My name is not Dorothy. I do not have an Auntie Em. I can not see across vast flat fields from my front porch. I do not even have a pet dog. However, the other day I did get a lesson in how unsafe it is to prescribe to stereotypes and live in the mindset of, “It won’t happen to me. It won’t happen here.”
Tornado touch-down. Estimated 100 MPH winds. It was close. Close enough I was honestly scared. My respect has soared for residents in areas that deal with this as part of everyday life.
Our experience was mild. It started with a text from an acquaintance that works in emergency services and had his scanner on while working. Tornado Warning. I raised the alarm to my family. Social media posts, as well as the wind, started whipping around.
My son is a member of Scouts BSA, and I was very proud he did not skip a beat. Admittedly, my husband does have him well trained to hustle when ordered to. He grabbed the emergency stash he had helped create and got to work on the space to shelter.
Those two had our personal “Room of Requirement” – the closet underneath the stairs that holds ALL those odd supplies you might need – ready in under five minutes. The three of us settled in with quilts, pillows, books, and devices to occupy us while we waited.
We inventoried our supplies. The emergency stash (previously discussed and arranged by my scout and my husband) included things I had not thought of – like a hatchet, candle, and lighter. Not for light. But to dig our way out. The hatchet has an obvious purpose for cutting and prying. The candle smoke would show us the best air draft which would be the easiest route to free air. When THIS is the conversation you are having with the ones you love the most, something inside you changes. This is suburban south Texas! This is Hill Country, not tornado alley!
Oh wait… yes, Americans face natural disasters.
I have been so blessed to have had very few experiences in my life that removed my American suburban luxuries. But those I have experienced are memorable. I thank my parents for turning the damaging weather event that was Hurricane Gloria in the 1980s into an adventure. No electricity for 10 days or so. But what I remember was the excessive barbecuing and getting to eat much more ice cream than normal. In 2011 when “Snowtober” hit Connecticut knocking out power for two weeks, my husband acted immediately using the snow that had just fallen as a freezer and moving food items around so they would not spoil. The family benefitted from his military training and sensibility. In this recent experience, the three of us worked as a fairly cohesive team because we had shared previous experiences, training, and knowledge. My son coincidentally is halfway through completing the BSA Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge. We all understood each other, the hypothetical needs, the actual situation, and it gelled seamlessly. However, we each had comments on how things could have gone even more smoothly.
When kids are little, they might wonder why they have to practice fire drills in brick and mortar schools. During this time of distance learning, these lessons on being prepared should not be forgotten. I encourage you to have an emergency preparedness plan with your household. Practice fire drills. Quiz your kids on the “what to do when” scenarios for your specific region. Have a Shelter-In-Place area, within your current sheltering in place lifestyle – I know, it is redundant enough that it sounds almost funny. Not funny was realizing that we were prepared, but we could have been even more so. Practice makes improvement. Re-evaluate. Re-assess. Re-establish.
Do not stop being diligent. Be prepared.
“Be Prepared means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.” -Baden Powell
Krowework by Ms. Crowe 