The Art of Preparedness
Mother Nature provides us with great beauty yet there are natural disasters that are heartbreaking.
House fires can be devastating. Possessions that are near and dear can be lost in an instant.
Tornadoes can sweep entire city blocks of homes and businesses off their foundations and effortlessly toss automobiles onto their roofs while snapping off the tops of trees in a most unusual pattern. Your real protection from this event is to be underground in a storm cellar with your charged mobile phone.
Hailstorms can destroy roofs and decimate foliage with tree limbs attached. Vehicles suffer damage, windshields and windows can easily be broken, and animals left outside are pelted and pummeled with ice – hailstones as large as baseballs can be super destructive.
Earthquakes and eruptions have little to no advance warning. Suddenly homes, streets and businesses are disrupted. Crumbled walls, falling debris, no electricity or running water, and mayhem abounds when a Richter scale event exceeds 6 or 7.
Hurricanes and floods can ravage homes, roads, automobiles and leave everything a jumbled mess. The most sophisticated plans can certainly go awry when you’re dealing with water. There is no clear recipe to avoid water other than to relocate yourself, pets, valuables and loved ones so that you’re out of danger.
Looking forward into the future, seeing a different view from 30,000 feet means you can likely discern how to avoid certain calamities by adopting the Simple Art of Preparedness to make life easier.
Simple things that can mean so much if and when an unexpected turn of events occurs. Just having many extra candles, several flashlights and extra batteries, matches, a generator, at least a month of food on-hand (for humans and pets), along with cash and extra meds for a few weeks of inconvenience can be lifesaving and comforting.
Look at your automobile from that 30,000-foot view. Is everything in good working order? Tires? Regular oil changes? What about the interior? Telephone car charger, drinking water, change, ink pen, large paper note pad, a sticky pad, flashlight, lipstick, deodorant, fragrance, pain reliever, scissors, a multi-tool (pliers, scissors, knife, file – store this in your glove compartment), umbrella, small shovel, storable food, blankets, sleeping blanket, jacket, hat, gloves, matches, a lighter and an ice scraper if you live in a cold clime. Include a fully stocked first aid kit.
How about the exterior of your home? Hoses at the ready in case of an unexpected fire? Walkways well lit? Security cameras in place? Ring® doorbell installed? House numbers clearly visible from the street? Storm cellar easily accessible and well stocked with flashlights, extra batteries, blankets, non-perishable food, water, a crank for power radio and a bottle of wine with an opener?
What about your At-Home first-aid arsenal? Peroxide, alcohol, assorted band aids, bandages, cloth tape, triple antibiotic cream, scissors, Epsom salts, butterfly bandages, calamine lotion, pain relievers, 4 x 4 compress dressings, tweezers, sewing equipment, ace bandages and a bottle of whisky. (Learned that from watching old westerns with my dad).
Advance planning can prevent heartache and loss of material things. Stay aware, stay safe.