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

Stretched To The Limit

Thursday February 25, 20120

Does anyone else, besides me, feel stretched to the limit? I am not talking about the normal post holiday weight expansion. I am referring to not having enough time, energy, or money to take care of all the things which need tending to. I can't be the only one torn by both the medical needs of older family members and the child care needs of young grandchildren.

I believe there have to be a lot of other people out there in similar circumstances and I think we should form a support group for ourselves. Just consider the possibilities, the power, should we band together and organize. There would be strength in our numbers. We could use this strength to lobby for a fairer and simpler system. We could start with a universal diaper coupon; a coupon good on any size from preemie to adult extra large. The same fairness should hold for buying formula whether it is similac or ensure. And what about day care? Why can't we drop everyone off -babies and old folks- at the same place. Their needs of diapering, feeding, and nap time are basically the same.

Okay all kidding aside, if we can become this frazzled with our family responsibilities during normal times can you imagine would happen during an evacuation? I can certainly imagine the scene and it is not a pretty one. Our only hope is to get organized now. You should start by compiling a list of the basic supplies necessary to care for each family member you are responsible for. As you do your grocery shopping each week purchase a few items from the list and store them with your personal evacuation supplies. This preparedness won't make all of the stress disappear but hopefully it will reduce it.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Southern Snow

Friday February 12, 2010

I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee where (at least during my childhood) the term southern snow referred to year's cotton crop. During the baling and transport of the harvest many fluffy, white cotton bolls managed to escaped and fill the warm, blue, southern skies. Soft cotton spheres would be carried by the winds and collect in cotton drifts on the curbs. A child could construct a cottonman in bare feet and not worry about the creation melting. Snow was an unfamiliar weather condition which came rarely in my childhood.

Well obviously that was long ago and a much different world. Nowadays cotton is plastic wrapped so not to lose a single boll and the entire South seems to be blanketed in snow for long stretches during the winter. Every day a new snowfall record is reported. Take, for example, the Dallas-Ft.Worth area which reported 12.5" of snowfall in a 24 hour period from February 11-12th. This was the snowiest period of time in the area's recorded history.

All of this extreme weather makes it vital to learn some cold weather terms.
1. Frost/Freeze Warning-below freezing temperatures should be expected
2. Winter Weather Advisory-your area is likely to have snow, sleet, and
freezing rain. The roads may become hazardous.
3. Winter Storm Warning-All of the above weather conditions will happen.
Take precautions to prepare for them.
4. Blizzard Warning-Go to a safe shelter at once. The area will experience
snow accompanied by strong winds. These weather conditions will combine to
produce limited or no visibility, high snow drifts, and life-threatening
wind chill temperatures.

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com

Sunny California?

Friday January 29, 2010

I recently returned from ten days in Southern California, at least I think I was in Southern California. Everyone knows the PR on Southern California--a land which has constant sunny skies and tons of beautiful people living beneath these skies. I am wondering if that version of Southern California is constructed and then filmed by some sort of movie magic because that was definitely not the land I was in. The place I visited was gray, wet, and cold.

No truthfully it was worse than that, much worse. There were fierce rainstorms, brutal winds, and floods. The area also experienced hail and a tornado. As a result of this lovely weather there were road and interstate closures, wide-spread power outages, and emergency evacuations of 2,000 hillside homes. The citizens of this sodden land were not the attractive people I had expected to see. Of course I admit it is difficult to look good when your hair and clothes have been soaked and your make-up is smeared all over your face.

The entire time I was out there I had a piece of a song lyric stuck in my head. "It never rains in Southern California" by Albert Hammond was on a loop in my brain. It was my personal protest song against the terrible weather I had to endure during my visit. I came back from my trip more aware that everyone needs a good evacuation plan. You never know what you will have to evacuate from--the hurricane, the fire, or maybe even the rain.

P.S. When I got home I looked up the complete lyrics to the song. I should have paid closer attention to Mr. Hammond's message which states "It never rains in California but, girl, don't they warn ya It pours, man, it pours."

Additional evacuation information available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com