How I Am Preparing for the Next Natural Disaster

Sometimes you get lucky. One stormy April day here in Illinois, I was in the kitchen heating up a cup of water in the microwave and missed the warning bulletin that a tornado was heading our way. Blithely I returned to the sofa and -- as daylight disappeared, sirens blew, windows rattled in their frames, and neighbors gathered with pets and kids down in the Laundry Room, wondering where I was -- I sat there nonchalantly, sipping coffee and watching "Dr. Phil."

Nothing bad happened to me that day but not because I did anything right. What might have seemed like foolish bravado was really carelessness at best, coupled with a reluctance to abandon my home to the mercies of a volatile natural phenomena. That was wrong of me because -- if the tornado had blown part of my home away -- there would have been nothing I could have done to prevent it. I've thought about all this a lot since then and have taken certain steps to be ready for the next disaster which we can only hope will never happen. We can hope for the best but here are some precautions I have taken, just in case.

This is a pretty quiet neighborhood where hurricanes hardly happen. Still, the part of the building where my unit is has been struck by lightning twice and twisters sometimes come through. How well you survive a disaster often depends on how well you have planned ahead for these adverse turns of Fate. Yes, you've got to have a plan and these are some of the ideas I have been working on!

An Emergency Kit

If Hurricane Katrina taught us anything it is that it is very difficult to abandon one's home to the elements when escaping a disaster, especially if you don't know if you will ever see it again. It would be easier if you could take something with you. I have been working on assembling an emergency disaster kit which consists of a duffel bag packed with a couple changes of underwear and socks, a caftan, toiletries, oral hygiene paraphernalia, and other things I would need if I had to leave in a hurry and live somewhere else for a few days. Included in my kit is a small purse containing emergency cash and a roll of quarters, along with copies of insurance papers and other important documents plus a small book containing vital phone numbers, addresses, (e-mail and otherwise) and even passwords to gain access to websites on somebody else's computer if it should come to that. (My kit is a work in progress and I would welcome the ideas and suggestions of others.)

Even a little day-to-day organization makes a big difference.

Some important things come in for daily use and can't be kept packed away in an emergency kit ahead of time so an important part of my personal disaster plan has been to organize a system whereby I keep some of my most important items in the same exact place everyday. My home's messy interior nearly always looks struck by a tornado but if the worse came to the worst, one minute of sheer panic would be all it would take to locate my keys, cash, credit cards, checkbook, cell phone, medicines, etc in order to take them with me.

I've organized my closet too..

If I did have to leave hastily, it wouldn't take me long to roll up a few tees and slacks to add to my emergency kit because all my clothes are hung the same way over the poles which hold them. Matching tops and slacks are hung next to each other to facilitate the grab-and-go process.

The Getaway Car is parked outside

Leaving my home even for a while because of a disaster would be complicated by the fact that I depend on public transportation which works out beautifully most of the time but probably not in a crisis. Although we haven't planned ahead for a disaster, I have friends who would let me and my emergency kit ride along with them if the worse came to the worst.

More things to do.

Sometimes I think about disasters and other things I can do to be prepared, such as making a complete inventory of all my things and perhaps adding photos of some antiques and heirlooms to be filed along with other important documents in that infamous emergency kit. I would welcome any other suggestions my readers might have.

Finally ...

I'm trying to get a better sense of perspective about the things I own. Yes, my home and its contents are important but in the last analysis, it is all just stuff. Sometimes, survival is more important. So next time it looks like we are on the verge of being blown to Oz, I think I'll grab my emergency kit and join my neighbors down in the Laundry Room. That will be easier to do if I'm ready for it.