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Hurricane Sandy Says it Again, "Disasters Are Not Going Away" - Prepare Now

Even as a follow-on Nor'easter is on its way, the message from Hurricane Sandy is clear... There will be disasters, they will be disastrous, and your neighborhood can be hit, so prepare now.  Everyone needs to prepare to evacuate or to shelter in place for at least three days after a disaster.  You can see from Sandy, three days is a minimum.

Get your emergency kit now.  I can tell you, we are seeing a great surge in orders as many have gotten the reminder message.

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Hurricanes and Other Disasters - Shop Before, Not After

If you are new to the hurricane game, here is a bit of advice from sad experience... "Shop before, not after."  People are probably a lot smarter today than my family was 40 years ago (a lot more media today), but it's worth passing along some wisdom for those who may not have experienced a hurricane (or other natural disaster) before.

While living in the Philippines in 1970, we experienced Typhoon Yoling.  A typhoon is the Asian version of a hurricane.  With winds at 130 MPH plus it was a harrowing experience.  This was our very first experience with such a storm.  We really did not know what we were doing.

We survived the storm and immediately hopped in the car to go to the grocery store.  Somehow we dodged downed trees and roof tops ripped from houses and strewn on the ground and actually arrived at the local grocery store.  The store was lit only by candles placed strategically on certain shelves and at the checkouts.  They may as well not have bothered with the candles because there was nothing left to buy.  The shelves were totally empty except for, as I remember it, a bottle of pickled pigs feet (literally).

I will never forget the site of a full size grocery store empty but for a few orphan items that no one considered particulary helpful after a monster storm. As I recall we bought nothing because there was nothing to buy - we missed the boat. We lived for the next two weeks mostly on the rice we had stored, whatever canned goods were in our pantry, and what we could rapidly eat up from our refrigerator and freezer.  This was a true survival experience.  It was around Thanksgiving time and so we cooked our turkey on a barbecue grill.  It was that or have it go bad as there was no electricity or running water for two weeks.

I'm sure that today everyone would understand that job one, well before landfall of a hurricane, is to stock up with needed groceries and supplies.  This is a lesson I will not need reinforced.  I will forever have the image of a single candle burning next to a single bottle of pickled pigs feet etched in my mind.

The time for preparation is "before the storm".  As applied to any potential disaster, shop before, not after.  Since many disasters do not give the lead-time that is often a luxury with a slowly approaching hurricane, there won't be time to get ahead of the disaster.  An earthquake, for example, will usually hit without warning.  The time to prepare and "shop" is right now perhaps days, weeks, months, or years before the need arises.  Now is the time to get your emergency kit and emergency supplies and then keep them up to date so you don't find yourself trying to shop empty shelves after he fact.

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Should You Evacuate In A Hurricane? If In Doubt, Get Out!

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the East Coast, many are asking themselves if they should evacuate to safer places.  While residents should obviously pay attention to guidance from local authorities, my own experience would say, "If in doubt, get out!"  Don't mess with winds that can gust beyond 100 MPH.  The winds and the accompanying storm surges and flooding can be deadly.

I have survived a direct hit by a super typhoon (the Asian version of a hurricane) with sustained 130 MPH winds.  I did this with my family in a house with a corrugated tin roof and large glass sliding doors.  It is amazing that we made it through without any injuries.  Not all were so lucky in that same storm.  In that situation in 1970 in the Philippines, there were no evacuation shelters to go to.  Had there been, it would have been wise to have use them.

Don't mess with Category 3 and Category 4 hurricanes.  If you are in a vulnerable area or live in less than a sturdy home, evacuate.  It is simply not worth taking the chance.  Historically, many who have stayed in less than safe situations have perished, and those who did survive would often have made different choices.  I know I would today.  It is very scary and dangerous to sit out the storm. 

Once you are trapped by the high winds and accompanying water, there is little chance to change ones mind.  If you do not evacuate early, there comes a point where any attempt to evacuate only exposes you to greater risk.  So evacuate early and ensure your safety.  Don't risk staying in harms way.  

