I grew up in sunny Central California, and I now live in Southern Oregon. Weather emergencies aren’t something I’m terribly familiar with. We don’t get hurricanes or tornadoes. No blizzards or electrical storms that take the power out for days.
I’ve experienced a few earthquakes in my time, but I’ve never been near the epicenter. Once my parents lived through a flood, but I was married and living safely 100 miles down the road.
But even though I live in a low risk area, it’s important to be prepared for an emergency. Since our area isn’t used to lots of snow, on the rare occasion that we get several inches, life pretty much shuts down around here.
I first learned that lesson when my daughter was about one year old. It snowed. There were a few inches on the ground, and the police pretty much encouraged residents of our county to stay off the road. Those of you who live in the Midwest, don’t laugh. People around here don’t know how to drive in the snow really well. We don’t have enough snow to practice!
Anyway, back to the story. There was snow on the ground, we were supposed to stay off the roads, and we ran out of diapers. Not good. We piled into the car and slipped and slid down to the store, just to buy a package of diapers. It was a scary ride, let me tell you!
But what I learned is that no matter where you live, you need to be prepared for an emergency. Keep extra food on hand. Canned food is great. Even if you don’t normally eat it, by keeping canned food on hand, you will have something to eat if the power goes out. It might not be the tastiest food, but it will allow you to get by.
Keep bottled water on hand. Pipes freeze. Water sources are compromised. You need to make sure your family can survive, if you can’t get water from your tap. Be sure to also keep extra medication and personal hygiene products.
Since that snowstorm 10 years ago, there have been many times I’ve been glad for an extra food supply. I still haven’t lived through a major disaster (and hopefully I never will). But when it’s snowy or the kids are sick, it’s nice to be able to put off a planned trip to the grocery store, because I know I have the basics covered.
For a full list of recommended emergency supplies, please visit the Red Cross website.
Photo by D’Arcy Norman.
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It’s also important to have an emergency kit in the vehicles. Not just a first aid kit but things like nonperishable food, water, blankets, flares, and seat belt cutters.
Glad to know that we aren’t the only place that can get shut down by a couple inches of snow. :-) We have learned to be prepared ourselves, though usually the issue here is more likely to be a hurricane that came inland and knocked out power. Fortunately then heat is not an issue (well at least not needing it), but water, food, etc are always needed.
And make sure that if you have canned goods that you have a manual can opener. For years my neighbor always came over when the power went out for this very reason. We were always glad to share ours, but it is amazing how many people forget them until there is no power.
I just shook my head the other day. It rained here in Phoenix and so Tim said we should stay in. It’s so rare here, people don’t know how to drive in it. And back in Seattle, I tried to stay home whenever it snowed or got too icy. Seattleites can’t handle those road conditions. But at least they have the excuse of a lot of steep hills that aren’t snow & ice friendly.
Growing up in Alaska, this all baffles me. I grew up with conditions that meant we regularly had to leave the water running, so the pipes wouldn’t freeze. (When it did, my mom — ever frugal — would use a hairdryer to thaw it rather than call an electrician, which cost a bundle.) They had to plug in their cars on bad nights, so the things would start in the morning.
We also had flashlights and candles/matches for power outages. (Since this also meant no heat, we knew to pile on sweaters and blankets. Once or twice, when it went on too long, my mom would turn on the stove and open it for a bit to help us warm up. Obviously, though, this wasn’t safe for long/very frequently.
Growing up in a cold climate, you learn to always think ahead. Except for that brief period we euphemistically called “summer” in Anchorage, you had to carry two sets of shoes. In the fall/winter, your regular shoes were in a bag so you could wear your boots. In the spring, you had rubber boots on to deal with all the slush. So I guess I should be grateful my parents raised me somewhere that gave me foresight.
Lynnae – You are absolutely right to recommend that people be prepared for natural disasters. I lost a home to the May 3, 1999 tornado that hit Oklahoma City. It was the largest and most ferocious F5 twister ever recorded.
We were in the bathtub when the tornado hit. It is an odd feeling to walk out of your neighborhood in the dark knowing that your house has major damage and your cars are trapped in the garage. Fortunately, we had a church family that took care of us for the next several days until we could get back into our neighborhood and start finding a new place to live.
I can’t emphasize enough the need for a strong support system and a plan for where you might go if you’re house becomes uninhabitable for any reason. This will greatly reduce your stress should you ever have to face this situation.
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. It is very important that you cover the basics because in times of chaos, these items will mean the world to you and could save your life.
Great article. Thanks for the tips. It’s good to be prepared for emergencies, even when you live in Sunny California like me!
This is something that I have thought about after the floods in Atlanta earlier this year. I need to give some thought to a plan and make sure that I have the best flood insurance possible.
I have read a book about Gov’t Grants and I hope it could help those who are having problems financially or those who want to put up a business in the future. It’s very helpful. It’s called:
How to start or grow business using government grant money – Directory of grant funding programs
We have a pretty big snowstorm coming this weekend in the mid-Atlantic region. Our Baltimore and DC tv stations will have pictures on the news tomorrow of people going to the store to stock up, especially on bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper. We we all need to make French toast is beyond me, but that’s the joke around here. Actually, why the newscasts need to have this every single time we get a snowstorm is also beyond me because it’s not news anymore!
I’m taking care of what I must do tomorrow so we can be snowed in and make loads of Christmas cookies and spend some family time together.