April 18, 2025
When climate change hits close to home, what happens to care systems?
As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, this question isn’t just theoretical—it’s becoming an urgent reality for caregivers, families, and care-focused businesses across the country.
I had the chance to reflect on this—and a whole lot more—in a recent member feature with FamTech.org.
At Smart Sitting, we’ve always believed in building thoughtful, resilient infrastructure around care.
This approach has been put to the test time after time through hurricanes and flooding, and it hit extra close to home for me literally and figuratively when the wildfires came to Los Angeles.
Climate Change
The climate crisis extends far beyond rising temperatures—it’s fundamentally altering the systems that families and caregivers depend on daily.
From closed childcare centers to overwhelmed healthcare facilities to sudden population shifts, these disruptions disproportionately impact women, who make up the majority of both paid and unpaid caregivers.
Despite these deep connections to family well-being, workforce stability, and public health, the Care Economy remains largely absent from climate resilience strategies and conversations.
Smart Sitting’s Experience
In the FamTech.org interview, I shared how our team navigated the LA wildfires while continuing to provide essential care services.
Building Resilient Systems
“Starting a few years ago at Smart Sitting, we began ensuring everyone was cross-trained on every aspect of their position,” I explained in the interview.
“We have a document, our Functional Accountability Chart, where everyone’s responsibilities are mapped out along with the person who’s their backup, and a third ‘just in case’ person.”
This preparation proved invaluable when the wildfires hit.
“Climate events have affected every one of us in each of our locations, often with little notice, and this has allowed our caregivers, families, and corporate partners to have smooth experiences, even if one or two of us have to go off the grid for a minute.”
Community Response During Evacuation
When the fires forced evacuations, our team’s resilience was tested in real-time.
“My LA associate, Kayleigh, and I both evacuated when the fires hit. All told, we each only took two additional days ‘off’ while we were in transit or not as typically available. The team stepped up immediately and without interruption.”
One of the most powerful moments came through community connection.
As I mentioned to FamTech, “While the fires were still going and spreading, the thing that surprised me the most was that even though I was reaching out to just about everyone I knew in LA to check in, I was incredibly touched by just how many people texted me to check in.”
Gaps in Climate Crisis Response
The LA wildfires exposed significant gaps in disaster planning for families and caregivers.
In the interview, I highlighted how the real challenges often emerged after the immediate emergency:
“So much of the work that had to happen with the LA fires became necessary after the fires.”
I shared, pointing to urgent needs like:
- Setting up emergency shelters for newly displaced residents
- Ensuring public spaces were safe despite ash and air quality issues
- Addressing widespread price gouging as displaced residents scrambled for housing
- Helping displaced students find new school communities
- Providing mental health support for collective trauma
- Securing safe drinking water despite conflicting public information
Systemic Inequities
The experience also highlighted stark socioeconomic divides in climate adaptation.
“For people with means, this translates to being adaptable and moving to a lower risk area, either temporarily during an emergency or permanently if necessary. For people without the financial freedom to consider this option, it would be helpful to have funding available for safe housing as a public good.”
The aftermath has triggered significant demographic shifts that directly impact the care economy: “The biggest trend I have seen since the LA fires is that LA families are leaving in droves, and many professional caregivers and domestic workers are available and having trouble finding work.”
Resilient Care Economy
Looking toward the future, the care sector needs coordinated approaches to climate resilience.
When asked what one change I’d make to how the Care Economy prepares for climate-related crises, I suggested creating “an interconnected ecosystem to identify needs and quickly and nimbly organize around our individual company’s sets of expertise.”
This collaborative approach could transform crisis response: “When a need arises, we take stock of the situation and offer those in need a suite of support that can be most helpful depending on their situation.” I pointed to examples like the LA Family Support initiative, which offered three complimentary days of childcare to families affected by the fires.
Scaling this concept could revolutionize care sector resilience: “We could analyze natural disaster trends, list the various ways each of us could support during and after natural disasters, and invest in a holistic FamTech.org Care Response for Natural Disaster Relief.”
Conclusion
At Smart Sitting, we remain committed to staying anchored in our core values during chaos, advocating for care as a central part of climate resilience conversations, and continually learning and building for whatever comes next.
One small but powerful takeaway for other founders navigating climate uncertainty: implement your own version of our Functional Accountability Chart.
When climate events hit with zero notice, clear roles with multiple backups can help your organization stay steady, even when team members need to go offline temporarily.
Join the Conversation
FamTech.org is carving out essential space for these critical conversations about care, climate, and resilience. T
o learn more about how the care economy is adapting to our changing world:
Together, we can build care systems that withstand whatever challenges climate change brings our way.