Do You Have A Plan?

The tornado warning was announced this afternoon. We were fortunate that by the time the storm with the tornadic cell in it made its way east over the Quabbin Reservoir towards us, it had broken down. We felt very fortunate as we watched the bright red and orange of the radar collapse down to solid green and the tornado warning was lifted. But before that happened, we had to think about where we would go - the cellar. And what, if anything, we would bring down into the cellar with us.

Back in 2002, there was a terrible fire out in the southwestern part of the United States. It was called the Show Low fire in Arizona. I vividly remember a television interview with a resident who had been ordered to evacuate as the flames raced toward her home. She spoke about that awful moment of not knowing what to grab and throw in her car as she fled the inferno.

I sat down that same day and made a list. The limitation was it all had to fit into our Subaru wagon. Obviously, if your home is on fire, you get your family and yourself out, everything else is secondary. But if you have sufficient warning of the need to evacuate due to an approaching fire or flood or severe weather, it’s much better to be prepared. Take a few minutes to make a plan and a list of what is necessary to have with you.

Here’s a link to the American Red Cross Disaster Services Page. You’ll find lots of tips and checklists to help you be better prepared for any and all possibilities. Here’s hoping that doing your homework now, will be like carrying an umbrella keeps away the rain!