I SAW THE LIGHT!

Tuesday March 30, 2010

I saw the sun shining today! It was only a brief encounter before the sky turned cloudy and gray again. Still, I really saw the sun shining brightly for a brief time and it filled me with hope. I understand that there might be some people reading this and thinking, "So what if you saw the sun?" Please allow me to explain. It had been a very long time since the sun had graced me with its warming rays. In fact, I had just about given up on any spring weather showing up this year.

Yes, I was aware that the calendar was claiming that spring had arrived. Yes, I saw all of the brightly colored shorts, bathing suits, and sundresses displayed in the stores. Yes, I was encountering the packs of spring breakers running around Florida and partying like there was no tomorrow. However No, I simply could not believe it was really springtime while I still had to bundled up in a jacket, sweater, and boots in order to stay warm.

Something is obviously very wrong here. I live in Florida and we are only one day away from April. I should not be denied my fair share of springtime's warm worry free weather. After all the start of the hurricane season, June 1st, is only two months away. I believe everyone needs the gradual warming of spring's weather in which to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. What will happen if we are denied this transition time? When the weather is this unseasonably cold it is easy to pretend that summer and early fall, seasons of glorious and sometimes dangerous weather, are a long way off. Will people start to prepare? I hope they will "see the light" as I did and be inspired to start their hurricane preparations.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Saving School Photos

Wednesday March 24, 2010

This week one of my granddaughters had her kindergarten class photograph taken at school. The taking of school and class photos is a much bigger deal now than it was when I was a kid. Back then you were herded into one very long line and plopped down on a stool in front of a plain screen. You were given about two seconds to look up and smile, hopefully in the right direction, before being herded off again. One memorable year the school photos were taken directly following P.E. class and everyone's dirty, sweaty, and exhausted image was captured for posterity. Nowadays the photographer is likely to bring a variety of backdrops and props and take more time with the shot. I have also actually seen teachers and aids straightening the clothing and hair of the children. The resulting photographs turn out much better. This is good because your photographs are important.

During disasters many people loose their precious photographs. This past week a lady named Cathy Long gave me a helpful suggestion regarding the safeguarding of your photos. Cathy is a teacher who lost her family photographs, among many other possessions, during Hurricane Katrina. However all was not really lost because Cathy always had extra copies made of all her pictures to share with relatives. Following the disaster, copies were now made of the relatives photographs and sent back to replace what she had lost.

So it pays to be generous and share all of your family photographs (even the school ones) with a friend or relative living outside of your area. You would be not only be brightening their day with the photos but would also be establishing a backup collection of your family's photographs.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Maybe Prayers Really Work

March 16, 2010 Tuesday

Following the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake which rocked Chili on February 28 of this year I, along with many others, grieved for all the impacted population. I thought how helpless they must have felt to have faced such giant devastation without any warning. I also felt helpless to not be able to assist the survivors immediately.

Then my thoughts turned to the tsunami danger which had been created and unleashed by this earthquake. I wondered how bad the tsunami would be and where it would go. Would Hawaii be hit by another deadly tsunami? It was natural for me to think along these lines since I have spent a great deal of time in Hawaii through the years on business or vacation. During my visits there I made friends with people who had lost family members during past tsunamis. Every time I would hear the horns blaring in the monthly tsunami drills I would look out at the Hilo harbor and remember the people who had perished there.

So I was in front of my TV watching the live reports from Hawaii and praying that the tsunami would not be so bad and that everyone would managed to evacuate before it arrived. Maybe prayers really work because most of the tsunami waves which hit Hawaii's shores were less than 3 feet and not deadly. Hawaii got really lucky and dodged a natural disaster bullet.

The state of Hawaii deserves to be congratulated for a job well done related to the evacuation of their citizens. Almost everyone was asleep in bed when the first warning sirens sounded. Still in just 5 hours between 40 to 50 thousand people had evacuated to high ground, buses had collected the homeless population from beach areas and transported them to safety, boats and ships were moved to safer positions, and critical supplies had been deployed should they be required. Could the mainland states do as well? Once again I am praying that we could.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Earthquake evacuation?

March 10,2010

I have had a great many inquires lately related to evacuations and earthquakes. This is not surprising since there have been three major earthquakes (Haiti, Chili, and Turkey)already this year. Earthquake activity is closely monitored by scientists around the world and their research supplies the public with some very valuable information. These scientist are able to tell us how big and where an earthquake is likely to happen. They can even predict what the likely effects on the impacted area will be. The big problem is that science has not yet discovered a way to tell us when the earthquake will occur. It could be tomorrow or it could be fifty years from now.

I consider earthquakes are one of the very worst natural disasters because they strike without warning. I am sorry to report that without this critical warning you will not be able to evacuate from an earthquake. Everyone must first survive the earthquake and then they can consider whether or not to evacuate.

Here are the basics to surviving during an earthquake. FEMA reports that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave. So try to remain in your immediate area if at all possible. If you are inside seek immediate shelter under a heavy desk or table and hold on. You should stay away from exterior walls and any heavy furniture or glass objects which could shatter or fall on you. Anyone finding themselves outside during an earthquake should go to an open area away from buildings, trees, and utility lines.

There is a lot of useful information about earthquakes at www.earthquake.usgs.gov

Additional evacuation information is available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com