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FEMA Urging Preparedness As Hurricane Irene Approaches

As the East Coast braces for a potential Category 4 Hurricane Irene, FEMA urges preparation for evacation and shelter in place.  Don't wait until the storm surge and damaging winds hit.  Prepare now if you live on the East Coast.

If you live elsewhere, think of this as one more reminder of the importance to be prepared at any time for any emergency or disaster.

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Hurricane Irene Could Be a Monster Storm on the East Coast

East Coast: Brace yourself and prepare to evacuate or shelter in place as Hurricane Irene may be a Category 4 monster storm with winds in excess of 131 MPH.  Do you have your emergency kit and emergency supplies?

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First An Earthquake, Now a Hurricane - Be Prepared and Hang on East Coast

Hey East Coast, don't get so focused on the ground shaking from the Virginia earthquake that you forget to prepare for the greatest hurricane threat in the last three years, Hurricane Irene.  Some forecasts are calling for Irene to strengthen to up to a Category 4 Hurricane with winds of over 155 miles per hour. Make your evacuation and shelter in place plans now. 

The combination threats that have been evidenced in both the earthquake and this hurricane, make it clear that we all need to have an emergency kit and emergency supplies ready for any emergency or disaster.  Don't wait to prepare until the threat is evident.  Be secure by being prepared at all times.

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Huge Sinkhole In Guatemala Reminds Us of the Risk of Sinkholes in the United States

There are those pictures of the aftermath of natural disasters that give us pause and remind us of the many natural dangers that exist throughout the world.  Then there are pictures that cause one to do more than just pause.  They STOP you!  This picture of a sinkhole in Guatemala City did the latter to me.  I was just held spellbound and in awe.

I have seen pictures of sinkholes before, but I had never seen anything this ominous.  This sinkhole came in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agatha that ripped through Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador over the weekend dropping more than 3 feet of rain and killing at least 180 people.  The sinkhole dropped a three story building and a house into the abyss.  Apparently a security guard was assumed dead in the fall.  It is unclear if others perished as well. The Guatemala sinkhole is approximately 60 feet wide and 30 stories deep and is expected to continue to grow. 

Such sinkholes are "relatively common" in Guatemala as much of the country sits on top of a network of limestone caverns.  it seems strange to call anything as vast as this sinkhole "common".  However, water over time can wash away the fragile limestone and the surface can then suddenly give way.

This image of a sinkhole in Florida makes it clear that many areas in the United States are also at risk for sinkholes. In the United States sinkholes have caused the greatest amount of damage in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Tennessee.  Other states such as Michigan also experience them.

Though sinkholes can be caused by totally natural forces, they also are often the result of breaks in water or sewer pipes that then erode the surface soil.  Such was the case with this sinkhole in Portland, OR.  

There is suspicion that the Guatemala City sinkhole may have been caused, at least in part, by a broken sewer line.  The seepage from the sewer line may have saturated the ground prior to the heavy rains that caused the final collapse.

Such natural occurrences remind us of the need to be prepared for emergencies and disasters no matter where we live. 

Sinkhole incidents specifically are a reminder of how quickly we may have to evacuate our homes or places of business.  Having an emergency kit at hand that includes copies of important documents and information may lessen the personal impact of such a disaster.

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2010 Hurricane Season Could be "Extreme"

Though the National Weather Service is not scheduled to issue its hurricane forecast until May, at least one hurricane expert is already predicting a potentially extreme hurricane season.  Joe Bastardi of AccuWeather.com sees a season more like the 2005 season that brought us Hurricane Katrina, than the 2009 relatively mild hurricane season.

This prediction of a very active hurricane season for 2010 is in line with the early predictions of other hurricane experts.

With the traditional hurricane season set to begin June 1 and last through November, now is a good time for those on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts to begin making sure that their hurricane emergency kits and emergency supplies are ready for a potentially active hurricane season.

More on 2010 Hurricane Season predictions.

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