Viewpoints: Natural Disasters

Natural disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the worst natural disasters to live through are floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and mud slides.

Have you ever lived through a natural disaster? Do you know what to do? Are you prepared for all consequences? Or would you be one of the people who was totally lost when the unthinkable happened?

This is the topic the viewpoints members are going to cover today. Let's see how they would handle everything.

Each panel member is expressing their personal views and thoughts on the topic. Individual opinions and viewpoints are what make for lively discussion and interesting debate. Whether you agree with them or not, you have to admit it was enlightening!

Have you been through a natural disaster? If so, what type?

Lynn: As a small child, my family went through flooding in Denver prior to the institution of flood control measures on the Platte River which flows through Denver. As a young adult (college) I went through two blizzards. And now, as a homeowner, I have just gone through Hurricane Ike. I also evacuated for Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Amy: Floods my hometown. Athens, Pa is prone to them. Few Blizzards over the years too.

First flood 1972 I was 5 years old and living on the hill we were not directly affected but our parents brought us to the highway and we seen the town flooded, unreal. In 1976 it flooded again not badly though. Near the end of June 2006 the rivers came up to the banks and the town was evacuated. My house sits right between the rivers as I live in town. My house got no water in it thank goodness, but electric was turned off as a prevention measure by Power Company. I lost everything in the frig and down stairs chest freezer... tough thing for a single mom.

Blizzard of 93 had to remove my chronically ill child into town within a block of the hospital in case he needed it. We got 5 1/2 feet of snow within 24 hours, unreal. My husband was back in a trailer with our other two children and I had no contact for 3 days.

C. Wilson: When I was 10 years old we had a really bad flood in our area and we lost everything. My dad had just gotten a new truck, we just got new furniture, new T.V, everything new and we lost it all. The water was so high that I had to ride on my dad's shoulders as we were being evacuated. My mom fell down and fell flat on her face in the water. It was so scary. We had to go to a shelter for the night until we were able to leave the area to go to a family member's house. I will never forget that day as long as I live. Just recently, a little tornado came through our area and literally uprooted three of our trees. These were 70 to 80 feet tall trees. We had never been through any kind of tornado before. We live in a trailer and we thought the trailer would tilt over but it didn't, Thank God. We brought all of our dogs in the house. The funny thing is, we didn't even lose our power but this last storm we had was just a little bit of wind and we lost our power for two days.

What is your evacuation plan?

Lynn: I think Hurricane Ike proved that relying solely on the Saffir-Simpson scale to determine the power of a hurricane is a grave mistake. Prior to Hurricane Ike, my plan was to stay in my home and shelter in place for category 3 or lower storms. The plan was to evacuate for category 4 or 5 storms. Now, I believe each storm must be evaluated not only using the Saffir-Simpson scale, but also using the new IKE (Integrated Kinetic Energy) scale in order to determine the potential level of destruction. Where I evacuate to depends a lot on the strength of the storm and the trajectory, as well as extenuating circumstances. (Am I volunteering during the evacuation? Will my destination allow my pets to stay with me?)

For Hurricane Rita, which was a category 5 storm heading for Galveston, I evacuated to Brownwood, TX to help a friend open and run a Red Cross shelter. For Ike, I choose to evacuate to the west side of Houston with a friend. My main concern with Ike was flooding potential. And, frankly, I did not want to go through the storm alone.

In general, I would normally evacuate to the west and or northwest for hurricanes.

Amy: Flood, well I got kids and we walked to my boyfriend's apartment 6 blocks way up a hill back in 2006. Grabbed birth certificates and health records and split after putting computer and other important stuff up high as I could. Once at my boyfriends we called my mom who came and got us.

C. Wilson: Hmmm, I have never thought of an evacuation plan because we don't usually get bad storms around here to where we have to leave. The two I mentioned in number one were the only bad storms I had ever been through. Of course, no one ever really knows if or when a really bad storm can happen, so I guess I better think of something. I do know that I need to be more prepared for things like this.

What's in your natural disaster preparedness kit?

Lynn: The word "kit" is misleading. For Ike, I prepared by setting up a shelter room inside my house. I included food, water, medical supplies, critical documents, flashlights, cleaning supplies, trash bags, weapons, tools, candles, butane lighters, battery-operated lighter, fully-charged cell phone, a cot, sleeping bag, additional blankets, pillows, cat food, cat box, a suitcase of clothing and toiletries, sturdy shoes, a sewing kit, my laptop, and reading materials.

