Videotape Your Home's Contents

All I can think about today is how scary it must be for a mother or father who is trying to decide whether to pack up the kids and head for safer ground or stay and try to salvage their house and valuables. The fires engulfing so much of the region still seem a world a way from most of central Los Angeles -- I can here children playing outside my window just as they would on any summer day.

But I can only imagine what so many families are having to deal with at the moment. A quick scan of Peachhead finds a lot of messages expressing concern and vowing prayers for firefighters and homeowners in the affected areas. And Peachheaders are offering a few good tips too. One post urges people to start photographing or videotaping the contents of their homes as a digital record in case they need to film an insurance claim.

Another good idea is to either take important documents with you, or make sure they are stored in a fire safe box in the house. And as officials keep repeating today, if you're in a questionable area, just get out. Don't go back for the pets or the pictures. Just go.