The images we are seeing this week in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene are disturbing. In one day, countless homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure that communities depend on were destroyed. It will take years to rebuild, but there is no way to fully restore the families of the over 200 lives taken by the storm. Our hearts go out to those devastated families dealing with sadness and grief for lost loved ones.

How quickly our peaceful happy lives can be uprooted by unexpected events. Certainly, natural disasters like a hurricane are among the most difficult to prepare for. Meteorologists speak of 100-year storms or 1000-year storms as being statistically inevitable, but we have no idea when they will actually happen.

Where I live in the Pacific Northwest, we are constantly warned that “the big one”—a massively destructive earthquake and tsunami that will swamp coastal cities like mine—could happen at any time. I don’t want to be overly ghoulish listing everything that can go wrong, and it’s important to remember that the odds of these events occurring can be extremely small.

Preparation and self-reliance

We live in an interdependent and interconnected world. Our communities that surround us are as important to our lives as anything we do individually. Here are some things you can do to get through the storm as easily as possible:

• Be insured

A good insurance agent will make sure your property (home and practice) is fully insured, along with business operations and your income, in case of an extended interruption. Keep in mind you may need to rely on your own financial resources in the short/medium-term if insurers are overwhelmed processing many claims.

• Have a cache of cash

In many of the worst hurricane-hit areas, payment card networks have been knocked out of service. There are line ups for ATMs that are running out of cash. Have access to a private reserve of cash, either hidden somewhere or in a safe deposit box at your bank.

• Have a family plan to get reunited

Many areas in North Carolina are currently without phone, cellular or internet services. There is no way for families to contact each other. Establish a central meeting place (your home, for example) where everyone makes their way safely if communications are disrupted.

• Train for emergency first aid

If roads become impassable, emergency services cannot reach you. Ensure that you and every family member are trained in emergency first aid. Keep sufficient supplies on hand at all times.

• Emergency food and clean water

Stores, restaurants and gas stations may be closed. Your regular water supply can be polluted or cut off. Always have a week’s worth of emergency rations and clean water stockpiled at your family’s meet up location for each person. Also keep in mind essentials like basics like diapers, garbage bags, batteries, etc.

• Family support

Have a plan for your family (or extended family if you choose) on how you will support them financially in case of an emergency or disaster. What if they lose their home or job? Medical costs? As a high-income earner, you will likely be who they turn to for help. What are you prepared to do and for whom?

• Team support

Have a plan for your practice with procedures established in case of an emergency. How will you coordinate communications? Under what conditions do you expect them to report for work? If the practice must close for a period, will team members be paid or on unpaid furlough? If paid, for how long?

• Patient support

An environmental disaster isn’t going to pause an oral health disaster for a patient in pain. How will you continue to provide emergency care? Keep in mind that patients may not have a means of payment if card networks are down and ATMs are depleted. How will patient policies be adjusted during these times?

Maintaining your peace of mind

Honestly, you cannot prepare for every possible contingency, emergency or disruption to life. You can, however, prepare yourself to have the well of resources at hand so your decision-making in the moment is as easy as possible.

I have a saying I often use that goes: “It’s just another root canal.” It’s a lighthearted way of saying that greater financial success gives you more options. Decisions that you may have worried about at a lower level of finances become so much easier.

The last thing you want to be worried about in an emergency is money. You want to be able to do what needs to be done as quickly as possible. That is one more reason a highly profitable and successful practice is so important. It doesn’t just give you a great lifestyle and future in normal times; It gives you the financial flexibility to pivot, react, decide and move forward under all circumstances with confidence and certainty. That’s the definition of being prepared.