Tag: storm

Today as I write this, the news is amazingly full of bad weather reports!

• Wet weather for parts of the Eastern U.S.
• Showers, along with chances of thunderstorms from the Carolinas through areas of the Southeast
• Heavy rain and thunderstorms from areas of Nebraska through Oklahoma and into the Mid-Mississippi Valley
• Risk for severe thunderstorm development in the South-Central Plains through the evening with chances of damaging wind gusts and severe hail
• A cold front ejecting form the Northern Rockies kicked up showers and thunderstorms in North Dakota
• Out West, monsoonal moisture will maintain chances of showers and thunderstorms across the Four Corners, including the Southern and Central Rockies

And Hawaii is shaking off the arrival and passing through of Tropical Storm Flossie!

Do you know what to expect in your town tomorrow?

In your community, what’s the likelihood of damaging winds? Overflowing creeks and rivers? Flooded streets and intersections? Traffic lights out? Widespread power outages including your home or business?

Action Item: Check the weather report now, and every day! Download a severe weather app onto your phone. Simple, sensible, free!

 What emergency plans have you made for tomorrow?

Do you start off each day as always, trusting that you, your family, your neighbors and your car will get through OK? Or, do you consider alternatives, based on the weather report?

Action Item: Alert family members to the weather report. As appropriate, remind them of your family communications plan, change travel plans, check to be sure family members have their Survival Kits with them or nearby before they set off.

What’s the worst that can happen?

In most weather-related emergencies, a 72-hour period is all you’ll have to deal with. After three days, ground water will have dried up, streams will be back within their banks, the utility company will have restored power, and stores will reopen with full shelves.

If the worst happens, though, take a leaf from the book of Hurricane Sandy survivors. Even those whose homes were undamaged waited days and weeks for normal services to be restored!

A Survival Kit will keep you going for 3 days. Planning for a long-term emergency requires a lot more thought and the stockpiling of a few more items.

Sorry to nag, but . . . Do that emergency planning now. Better to have prepared or even over-prepared BEFORE the emergency hits than to not have prepared at all!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

You may want to take another look at the Shelter-in-Place section of

Our Best Long-Term Emergency Supplies Checklist

Prevent a disaster!

Some serious driver training represented in this photo!

You may not know that I drive a 1985 Porsche 944. I’m the original owner; the car is a “daily driver” and and I’ve had such fun with it, on race tracks, autocross courses, and hill climbs. The first week I had it, though, I almost killed myself. Fortunately, I didn’t, and after 28 years of excitement I can truly say it has been repeated drivers’ training that has kept me safe.

This message is for “above average drivers like me.”

You may be like 80% of all drivers, who think they are “above average.” (There have been many studies, both in the U.S. and in Europe, that have resulted in similar findings. Check out Wikipedia: “Illusory Superiority.”) All that confidence disappears, however, when you find yourself hydroplaning in the rain, or sliding sideways downhill on an icy shoulder.

And what about your “above average” children? Are they truly prepared for emergency driving? Would you trust them to drive in severe weather conditions? Do they know what to do when they’re suddenly in a skid?

Of course, we avoid driving when conditions are dangerous.

Sure, that makes sense. But in a real emergency, you may be required to drive – and that’s when training will be invaluable.

But when it’s necessary . . . ?

Nearly every Drivers’ School has a special course as a refresher for teens or for experienced drivers who want to sharpen their driving skills. It may take you a while to find the right one in your local area. Start by going online to your favorite browser and typing in combinations of the following words, followed by the name of your city:

• Bad weather or wet weather driving course
• Hazardous weather driving training
• Slick road survival
• Skid school
• Emergency driving course

First, you’ll just find advice.  But what you’re looking for is the opportunity to get actual experience – a class that gives you extended time behind the wheel on a skid pad or directly on wet pavement, ice or snow. Taking such a course is intense, exciting, and FUN! I’ve done ‘em all, with the exception of snow; most recently, I took a course right here in Southern California that featured emergency stops plus throwing the car into a 360 degree spin. I loved every minute!

Just like any other emergency preparedness skill, once you have practiced, you have a much better chance of reacting rightly instead of wrongly when necessary.

Consider giving an emergency driving skills course as a gift — to yourself and other family drivers. You’ll never regret it!