Be prepared. That’s the Scouting America motto. It’s wise advice for young people as well as adults, particularly those in local governments.

There’s no place on Earth that’s not subject to some form of natural or manmade catastrophe. It’s human nature to focus on the most recent disaster and push other very real threats to the back of our minds.

This isn’t the curse of Greek mythology’s Cassandra. It’s reality. This may sound pessimistic, but erroring on the side of caution is prudent.

Wildland fire is the topic of the day. It’s currently topping the list of hazards not just because of the wildland fires that have devastated multiple Los Angeles leafy neighborhoods with characteristics shared by many Marin communities. Wildfire is the greatest threat to life and property in Marin; but it’s not our only threat.

Longtime Californians know that they live within the “ring of fire” of earthquake zones and volcanoes that surround the Pacific Ocean. San Francisco, Alaska and Tokyo face the same inevitable threat from a major earthquake.

It goes with the territory. Are Marin and Bay Area residents prepared for the next “big one?” The answer is no.

Sea-level rise is already evident. Mix it with seasonal king tides on the bay and we need to be prepared right now. Couple those threats with the coincidence of a simultaneous tsunami (it’s unlikely but possible).

It could happen to Bolinas, Stinson, Muir Beach and Drakes Bay, along with Marin’s bayfront communities on both San Francisco and Richardson bays.

The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t the first time the globe faced a deadly pandemic. The inevitable next one could be even worse.

It will likely be politicized with the same calamitous results. Has America begun preparing for the next pandemic? No.

Acts of foreign terrorists or domestic madmen can’t be predicted. We know that there are plotters who, if given the opportunity, would repeat the horrors of 9/11. Marin’s vulnerability is the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge. A strike on the iconic bridge would achieve the notoriety that all terrorists seek. Other than the immediate loss of life, a yearslong bridge closure would cripple the Bay Area economy. District officials are quietly vigilant, but what is the backup plan if the bad guys succeed?

Don’t eliminate the possibility of a double disaster. Earthquakes can be the event that triggers a big fire. Old timers called the 1906 temblor “The San Francisco earthquake and fire.” My grandfather, a young Italian immigrant from Genoa, often regaled our family with tales of the events of April 18, 1906. He called it “the fire.” The earthquake caused major damage; but it was the fire the quake sparked that devastated the city

Marin hasn’t started planning for “the day after” a disaster. Los Angeles is now facing the dilemma of how to streamline a notoriously cumbersome permitting process to replace incinerated homes, businesses and schools. Planners need to promptly develop a post-calamity playbook instead of inventing it on the fly.

Over the coming months, I’ll be writing columns that will suggest practical steps to becoming prepared. That includes looking at the one task that every disaster requires: evacuation planning.

Preparedness isn’t the sole responsibility of local, state or national governments. While they all play major roles, unless we individually take responsibility, Marin residents won’t be as safe as we could be.

Following up

A recent column urged Tamalpais Union High School District to not adopt an ethnic studies curriculum dominated by progressive ideology. I mentioned Tam Union Trustee Kevin Saavedra, who agreed. I wrote that Saavedra was of Puerto Rican heritage. He responded, “I’m not Puerto Rican. I’m Mexican and Native American with a Spanish last name, but I do like Puerto Rico!”

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@comcast.net.