My "bug-out" supplies were a subset of the materials mentioned above, excluding the cleaning supplies, trash bags, tools, candles, and sewing kit.

My winter travel kit includes a scraper/snow brush, knife, sleeping bag, water, candles, lighters, "backpacker" food, TP, and a shovel.

Amy: I knew the potential for flooding in 2006 so I prepared a bag of food and the important papers and left them by my door.

C. Wilson: Well, I don't have one because natural disasters hardly ever happen where we live. Something to definitely think about though and when I do get one prepared I know it will have extra batteries, a first aid kit, flash lights, candles, matches, bottled water, and I am sure I would think of other important things to add to it.

If you have young children, how do you prepare them for natural disasters?

Lynn: I don't have children; I do have "fur babies." Although I am not a parent, I think being calm and honest with children is the best possible course. With pets, having food, water, carriers, leashes/halters, and a couple familiar toys seems to make the transition fairly simple.

Amy: Important to be honest with them, mine were older 2 years ago (teens ) so it was easy. When I got the evacuation orders at 3 am, I woke them up and we were walking within ten minutes. Each was allowed to carry one bag and was responsible for it.

C. Wilson: I don't have any children and I have never thought about a way to prepare them if I did have children.

What's the longest amount of time you've been forced from your home because of a natural disaster?

Lynn: Ten days is the longest time I have been out of my home, and that was because I was volunteering while I evacuated for Hurricane Rita.

Amy: We were out of our house for 3 days, I know that is not bad. The smell of the rotten food was not good but we survived.

C. Wilson: Well, since the big flood when I was 10, I would say about a month until we had to move to a new place. Our house and things were destroyed in the flood and we had to live with my aunt and uncle for about a month before we found a new place to live. The new place was a hotel right beside a restaurant where my mom has been working for 18 years. We lived in that little hotel for 9 months before we finally found a real house to live and we remained in that house until I turned 18. I was 10 18 years ago so I am not even sure we were staying with my aunt and uncle for a month. I know it wasn't very long but I do know the hotel was 9 months because it seemed like the longest 9 months of mine and my parent's lives.

This recent small tornado, my husband and I didn't have to leave our home because the only things that were destroyed were a few trees.

Would you like to share a personal story about a natural disaster you've been through?

Lynn: My stories pale by comparison because I have been truly blessed and spared.

Amy: I wrote a story about the flood of 72 and wrote t from my point of view when I was 5 it is on Associated Content.

C. Wilson: I already did in question number one. Sorry, I got ahead of myself here.

What do you consider the most important thing to remember during a natural disaster?

Lynn: Be innovative and flexible, think on your feet, and stay calm. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Count your blessings, and help friends and neighbors according to your abilities.

I have one more question. It's about two natural disasters that happened recently.

Amy: Keep calm and in focus. If you're a single mom like me you have to be focused, calm and collected or kids will be afraid. I was so afraid in 2006 but did not cry until ray met us and sent my kids up to his apartment without us. i am so glad he was there.

C. Wilson: Leave! Get you and your family and pets out and forget about material things. You can replace material things but not lives.

Do you think things were handled well with the recent hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas?

Lynn: I think that state and local officials have gained a clear understanding that Federal officials and resources will be slow to respond, despite promises to the contrary. Power companies have long had mutual aid pacts in place, and that has helped in both Louisiana and Texas, as well as in other states impacted by the storms. Kudos to all the first responders, all the volunteers, all the linemen, and all the neighbors looking out for neighbors.

Amy: Yes, as far as I could see it was, but then again it did not directly affect me. I think the warnings were too much though, inspired panic with some but better to be safe than sorry i guess. The comments from the media about social security numbers on arms were too much.

C. Wilson: I don't know because I wasn't there. I think when they allowed a person to take their pets with them that was handled well. Some people did not want to go without their pets and since they were allowed to take them, they got out and saved their lives. Some people might not think of pets as part of the family but I do and a lot of other people do as well.

Living through a natural disaster is frightening. There are things you can do to prepare yourself and your family. Learn everything you can about the natural disasters that happen where you live. It's better to be safe than sorry.