Some blame global warming, some say its because we can hear about it on our TVs more often but no matter how you slice it, no matter where you live, you should be prepared for an emergency due to an act of nature. Mother Nature does not care where you live or what you have experienced. If she decides to throw some severe weather at you, you are going to get it and you had better be prepared.
Recently, the area we live in was hit by a hurricane. We were very lucky in that it had been downgraded a lot by the time it reached us. That didn't stop it from destroying roads, cutting off power, phones, and Internet service, isolating many areas, and damaging homes. We were very lucky. Our power stayed on after blinking a few times. Our Internet hung in there after threatening to crash and our house stayed in one piece. We were able to watch debris fly by and gawk at the rivers flowing in what were city streets just a few hours before.
Did I have an emergency kit prepared? Would I have been ready to evacuate our house at a minutes notice? The answer is no. I do keep extra supplies available. We would have had enough test strips, insulin and pump supplies to last us in isolation for a week or two but I would not have been prepared to leave our house. That is something I may have to fix.
Living where I do, and where I have lived previously, I tend to worry more about being stuck in our home and not being able to get out. I have seen power outages, ice storms, and roads blocked by snow or rain washouts. I am great at stockpiling. We usually have water stored. I have a lot of candles around and try to make sure that we have a lighter somewhere--there is something to be said for the days when everyone smoked, there was always a lighter handy!
Its easy to make light of Mother Nature when you have managed to avoid the bulk of her wrath. A friend kindly told me the other day that it was all of the good karma I have accumulated over the years for all of the diabetes work I do that protected us. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but I will take all the good karma I can get and I will rework our diabetes drawer to be more emergency prepared.
Take a look at your region. Are you ready to be evacuated because of flooding or landslides? Could you be hit by an earthquake or socked in by a snow or ice storm? Never take for granted where you live. When a chronic illness is in your house, make sure you are prepared for the worst. If you are unsure what people keep in their diabetes emergency kit, please look at the list we compiled at http://www.diabetesadvocacy.com/emergencysupplies.htm and lets all be safe!
No comments:
Post a Comment