Everyday Canvas

Weather and Disasters

Prompt: With all the weather issues occurring around the world, what are some ways that people need to function together during a crisis? Is there something you and your family could during such an event? If you were impacted in the past, what did you wish people had done to help?

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First people should be ready for a disaster, as much as they can, depending on what kind of a disaster they might face.

For several days now, people have been working on our roof strengthening it. There was nothing wrong with it to start with and it had withstood the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes that hit our area, but since we didn’t have hurricanes for ten years and we live in the path of the hurricanes, we constantly do the best we can, but against a very strong hurricane little can be done in preparation, no matter how carefully one can plan. Cement block and stone buildings plus what they call a hip roof, concerning the shape of the roof, show better resistance to wind power, so it is a good idea for whoever wants to relocate to hurricane areas to keep those things in mind.

It could be difficult to get ready for a disaster if it’s the kind of disaster that suddenly strikes like an earthquake or a miles long or wide tornado. Still some safety measurements can be taken months or even years beforehand.

During a disaster, I don’t know what can be done, except to have a radio or some kind of a communication device available. Problem is, most communication devices do not work or rarely work during a disaster, but usually a radio works. So listening to what the local warnings are saying minute by minute is a good idea. In addition, checking on the elderly neighbors and people who live alone is a kind thing to do before and after any disaster.

The worst part comes after the disaster passes, because all local builders or fixer uppers of any kind are not available as their warehouses also are affected and the roads are not passable either. Listening to warnings help even more in the wake of a hurricane, as there usually are live wires on the roads and other dangers. Loss of life usually happens after the hurricanes because people are curious and want to know what happened to their town and to their places if they weren’t home during the hurricane.

During the 2004 hurricanes, we had three other couples in our house whose houses were wood frame, but we also wanted to face the disaster together. In our case, then, most people didn’t have any electricity afterwards. We were lucky to get ours four days later. At that time, Jeb Bush was the governor and he did a fantastic job, especially for our town, providing us with the protection of the National Guard and having water and food delivered to the affected areas, but we didn’t need any help because we had bought and hoarded enough supplies to last a month.

A month is a good measure for storing up water and other provisions because no one knows when and if help will arrive. I hope this year will be another good year, but natural disasters pay no attention to what people hope. If conditions favor them to hit, they will hit.