By now..most people in the Northeast have power back in their homes and have dug out from the freak storm that hit our area. Due to the time of year and the trees being full of leaves….this storm was particularly devastating. There were severe power outages due to the large number of trees and limbs that came down. This caused major breaks in power lines and a large number of transformer fires. All this adds up to a pretty terrible event and one that hopefully taught us all some lessons.
1. Emergencies can and do happen all the time. Even when we don’t expect them to.
2. These events create very dangerous scenarios: live downed power lines, falling debris, loss of power, slippery roads, fires, etc.
3. Emergency response personnel become overwhelmed and can’t get to every emergency immediately
So…this once again should teach us that we all need to be better personally prepared. We need to all learn to become our own “first responders”.
*Did you have the kits and supplies you need?
*Did you have a plan in place of where to go and what to do?
*Did you know what resources were available to you?
My true hope is that each time we face these events…we learn something and more importantly we take action. Take at least one step now towards better preparedness and I can assure you that the next emergency (and their will be one) will be just a little bit easier for you to get through.
In the meantime…be well and be safe.
Paul Faust