One of mine was to have an emergency kit ready. I already had one but was reminded on Christmas Day that my kit was not up to date when we had a TORNADO ALERT! This was a first for me because I am used to hurricane alerts but never before did we have a tornado watch.
Right on Christmas day, I was setting the table for lunch when I heard a loud BEEP: the familiar weather emergency signal from my phone. And flashing on my cell phone was the following message:
EXTREME ALERT: TORNADO WARNING IN THIS AREAL. TAKE SHELTER NOW.
Can you imagine the panic I felt? I suddenly realized I did not have a small diaper bag ready to bring with me. I always have a little carry-on luggage ready for emergency evacuation in case of a hurricane watch but for a tornado, the shelter is very close-by and tiny so we could not bring a luggage that big with us. So I scrambled as quickly as possible to get a milk bottle, some diapers and wipes and grabbed my baby and my boy to said shelter.
Thank goodness we did not get hit by any tornado but others in the city were not so lucky and people even died. It just reminded me of how deadly and swift tornadoes can be. But after that day I thought about updating my evacuation kit to include items for my newborn daughter.
Do you live in a region prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, or other natural disasters which would require you to evacuate? Do you have an evacuation kit? Do you know what to put in that evacuation kit?
The National Weather Service has a website with a special section for Hurricane Preparedness.
It shows you a ton of important information like how to build a Basic Disaster Supplies Kit.
There is even a section for kids with fun games to teach them how to get prepared.
Go check it out! :)
So scary! We don't live in a tornado-prone area but I really should have a safety kit in the car just in case.
ReplyDeleteIt's best to have one :) And it does not take much space, just a small bag!
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