This week was the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast of the United States and leaving behind the greatest natural disaster in American history. The region is rebuilding and recovering from the catastrophe, but the debate about who is to blame for the lack of preparation and the slow response to the hurricane continues.

Katrina struck with ferocity across 90,000 square miles of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Over 800,000 people were forced from their homes and up to 1,800 people died. Despite the warnings that such a disaster could strike the region, officials at the local, state and federal level were woefully unprepared for the disaster.

The days following the hurricane highlighted this state of unpreparedness as the poor who were left behind suffered from hunger, dehydration and lack of shelter. Who can forget the scenes of people floating through the squalid water seeking dry land or those on rooftops signaling desperately for rescue? I well remember the poignant picture of a mother walking out of the waters covering the streets of New Orleans with a small baby in her arms seeking help for the infant. A news crew captured the moment live, and it seemed to epitomize the plight of the whole city caught in a perfect storm of human incompetence, lack of preparation and natural disaster.

What has been learned since then? Are other cities and regions better prepared for the next "big one," whatever it may be? What does the Katrina disaster teach us about the art of preparation for coming troubles—especially those we have ample warning are on the horizon? It is this last question that is most important for those of us who watch the growing threats on the international skyline.

A recent article in Time magazine, "Why We Don't Prepare," examined the human response to catastrophe. It said the real challenge is not predicting natural catastrophes—that can be done. The harder challenge is to prepare for them. One expert is quoted as saying, "We know exactly—exactly where the major disasters will occur, but individuals underperceive the risk."

"There are four stages of denial," says Eric Holdeman, director of emergency management for Washington's King County, which includes Seattle and faces a significant earthquake threat. "One is, it won't happen. Two is, if it does happen, it won't happen to me. Three: if it does happen to me, it won't be that bad. And four: if it happens to me and it's bad, there's nothing I can do to stop it anyway" (Time, Aug. 28, 2006).

Well, as Katrina demonstrated, and as other wars, bombings and trials show, we can practice all the denial we want, but the facts show we are living in dangerous times. There are steps you and I can take to prepare as best we can for calamity, whether in our neighborhood or the world at large.

We often quote Christ's words in Luke 12:54-56, "…Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?" Christ was challenging His audience to see the reality of the Kingdom of God before them, in His person. The context of these words points to personal accountability based on repentance. None of us is exempt from the unexpected calamities of life. We had better understand our times and live according to the teachings of the Kingdom while we have opportunity. That is the best preparation we can do for the larger problems.

Christ later added to this warning when He said, "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36).

For local disasters, there are specific steps we can take to mitigate the impact on our families and ourselves. I hope we have all taken steps to implement a plan for unexpected natural disasters that can strike us wherever we live. It is the concrete plans we lay in our everyday lives that can help us avoid the trap of denial that seems so much a part of human nature. It is a step toward accepting Christ's direct statements at face value, repenting and living by His laws.

It is not always how much we know about the dangers of natural or man-made disasters. Experts today know a great deal about what can happen and when it will happen. God's Word, the Bible, tells us a great deal about what is to happen to our world in the future. We have ample warning and time to decide how to prepare for the times ahead. Now is the time to act on the knowledge we have.

Keep watching.