Are You Prepared?

Major disasters are a fact of life. Now and again Mother Nature simply has to “do her thing.” I’m not trying to make light of the terrible events that can occur when I say this, but since nearly all of us are vulnerable in one way or another to her whims, I feel the central question becomes … Are You Prepared?

Nearly every state in the Union is susceptible to some kind of disaster. Based on the whims of Mother Nature, one might experience any one (or more) of the following: forest fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, major snowstorm, hurricane, landslide, tsunami, or … ??

Admittedly, some areas of the U.S., because of their location, are relatively immune to the massive disasters that Mom Nature can inflict, but this does not make them totally safe. In these days of climate change, many are experiencing drought conditions and even insect infestation. Some readers can probably name other inflictions common to their state.

So, taking all this into account, the question remains: Are You Prepared?

Do you have reserve provisions on hand? What about a generator? Do you have some freeze-dried food stashed away? Medical supplies? Pet necessities? And most importantly, have you stored a LARGE supply of water bottles? The value of this last item becomes evident in the following incident that happened to a fellow blogger.

“Scottie” and his hubby recently suffered through the Florida hurricane. Wisely, they took heed of the warnings and left the area where they lived, so they stayed safe. However, when they returned, they found a section of their home had received some major damage. Fortunately, the rest of it was still livable and this allowed them to at least “make-do.”

However, the water and sewer systems in the area were damaged and they had no electricity. He wrote the following in one of his updates to his readers:

We dipped buckets in the pool to get water to pour into toilets when the desperately needed flushing. With no sewer system working we had to be careful not to fill the lines or it would backup into the homes. 

As soon as I read this, I wondered how many of us realize the many and several uses that water plays in our daily living.

In any case, if you are someone who has not made any emergency preparations, perhaps it’s time to give some thought about stashing away at least a few supplies … both in your home and in your car. The potential dangers of the area in which you live will help you decide what you need and where to store it.  Since my other-half and I live in an earthquake prone area and don’t know what the shaking will damage, we have supplies stashed away in several locations.

In any emergency, it is the “unknowns” that always need to be considered, which is why it’s so important to take a few moments and ask yourself … if a catastrophic event were to take place where I live …  Am I Prepared?

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Image by Lavir Hamil Lavir from Pixabay

Be Prepared

Many of you have undoubtedly heard or read about the recent snow storm in the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern part of the U.S. that fouled up a number of heavily traveled highways and caused many motorists to be stuck in their cars overnight with below-freezing temperatures.

Waiting in the frigid weather for the roads to be cleared, many of these folk intermittently started their engines and ran their heaters in an attempt to keep warm. Of course they had to be careful not to burn too much gasoline … which meant the benefits were often short-lived.

However, above and beyond keeping warm, some of these motorists (especially those with children) had an even bigger concern. They had no food or water.

While snow storms may not be a problem where you live, there are other conditions/hazards — flooded roads, downed trees, accidents, etc. — that can create serious delays in one’s travels. In most instances, such obstructions are cleared within a few hours and you’re able to continue on your way. However, there are no guarantees since each predicament is different. You could very easily be stuck for an extended period of time.

This is why it’s vitally important that you always carry food and water in your car.

It doesn’t need to be any more than a couple of protein bars and two to three bottles of water per person, but every individual that drives a car should have some type of food and water available in case of emergency. PLUS, if you take scheduled medication, I’m sure you recognize how important it is to carry an extra dose with you at all times.

Further, in the wintertime, it never hurts to throw in an extra jacket or sweatshirt (maybe even a blanket). Just in case.

Life is unpredictable. We never know what’s just around the corner. For our own sake and for those we care about, it’s always a good idea to Be Prepared.

P.S. If I’m preaching to the choir, all the better. But if you’re someone that hasn’t given much thought to these extra precautions, perhaps it’s time you did.

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Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay