My clients’ condo was in one of the buildings destroyed by fire today on Golden Gate Avenue, three days before Christmas Day! They had a lovely 2000+ square foot flat in an historic 1886 Victorian. I have not been able to reach my clients, who also had a baby girl. I spent some time at the scene this evening, mingling with the neighbors, fire crew and television news reporters. One guy said that he lived across the street and that my clients were not home when the fire struck. I am relieved to hear that no one is hurt.

In this beautiful city of San Francisco, my thoughts turn to the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906, in which 200,000 people lost their homes. What a devastating loss financially and emotionally!

This experience has also made me think about what I can do to be more prepared for a disaster such as a fire. The critical thing is to get out of the burning house, to save life and limb! Beyond that, I don’t really care about most possessions that can be easily replaced. But I need to develop a back-up system for all my printed photos and my personal journals which I have kept since I was 14 years old. I already back-up my computer files off-site. It is also a good idea to go through my house room by room with a video camera, documenting all the possessions that might be part of an insurance claim.