid out every step of the process clearly, so you’ll know what to expect.
You Can Expect
- A personalized kit of items for you and your family that can’t be purchased in any pre-made kit.
- The top 3 documents that disaster survivors say they wish they’d had.
- A comprehensive plan that includes every member of your household, including your pets.
- Critical disaster preparedness information, including disaster do’s and don'ts and first-aid preparation.
- What to do before, during, and after a disaster based on information and interviews from disaster survivors.
- An easy, 30-minute process for updating your personalized kit each year.
Why Me?

Gwen & her Mother, Joan McClure 1992
I got interested in emergency preparedness watching my mother, Joan McClure, help create the pet emergency protocol in Walnut Creek, CA. Her passion was so contagious I pulled together an emergency kit for my two dogs.
But I never pulled one together for myself until last year.
As I got started, I discovered the process isn’t as easy as it should be. I spent hours pouring over an endless amount of information, weeding out what wasn’t necessary and organizing it all to be easy to update. To make sure I was getting it right, I talked with people who had lived through disasters and were willing to educate me from their point of view. I spoke to firefighters, first responders and police officers about their experiences. I learned how people could avoid a lot of pain, discomfort, and paperwork by being prepared.
As a professional organizer who’s done this research and who holds training for other professional organizers, I have specialized skills to make preparing for disaster easier, faster, and effective.
What drives me is this: in an emergency, I want to be the person who helps others, not the one who needs help.