Are you prepared?



The images I have been seeing on the news in the last few days have been of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Sandy.   Who would have thought that 80% of Atlantic City, that we visited this summer, would be flooded and changed forever by the “Frankenstorm”.  To think that New York, such a big metropolitain city, could come to a complete halt and be left in the dark for so many days with shortages of gas, food and water.

I always felt rather secure in thinking that these kinds of disasters happen elsewhere, or in countries, far, far away.  But Atlantic City and New York…seem incredibly real and close to me.

When the news first started reporting on Hurricane Sandy, my daughter asked me if we were prepared in the event of an emergency.  She had read online about the 72 hour challenge which “encourages Canadians to be prepared to cope on their own for at least the first 72 hours of an emergency”.  I had also heard of this initiative a few years ago but did not feel overly concerned at the time.

I told her, we have lots of food in the freezer and a BBQ connected directly to the natural gas line to use for cooking.  We also have a gas fireplace to keep warm and that gas would never run out!  I actually felt pretty secure…but is thinking you are prepared, enough?

Hurricane Sandy also hit parts of New Jersey and wreaked havoc on houses near the shore.  Gas lines were seriously damaged and the gas supply was cut in order to prevent fires and explosions. 

So if this was to happen here, there goes my plan of using our “endless supply” of natural gas for cooking and heat.  And what if there was a shortage of water, could I survive on Diet Pepsi alone (always on hand in my house). 

Without gas to put in the car, could we even drive to get to the supplies we needed…and that is assuming, supplies would even be available. Would we run out of cash, as we only use plastic to make purchases.

It makes one reconsider the soundness of thinking that it always happens elsewhere and to someone else and that we would "somehow" get through it no problem.   

I am not worried about a hurricane coming down on Orleans anytime soon but other disasters such as earthquakes could happen here.  We have seen devastating floods in western Canada recently, forest fires in BC and even the great ice storm in Quebec and Ontario in the 1990s.

Of course, I am not going to go crazy and start stock piling food and water in my basement, but perhaps, I will visit the Get Prepared website and read up on making a kit to last the first 72 hours of an emergency.  

I believe everything happens for a reason and maybe, just maybe, Sandy will have had a positive effect on me and my family and will have brought home the importance of making a plan.

I hope that the people of New York, Atlantic City and New Jersey will be able to recover quickly from Hurricane Sandy and that I will never have to use my emergency preparedness kit.

How about you…are you prepared?