«-- Four Letters Re: Questions from A Not-Quite Convinced Reader | Main | Note from JWR: --»
Letter Re: More Observations on the Aftermath of Hurricane Dolly
Dear JWR and Memsahib,
On June 30, in a response to "Help with a Non-Preparedness Minded Spouse",
I shared the thoughts of like-minded men in a group meeting regularly with
my husband to prepare for survival needs. Due to the lack of female companionship
I was experiencing, and the frustration my husband's buddies were experiencing,
I offered to start a "Ladies Auxiliary" group to motivate the wives
to see the value of preparing for emergency survival. Living near the coast
of Texas provides us with the challenge of hurricanes each summer, so that
became the topic for personal and immediate preparedness.
We had NOAA hurricane
tracking maps, National Hurricane Center Weather Service information, hurricane
terminology lists, emergency preparedness time lines,
steps for a family plan, lists for emergency/bug out kits and first aid kits,
what to do before, during and after the storm, links to pet plans, and how
to secure your home, help for the elderly, online vulnerability awareness of
communities, plans for escape routes, and the Contraflow Plan for one way traffic
during evacuation, all in binders with appropriate tabs. At the back of each
binder, I placed a print out from the well-known Red Cross web site which showed
kits for general emergency equipment such as three day pack, AM/FM shortwave
radios with flashlights, and cell phone chargers. There was an article on how
to put
together a 72 hour kit and another on clarifying and purifying water. The final
article was on dangers in the world right now. (The Internet is an invaluable
source of information.)
I sent out invitations, planned snacks, set out chairs, provided TV trays to
set binders on for note taking, sent out my husband for hi-liters, then waited
in hopes of an hour or so of introductions and preparedness discussion. About
half of my ladies came and they stayed for four hours of in-depth planning!!
The ladies who couldn't come that day came the following week and also stayed
for four hours, with the same results!
The short story is that three days after meeting with my latest group of ladies,
the coast of Texas was visited by Hurricane Dolly. Like everyone else in the
area, we were busy boarding up windows, filling the bathtub with water, bringing
out the flashlights, batteries and radios. The lights went out and we were
off the grid for about 22 hours. We got our generator to working for a window
AC unit and refrigerator and were able to connect a neighbor's fridge until
the lights were back on. We lost one tree branch and developed a small ceiling
leak. A neighbor came by and prayed with my husband for protection before the
storm. We were spared from local flooding but have seen piles of branches all
over town. Unfortunately, other towns have had serious flooding and property
damage.
I was able to disperse additional booklets to half of my ladies to file in
a front pocket of their binders before Dolly hit. The new booklets are sealed
in waterproof Ziploc bags and have charts that I wish I had when I was first
married. The charts provide space for valuable information on certificates
for births, marriage, insurance, important phone numbers, emergency items,
banking, safe deposit box, investments, medical info, property inventory, Social
Security, military, adoptions, etc.
I have been able to speak to one of my ladies who couldn't be thankful enough
for the planning we did. She stockpiled water in her home and tried to spread
the word in advance to everyone she knew. Unfortunately, she told me that some
did not prepare and now have serious flooding problems, and have limited drinking
water. Hurricane Dolly came upon us very quickly and those who did not prepare
early are having serious problems. FEMA is
waiting until cities can finish local evaluations before they move in for assistance.
So [ladies and] gentlemen, don't give up if you or your friends have a "Non-preparedness
Minded Spouse"! Consider the natural hazards your area is prone to experience,
such as: earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, winter storms, volcanoes, landslides,
fires, wildfires, hurricanes, thunderstorms and lightning, hazardous materials,
etc. Begin collecting information addressing safety needs in your own locale
and gently take your spouse and family on a fact sharing mission to prepare
in a very real, practical way to protect your loved ones if a natural disaster
should hit your area. From there you may be able to move on to even greater
plans before something permanent hits the fan. Good Luck! - Charlotte R.
