ONE YEAR AGO, I WAS JUST YOUR TYPICAL FORMER SURF CHAMPION, bar owner, and deadbeat dad. The day my life changed began like any other. After a late breakfast—brunch, really—I slipped my wetsuit on and grabbed my board to catch a few waves before work. On the news, there was talk about Hurricane David driving large numbers of sharks toward Los Angeles. “Alarmists,” I thought. Every time it rains in L.A., everyone swears it’s the storm of the century.
This time, they were right.
Before anyone realized what was happening, blue skies gave way to dark clouds. Powerful winds slammed the coast. Torrential rain caused flash flooding throughout the city. Worst of all, sharks washed ashore in droves. They were so thick on the Santa Monica Pier that you had to carry a barstool to beat them away. When the storm temporarily let up, the destruction was unfathomable. My humbly named restaurant, Fin, was reduced to wet kindling.
But the day wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. With my ex-wife and children in the storm’s path, I couldn’t stand around waiting for authorities to do something. I had to take charge. Thankfully, I’d been preparing my whole life for that moment.
Semper paratus.
That’s not just my motto. It’s my nature. “Always ready.” When the storm spawned three deadly sharknados, I was ready. The fact that no one had ever seen a tornado pick up sharks before was irrelevant. It didn’t matter if they were filled with bears from the zoo or tigers from Siegfried and Roy’s backyard. Semper paratus means being ready for anything.
Every time I turn on the TV there’s a new threat. Polar vortices. Stonados. Boaricanes. It’s not the world I grew up in, but it’s the one I live in. It’s the one my children live in. They may not carry rappelling gear in their cars like their old man, but they’re prepared for whatever Mother Nature has planned. They have to be.
Too many limbs have been lost. Too many lives wasted. And all because people weren’t ready. Just like on that horrible day not so long ago, I realized it was time for me to step up. So I sat down with the author of this book and shared my wisdom. My ex-wife, April Wexler, did the same. Everything I know about preparation and survival, everything she’s learned along the way—it’s all here. Other survivors graciously shared their stories too.
While average citizens like you and me can’t prevent unnatural disasters, we can prepare for them. Take a Red Cross–sponsored first-aid class through work. Create a disaster kit in an afternoon with just a few simple items. Know your family’s whereabouts at all times. Like, if you know your son is in Van Nuys at flight school, you might want to mention this to your ex-husband who still thinks he’s in Florida. That might be helpful information, April.
You don’t need to barricade yourself in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. You don’t need a basement full of high-tech weapons, especially when a chainsaw will suffice. What matters most is what’s inside your head.
My family and I are ready. Are you? Read this book and count yourself amongst our ranks.
—Finley “Fin” Shepard
Los Angeles, CA
June 2014