Get Ready! Get Set!

What not to do!

My daughter and grandson are preparedness gurus. We lived in South Florida for many years. We have all walked and driven through Hollywood, Miami and Fort Myers, Florida, only to find entire malls and luxury hotels standing vacant, stark reminders of the destructive power of past hurricanes. It is easy for me to recall the destruction of Hurricane Andrew, decades ago; remnants of the destruction still exist. More recently Hurricane Ivan cut a channel through Florida's Barrier Islands, decimating multi-million dollar homes. The roof of my daughter's own little house caved, allowing torrential rain to cascade into the living room. Displaced, she and her child rebuilt their lives in a damaged economy.

We cannot stop natural disasters, but we can arm ourselves with knowledge: so many lives wouldn't have to be lost if there was enough disaster preparedness.  -Petra Nemcova

In spite of a decade living in Miami Beach, I admit to having done a mediocre job of preparing my household for disaster. After many years of mountaineering and exploring desert terrains, I should be Uber Heidi, overly prepared at all times. But, I've been fortunate to live most of my adult life in Colorado. Did I say Colorado? Some of you will be wondering, at this point, just how fortunate it is to live here? Cyclic droughts, momentary weather changes, ferocious winds and devastating blizzards. We have them all, no big deal! 

For the last few years, though, Colorado has burned in the heat. Wild fires have become a familiar threat. Now, along with immense burn areas, we have experienced historic torrents of rain. The combination was deadly. News media throughout the world are showing footage of Colorado's disastrous flash floods. So what have we learned? I think emergency preparedness is part of the learning, at least, for me. 

Stepping up our games may be reasonably easy, because the information we need is available at our fingertips. Are you ready? FEMA has a preparedness community. Of course, we have organizations throughout the states, particularly in major metropolitan areas, dedicated to preparing individuals and institutions for emergencies. I now belong to the FEMA Preparedness Community. The Internet site contains a wealth of in-formation, as well as news. 

http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/READYNPM

No joke, whether or not climate change suddenly reverses, be prepared! If you're not particularly prepared, and looking for a place to start, begin today. It will prove well worth the investment.