Good morning, everyone, My name is Ms. Hill and I will be your substitute teacher today. Please don't throw the chalk. Our lesson today will be a review and reflection on a past Natural Disaster, and how and why we can prepare for upcoming ones. With Hurricane season just a few weeks away, there may be a test soon. I hope we all pass with flying Colors.
The first Natural Disaster I remember was the Blizzard of '78. We were snowed in for days, no power, no running water, no phone. I was in High school. Because my family was prepared, it wasn't traumatic or even exciting. It was pretty ordinary, even kind of boring. We lived in East Tennessee then, up on the mountain. Power outages were frequent, so my folks had plenty of hurricane lamps, and battery operated radios. We heated with a coal furnace which ran fine without electricity. We had a Franklin stove, which not only kept the living area toasty, but kept soup/stew/chili etc simmering. We were also able to heat water for washing up. Those were pre-internet, and pre-cable days, and tv reception where we lived was iffy during the best of times. We relied on books and games for entertainment. IIRC, that was the winter I read the entire Sherlock Holmes Canon.
During the day, we kids tramped across the snowy yards to play in the snow with cousins that lived on either side of us, and do chores. There were always chores to do. We were also sent to check up on our needed a break. Granny grew up during the depression and had the tendency to buy a little extra and set it aside in case of emergencies. She had whole rooms of stuff. Every summer and fall she canned enough food for an army. We could have been snowed in for years and she would not have run out of food.
It grew dark early, in the mountains, in the winter. We put water on the back of the stove to heat while we finished up our chores and ate supper. Afterwards we listened to the radio for about a half hour, (Dad rationed the batteries)and played a few hands of rummy, washed up the best we could, then went to bed early. It was kind of boring, a little grimy, but just not that big a deal.
We were out of school almost three weeks.When we returned, my classmates were full of harrowing tales of survival. (Remember, we were teens, so everything was exaggerated just a tad) Friends shivered in the freezing dark. They ate cold Spam out of cans. A few lucky ones who could get out went to visit relatives in Georgia and Florida. Some very unlucky ones had to stay in makeshift shelters at the school and National Guard Armory.
I don't remember being scared at all during the Blizzard and its aftermath. I don't recall feeling panicked, like some of my classmates did, or worried we'd run out of food or heating. But that experience has stayed with me. I felt proud, (and, I shamefully admit, a little smug) that my family had sailed through the blizzard just fine. Self-reliance is a core value in Appalachia, and one Ive taken to heart.
That idea of self-reliance and being prepared for emergencies was pounded home while watching the coverage of Katrina on tv. It broke my heart that so many needed help and they were not getting it. I thought "Wow. We really are on our own." Until then, I had thought of being prepared for emergencies in terms of being comfortable and not eating cold food. Katrina showed me that my life could depend on how well prepared I was.
I have been through several Natural Disaster-Blizzards and ice Storms, tornadoes and flooding. So far, I have not slept on any cots in a high-school nor eaten Spam from a can and I'm still very much alive.
These are some things Ive learned.
FEMA and other agencies say people should keep three days of food and water in their homes in case of Emergencies. IMO- this is the absolute minimum. It should be more like two weeks. I live in a rural area where it could easily take that long for power to be restored, or roads to be cleared after an ice-storm. If you store food (which you should do) make sure you have a way to prepare/cook it and you have a can opener. I have a gas stove which will work with no electricity. A camp stove will work very nicely- though make sure you have fuel for it, the room is properly vented, and oh, its a good idea to figure out how to use to before you need to. I knew a rather brilliant graduate student who was freaked out during a power outage because the only cooking he knew how to do was with a microwave. You can use a grill outside. Or in a pinch, a candle in a tin can will at least heat water for hot drinks/soup.
Water is especially critical. Bottled water can be pricey- but think how much more pricey it is just after an disaster. You can of course buy bottled water- or you can by reusable water containers and fill out of your tap. I have a big orange five gallon Rubbermaid container, a six gallon blue water container, and several pic-nic water jugs picked up here and there. You can also re-use soda or gin bottles. You can use plastic juice bottles if they are washed out thoroughly and sterilized with bleach. Don't use milk jugs for drinking water, but they are great for storing water to flush toilets.
Keeping warm and dry is very important, especially for elderly or very young children. Hypothermia is a great danger. I have flirted with it, and now have a great respect for what it can do. A tip to remember is that you lose a lot of your body heat through your head. Wearing a knit cap will prevent a great deal of heat loss- I have slept in them, when camping, and in some very cold houses. Hot drinks help. Make sure your emergency heat source is safe. Its no good surviving a snow storm if you die of carbon monoxide poisoning or fire from a faulty space heater.
Conversely, in Summer, keeping cool is important. Here is where water is once again critical. I keep powdered Gatorade on hand through the hot months. Some other nifty products are the individual tea/lemon powders for water. If your water is treated, or chlorinated or boiled and it tastes weird, powdered instant tea/Kool-aide/lemon aids make it more palatable- helpful with kids. I like Emergen-C. Its a "vitamin-packed" powder that makes water taste better and gives yo a little boost-which is useful in- well, an Emergency. I keep packets of Emergen-C and Gatorade in my car in hot weather.
Take some time, (like now) to think about what kinds of disasters you might face. Lets look at my area, for example. This week, in the forecast we are looking at several days of rain, with probably thunderstorms in the afternoon. This is Primo Tornado season, so Thunderstorms in the afternoon are something to pay attention to. Tornados/heavy rains are highest on my probable disaster list. We are coming up, in a couple of weeks, on Hurricane Season. Now, I live considerably away from the coast, but we have been smacked by remnants of Hurricanes. High winds and heavy rains are a possibility. Easy afternoon prep for that is make sure I have 3 days to 2 weeks of supplies laid in. More involved preps are keeping trees trimmed away from the house and power lines, and making sure the basement is clear and accessible.
I'm not too far from the New Madrid Fault, so earthquakes are possible, but not probable. Still, I have secured my water heater and bookcases, and I don't place any heavy or breakable objects on high shelves.
Fire is not a high hazard at this time. I'll address fire and winter hazards later in the year, probably around September. Indoor fire safety is a subject for another time.
Keep a listen to the weather forecast. If the weather starts to look dicey, pay special attention to weather watches and warnings. If the Emergency Management Folks say to stay in, in the name of all that is Holy, STAY IN. I can not tell you how many people have told me they were out driving around last Sunday, massive rain, water rising, every Emergency Management official and weather man begging people to stay in and they are suddenly compelled to go to Church or their sister's house or to buy cigarettes or whatever.
But, if EMOs tell you to evacuate, then please leave. Right now would be a good time to make a plan as to how you would evacuate and where you would go. If you or someone in your household are elderly, or have a disability, or a medical condition, please make arrangements for help in case of an evacuation. A back up plan is a good idea. If you're healthy and in the prime of life- look around your neighborhood and see who will need assistance. If you have family away from you- kids in college, Mom in another state, make a plan on how you will contact each other or where you would meet up if you should have to evacuate.
This diary is running long, but I feel like Ive just scratched the surface. The key to getting through a disaster is to keep it as non-traumatic or even boring as you can. Stock up on food, water and medicine you might need. Don't forget your pet's needs. Make sure you have a safe heat source, or depending on the season, you have sufficient water and electrolytes. Make sure your are stocked up on necessitates like tp, cigarettes (if a smoker) cat food, etc. Make sure you have a non-electric radio so you can receive news/warnings/advisories. Stay where you are safe-most likely in your house, but be prepared to evacuate if needed. Hopefully, you will spend the worst of the disaster curled up on your couch with a couple of pooties and a hot drink reading a good book.