I know, I know … Preparing for an unlikely disaster seems like a fool’s errand. I thought the same thing – until October 2018. I was stationed at Tyndall AFB, and I was 10 days into my deployment when a ravenous Hurricane Michael (CAT-5) suddenly devoured my base and its neighboring cities, my friend’s and coworkers’ homes and all of my belongings in storage. As an Emergency Manager, I’m ashamed to say, I was not as prepared as I could have been, and I regret not taking one of nature’s most destructive forces more seriously. I urge you to not make the same mistake.