It seems to me, with all the talk we've heard about El Nino coming to our state this year, that state and local agencies would be ready. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Here's an example. My mom had an area in her backyard that accumulated a lot of water. She decided she needed sandbags on hand in case of heavy rain, so she went to the local fire department. She got there and was told that they had no sand bags on hand, and that when they do, you are just given the bag and have to fill them yourself! That's no problem for a 40 year old, but for a 92 year old, that might be tough. Anyway, she ended up going to Home Depot, where she was able to get the sandbags. The point is, that local fire departments should be stocked and ready to go. They're not.
Citizens can do much to prepare as well. Clean gutters, check drains, make sure the roof is in good repair. Also, have food and water on hand. There is a possibility that you might not be able to get out of your house for a few days, so have a week's worth of canned goods and water on hand. Also, flashlights should be checked, and fresh batteries should be handy. Finally, every house should have a transistor radio. If your power goes out, a transistor radio will give you emergency information. We're all hoping for a lot of rain, but let's also hope we get a little at a time. Saturated ground will cause hill slides and home slides, and rapidly filling rivers will more than likely cause a few crazys to try to kyak or swim in rushing water. Let's all try to keep safe.
Friday, December 25, 2015
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Good advice Susie! Here in north central Wa State we are already experiencing el nino...haven't seen this much snow here in a long, long time. Prior to that we'd had a hurricane force (75 mph)wind storm, downed huge pines throughout the city, we were without power for 3 days, a lot of the city up to 9 days (our son Corey, and his family, was without 7 days), in freezing temperatures. We've since bought our first generator, and are well stocked in food and water supplies. We have always had an emergency radio, that is solar powered as well. Sure is comforting to know we are better prepared for the next time around, and there will be a 'next time' the way things are going!
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