Look up! Clear your head of coronavirus news for just a minute. Notice the sky, and the light. Feel the breeze. It’s spring! What’s coming next?
As someone always conscious of preparing for the future, I have recently been reminded by friends and experts that some unusual events are just around the corner. And we need to be ready!
What am I referring to? Why, dramatic weather!
- Do you live in “Tornado Alley?” Tornado season has started – with April, May and June being the peak months.
- The wildfire season is just around the corner, too. Traditionally most dangerous in the fall, the fire season in California has lengthened by 75 days. Fire departments are urging people to take the time now to “fire harden” their homes.
- The official hurricane season for the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico runs from June 1 to November 30. Experts have already named 16 tropical storms – and 8 of them are expected to reach hurricane status.
- In the Northeast, mosquito season will be starting before April is out, and will last until the first frost in the fall, typically in October.
- And while it’s not exactly related to the weather, everyone in the Pacific Northwest needs to keep one eye out for earthquake activity in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. It stretches from Vancouver Island to Northern California and has a lot more pent-up power than the famous San Andreas fault.
Oh, my!
Virginia, why are you giving us more to worry about?!
I’m not meaning to add to your worry. I want to add value — because I have the feeling that you may be one of those people not ready to bury their heads in the sand. For people like you, these weather-related events are another aspect of ordinary life and while they are challenging, they are welcome in their very ordinariness.
And you can take advantage of their coming!
Smart preparations you can make for what’s coming next will hold you in good stead for nearly all that’s coming! So now is maybe a good time to review some of the basics of your emergency plan. For example:
- Do you have food supplies over and above what you need right now? Yes, it’s tough to shop when you are “sheltering in place,” but I’ll bet you have a much better idea now of what’s really essential!
- Can you take some time now check out your home? Do you need to clear out weeds or dead plants? Secure a porch or patio to withstand the wind? Finally, you’ve got time!
- With the family at home, now would be a good time to practice some safety drills – like where to reassemble after an emergency, or what to do if there’s a fire. Turn these into family learning experiences!
It’s scary and depressing being overly focused on the bad news from the coronavirus.
Taking positive action can make you feel a whole lot healthier.
And in the case of emergency preparedness, taking action will give you a measure of peace of mind.
That’s what I’m striving for, anyway!
Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team
April – A month of Action
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Good advice! And we DO have time to plan ahead right now!
Yes, sometimes that time seems to stretch into infinity . . .! We’ll all be glad when things calm down, but in the meanwhile, I’m trying to keep busy with positive actions. I want my blogs to be one of those actions!
While at first glance this might seem like a downer, it is actual facts that people often overlook until they are hit by the unexpected and should have been expected. Great reminders that for some of us, we might just be spending more time in and around our homes that we forsee at this moment. thanks for reminding us.
Thanks for grasping the whole picture I was trying to paint. As I wrote, it was very late at night — but I wanted that message to get out! Virginia