go-bags
The tornadoes that hit Joplin, MO last night are horrifying. The Washington Post has a round up of stories and videos. The video just less than halfway down the page, "What it sounds like when a tornado hits" ? That is easily one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. Heard, rather, for the video is mostly too dark to see anything.
With the overabundance of natural disasters hitting on a worldwide scale lately, I thought it was time for a PSA of sorts.
Do you have an emergency plan, for disasters both natural and un? Are your family and close friends aware of your plan- where to look for you if lines of communication are down?
They say that in plane crashes, many of deaths are not from the actual crash, but because afterwards people simply sit there, apparently thinking "This can't be real," or waiting for someone to tell them what to do next. Fires rage through and they're too deep in shock to react. Bodies are found still belted in to their seats, dead of smoke inhalation rather than trauma. The ones who survive say that they have thought about it before, what they would do, exactly how they would react. Preparedness makes survival actions instinctive, rather than needing to stop and think about what the best course of action may be.
Disasters can hit any of us any time. Talk with your household. It's unpleasant, sure. But talk about it anyhow. "What would we do if...?" Hold drills, just like schoolchildren.
And vitally, have your go-bags packed and easily accessible. It does you no good to have the perfect go-bag if it's back deep in a dark closet or hidden away in the attic. Survival supplies for 3 days is the general rule of thumb- that includes at least a gallon of water per person. Some guidelines on what should go in your go-bag are available at 72hours.org , Speedbird , and the CDC. But don't put it off until you have time and money to assemble the perfect kit- at its most basic, you need copies of vital papers, few days worth of your medications, flashlights, a blanket, basic first aid kit, and a few protein bars. Add to it as you have time and money. It's not much, but it could save your life.
And your life, my friend, is very important to me.