Your friend is right. Mad Max world isn't in your immediate future. Not even the most pessimistic forecast comes anywhere close
1) You have to be ready for terrible fires even if the future climate prognosis is great.
2) The residents of Paradise, California with substantial savings are going to be much better off than those without.
If anything, Paradise validates the idea that you should save and invest more in preparation for a hostile future rather than less. They aren't going it alone, they are still part of a large and functioning America.
I was responding to someone who said we would not see a Mad-Max-like world in our lifetimes; my point was merely that some people already are seeing such a thing. (Though I admit I never saw the Mad Max movie, so I may have missed the mark.)
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/10/un-says-climate-genoc...
+ The 20 warmest years on record have been since 1995
We're already experiencing it.
A small increase in temperature results in a significant increase in lightening which is the big worry.