So you would have to be living under a rock to have missed all the coverage of the Chilean Earthquake. This quake happened around 3:30 in the morning when most people were in bed. M and I were discussing what we would do in the face of disaster, how would we survive if our community was destroyed and our usual reliances were gone. The problem with natural disasters such as earthquakes is you never know when they're coming or where they will be. What if you prepare and stock pile food, water and medicine, and then your house takes a direct hit, splits in two and is swallowed up by the earth as it rips itself apart? So much for planning, huh?
The same thing goes for fires. You can plan a meeting spot for family if the fire occurs while you are home, but what if it occurs while you are gone? My friend, L, had a fire/gas explosion in her home right after everyone left for work and school. Good thing you might think, the family was saved. Sad thing, there was still family at home, the animals.
Recently we had bizarre snow storms and power outages here. We were reminded how vulnerable we are, especially as we get older. Rooftops needed to be cleared of snow. Luckily we're still fit enough to do that, but our time for that is limited. We also had the funds to pay someone to plow our end of the street. What if we had no money? The power was out for about 36 hours. How do you stay warm, prepare meals, etc.? How do you get out if you're not lucky and have 4-wheel drive like we did?
There are so many variables to natural disasters, accidents, etc. Can we ever _really_ prepare for them? Maybe thinking about them ahead of time, thinking about the what-ifs, can prepare you a little bit. I think it's about being flexible, resourceful, and knowing who is around you who can be relied upon to help you. Our neighbors have been wonderful in all sorts of minor emergency situations, good thing too, since we have no extended family around here to help us out.
Things to think about as we get older and more vulnerable.
5 comments:
tHE OLDER WE GET THE MORE VOLNERABLE (SP?) WE GET AND HAVING mOM WITH MEDICINE ISSUES, IF THINGS WERE OUT OF WACK FOR TO LONG, JOHNNIE ALSO HAS MEDS....BUT THE FIRST THING WE WERE TAUGHT IS WATER DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH WATER STORED TO GET THRU ? MOST PEOPLE DO NOT.AND WITH OUT WATER THINGS GET BAD FAST. you can build a fire and cook the old way, but, I WORRY ABOUT POWER OUTAGES BECAUSE OF THE SALT WATER FISH TANKS, BUT WE WOULD BE OKAY FOR 3 OR 4 DAYS WITH FOODS & WATER PROVIDED WE COULD GET TO THEM IN THE HOUSE. I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE PLACED CACHE'S OUT IN THE DESSERT TO USE IF NEEDED.
Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.
I've always told my kids to know how to survive in the area they live. Know all the usual disasters that can strike that area and develop a plan for each one. If the area floods; know where high ground is. Tornadoes; know where the nearest shelter is. Everyone should have basic supplies in case the power goes out, especially in the winter.
As for fire; prevention is all we can do. Weird things, that we can't foresee, can cause fires. So we all just hope for the best. Right now I'm scanning all of our slides and photos and copying them to DVDs. I'll store a copy of our pictures in our safety deposit box.
Lately, I've been worrying about roof snow removal too. Z will leave home soon and L and I have both been having trouble with our shoulders. Roof cleaners are pretty pricey. :(
Being quite a bit older than you and M and living slone...I worry about quite a lot of these things....One good thing as far as Heat is concerned...I have Gravity Heat and that is not run by Electricity, so when we have had power outages and it is c-o-l-d...I am warm! I may not be able to cook anything, but I'm warm while NOT doing that...!
Its scary to think about that as we get older. Esp when you have so much invested in your lives and then boom its gone. I mean like you guys have a house and the kids are mostly grown but still. And you both have animals if i am correct.. I dont know how I would react.. You cant replace a family member.. Furry or not..
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