Surviving Mother Nature

Last weekend Mother Nature let us know that she was “alive and kicking” by giving the Northeast a wallop with Hurricane Irene. It has been a while since the Northeast has had such force and devastation affect us.

Throughout the week all the meteorologists and government agencies had been preparing for the worst and advising the public of what precautions to take. It is rare for us in New York to evacuate – but, evacuate is what we did: hospitals, the Jersey Shore, the Rockaways and many parts of Long Island.

On Friday evening as I was driving home for work I stopped to fill up my car with gas – there were long lines at the pumps similar to when gas was rationed in the early 1980’s, I stopped by the grocery store to stock up on staples: milk, eggs, fruit – it was mayhem and there was no bottled water left. When I got home I went to my patio and removed the umbrella from the middle of the table and took my bar stool patio chairs and laid them on their sides, my plants I put close to the house and hoped for the best.

I was quite surprised to wake up Saturday morning and see no rain or wind. I took advantage of the time and ran to get my haircut and then prepared myself to be housebound for awhile. It wasn’t until late Saturday night and Sunday that Hurricane Irene made her appearance into the tri-state area and she let us know she meant business.

I and my family were all fortunate to not have any damage – and the only thing issue was that my nephew lost power for a period of 24 hours; but, was fortunate to be able to plug his refrigerator into his landlord’s generator. Most of my East Coast friends also sustained very little damage with just some power outage, minor flooding; but, nothing that is totally devastating. The hardest thing for some of us was the inability to get to work on Monday; but, with telecommuting we were still productive.

This isn’t so for many individuals, stores and even towns. There are pictures of whole towns which are stranded as the roads leading to them have washed away. People who watched their houses just topple over because the ground was too wet and the foundation gave way, or those whose businesses lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory and structural damage.

A friend of mine said that her Aunt commented: “God is trying to tell us something”. Those of us in the Northeast had a week with a tornado, an earthquake and a hurricane – maybe she has a point. But, the real question is: “How do you prepare and do you know what to do?”

Hurricane
During a hurricane you want to have the following supplies on hand: bottled water, flashlights, non-perishable food, batteries and a transistor radio. Should the hurricane come towards you – seek shelter in a room with no windows that is somewhat in the interior of your home. Now that it is over consider having a tree company take a look at the remaining trees on your property; just because they are still standing does not mean that they are healthy and they can sustain the next set of winds. And, lastly, where is your home insurance policy? You want to make sure that you have that near and are able to contact your insurance company as soon as the storm is over.

Earthquake
When we had the earthquake early last week – many New Yorkers were stunned as to what to do, where to go and how to handle it. It is not something we generally have – I can remember a couple of earthquakes that occurred at night when I was sleeping and was woken up by the movement; but, this one happened during the day.

Many folks ran out of buildings – the smart thing to do especially if they are tall; but, given that New York City is a city of skyscrapers you do not want to stand in the street. The falling debris of glass, scaffolding, concrete, etc. will be what will hurt you. The best thing is to be in an open field like Central Park or to take cover under heavy furniture like a desk. The old adage of standing in a door frame is no longer valid either.

Tornado
And then there was the tornado – many Midwest homes have that basement like in “The Wizard of Oz”; some homes have them in the Northeast and then some don’t like mine. Again the best thing to do is to take cover in your bathtub in your bathroom especially if it does not have any windows. You want to be in a room that has no windows and will shelter you.

Finally, be responsible. Several people died or were hurt or put others in danger trying to save them because of their shenanigans. There was a father and his daughters deciding to jet ski on the Croton River, people who drive through puddles not realizing how deep they are and many more STUPID (for lack of a better word) actions that were taken during this catastrophe. If you do not value your life – then consider the lives of those individuals who will try to save you from your foolishness.

Remember: Heed the Warning and Prepare.