by Winding Pathways | Sep 7, 2017 | Preparedness
Images in the nightly news from Houston during and after Hurricane Harvey are heartbreaking. It will take years for flooded communities and families to recover.
Harvey reminds us that disasters can happen anywhere at any time. Some are relatively predictable. For example, tornadoes and hurricanes are most likely to hit certain places during parts of the year.
Other disasters are impossible to predict. We remember that years ago a worker accidentally set a fire that burned an enormous quantity of Styrofoam insulation in the roof of a sewer building near our home. Clouds of toxic smoke billowed out, and the mayor ordered an immediate evacuation.
Fortunately, we were prepared. Within fifteen minutes we loaded our survival bin, sleeping bags, a tent, drinking water and our two young kids in the car. An hour later we were camped well away from the smoke.The next day the fire was out, the air clean, and we were home.
Everyone should make emergency plans and acquire emergency items in case of a disaster that shuts down local stores and utilities or forces an evacuation.
Click on the Preparedness Section of windingpathways.com for specific tips on how to survive disasters and a list of suggested items to stock in a disaster kit.
by Winding Pathways | Nov 3, 2014 | Preparedness
Zombies and Ebola are all the rage and have people worried, but they are a less likely threat than power outages.
Massive storms, like this year’s East Coast Halloween Horror, that dropped up to a foot of snow in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and have caused power outages in the Northeast and curtailed transportation are the serious hazard people should prepare for.
Could your family ride out a couple of weeks without electricity following a blizzard, ice storm, or major flood? Or leave on a moment’s notice if a fire or even lava flow threatens? (Think California and Hawaii) Taking simple steps in advance will make enduring days without power and out of your home a relatively comfortable time.
Winding Pathways encourages families to prepare for a big storm by assembling a kit containing easy to acquire and relatively inexpensive items like nonperishable food and water, and things most people never think about – like having a stash of cash on hand. Remember, credit and debit cards don’t work without electricity. A backup heat source that doesn’t require electricity keeps pipes and people from freezing should a power failure knock out the furnace.
This is the time to get ready for that weather emergency. For details check the Winding Pathways Blog on Preparedness . It includes detailed tips for disaster preparation.
