Food for thought...
It was really emotional for me to watch the Hurricane Katrina coverage that has been on marking the 2nd Anniversary. As I watched the footage and listened to story after story It really hit home that this sort of catastrophe could happen to any of us at any given moment. We have are guard down, or at least I believe mine is down. These people had no idea that their entire lives would be turned upside down, and for most of them life would never be the same again. A disaster could affect any of us. I think we are just so used to hearing about trauma on the news and never really stop to imagine it at our own doorstep. Which leads my busy brain to stir up all kinds of questions for myself...
What would I do? Say my home was destroyed and the insurance company was exhausted and looking for every way out of covering the damage. Say my family was living in a shelter, at the mercy of perfect strangers to help us rebuild our lives. I feel like I have things under control in my life, but what happens when things spin out of my control?
This evening I was chatting with my Dad and he asked me about an emergency plan. Hmmmmm? Well, I would load everyone up and drive to safety right? What happens if we are all trapped in the house for an extended period of time with no power? What if, God forbid, there is a terrorist attack on our own soil and driving to safety is not an option?
• How do I plan survive and keep my family safe?
• Do I know where to find a flashlight?
• Candles, lighter, matches?
• Would I be able to track down all of the items for the kids in the pitch dark?
-diapers, wipes, medicine, sippy cups, blankets, etc.
• Would I have clean water for them to drink in case of a shortage?
• Food, milk, etc?
• Important documents in one safe place, cash, important phone numbers?
• How about some way to entertain the kids and keep them calm?
The answer to some of these questions is No, scary as it is. We rarely stop to think of these things, so call me paranoid, but I am bumping it to the top of my list of priorities. Things have changed a whole lot from the days of me worrying about just me, I need a plan! Do you guys think about these things? Do you have a plan of action? Why in the world I am spinning my wheels about this I have no idea, maybe I need a good book;)
6 comments:
Uh, this one has me stumped. Seeing as though I live in earthquake territory I SHOULD be able to answer a yes to all of these questions and yet I cant. Thats horrible and scary. You really have me thinking now. I need to get my stuff together.
My husband and I have talked about this alot. I used to have some sort of long term food supply in case of emergency, and 72 hour kits for our family, but in the moves I got rid of them (expired, clothes to small, etc.). Thanks for reminding me that no matter where we live it is important to have some sort of emergency plan and storage. CostCo used to have individual 72 hour kits. I think I'll put getting those together at least as top of my list......
I just stumbled across your blog about a week ago. I think the first post I read was about ripping through the package of animal crackers and writing on the mirror with lipstick...it really made me chuckle and think my Husband would so do something like that!! Anyhow, this is a great post. It is so true, we all jump when something happens and then as time passes we get comfortable and don't think ahead to the next time. I use to hav a lot of these things planned out but now with for children which is really why I should have a plan I have totally put it out of my mind....that is until today...thanks for the reminder!!
Rachel
Oh, I have so much to say about this wonderful post...
One of the best things that I've heard in the coverage of Katrina this anniversary was from Anderson Cooper. In a nutshell, he said "Look at how these people were treated and what they are still going through, because when the next disaster comes, and it WILL come, that is how WE will be treated."
I've been slowly accumulating items for emergencies. Our last item was an emergency radio with all the bells and whistles. (It picks up television channels on the radio, too.) I HIGHLY recommend you get one, most importantly with a hand-crank.
Depending on your personality type and how frightened you become, read (or DON'T read) The Road. It made me appreciate the importance of planning ahead!
Thanks to you I ordered some emergency supplies from CostCo, including a radio with a hand crank. Thanks for putting the fire under me!
By the way, forgot to mention that we have two survival books (Mike likes reading them):
SAS Survival Handbook
and
US Army Survival Manual
The first one is definitely better for emergency situations and even has sections on different disasters and how to prepare.
Thought you might like to know. I figure I don't have to know everything in the book, just have the book ready so I can look up what to do if it happens! :)
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