Life is great when the lights are on, the house is warm, and the sounds of television hum in the background. Sure old man winter may be bellowing outside the window or the hellish winds and fiery rains of the apocalypse could be beating down your door—but if you’re safe and comfortable inside—what else matters?
But what happens when that changes? When the power goes out, the TV shuts off, and your crispy warm house starts to cool off faster than your last love interest when you mentioned, “that little problem?” What do you do when your cell phone service dies, there’s a run on the bank, and the convenience store is sold out of batteries? Well, aside from robbing the people who got there first, you my friend, are out of luck.
Two nights ago things got a little crazy here in Ogden, Utah where I attend University and most people were caught with their pants down—especially the college students. If you’re like me, and most Americans for that matter, you probably don’t watch the news, and if you do, there really wasn’t much of a warning for what happened. The news did mention a “high winds” warning, but seriously, high winds? Ohh! A ghastly gust this way cometh! Hide yo kids, hide you wife, and hide yo husbands cuz’ we got a strong breeze up in here! Seriously, do you think anyone listens to a wind warning?
The next day I woke up, stumbled through my morning routine, and made my weary-eyed way to school. I staggered up the stairs like an Irishman coming home for the night and reached the locked doors of the English hall as the clock tower bell struck the eight chimes of my tardiness. Locked? What? I banged on the door, looked around and realized I was the only one on campus, and woke up pretty quickly. “What day is it?” I thought as a fellow student came jogging to the door and opened it from the inside.
“Hurry up!” he said, “It’s crazy out there!”
Three hours later I was finished for the day and made my way to the lower floors to head off to work. The doors were still locked and wrapped in more tape than a crime scene while security was patrolling the perimeter like this was a high profile prison and not a low level University. I took a step back, listened to the crowd, and picked up that we were on lockdown because the wind was blowing out windows. Not to be dissuaded, and since I had to be to work, I snuck even further downstairs and found an unguarded side door before making a break for it.
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| Patching up the Roof of a Neighbor |
The wind was crazy!! I immediately took 4 or 5 uncontrolled steps to the side before catching my balance and shifting my body weight to adjust to the onslaught. I lowered my shoulders, tucked my chin, and made a dash for the parking lot! Car alarms were going off all over the place and debris was flying like shrapnel but I made it to my car, popped the lock, and then realized the wind was too strong for me to get the door open! I waited, the wind faded for half a second, and I sprung the door open and pounced on the seat. I quickly started the car and popped the clutch as I raced out of the parking lot like Speed Racer on crack and saw the devastation unfold before my eyes with every passing mile. Trees were splintered in half, fences were torn apart, windows were blown out, and street signs had been torn asunder—the only thing missing in this apocalyptic landscape was the zombies.
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| My Backyard! |
The day was a long one: My 15 minute drive to work took over an hour and a half and I came home that night to find a giant tree resting peacefully on my poor little shed. The shed was alright, miraculously, and we had power when 50,000 others didn’t. I was safe, the storm was over, and I stood humbled to the might and majesty of nature’s invisible force.
Though the news reported that the winds hit 102 mph, which is the equivalent of a class 2 hurricane, I was more shaken up by the lesson of the storm than its devastating effects. Sure everything had turned out alright but what if this had been something long-lasting or more widespread? Was I prepared? Not a chance. I didn’t have an emergency plan, no escape route, and more horrifying than that—no supplies. If a little wind could cause this much damage so quickly—then what could Mother Nature do in all of her fury?
So I’ve been doing research, easing my mind, and getting prepared for the next time the proverbial crap hits the fan. I guess I realized how unprepared I was and I didn’t like how it felt. I’ve only started a few days ago but I’ve already learned a few tips that I think we can all benefit from:
**Disclaimer** I’m not an expert. Please read at your own risk and responsibility. This is advice: not law, logic, or gospel. Act accordingly!
1) Have a “bug-out” bag – This is a 72 hour kit that stays in your car so you can bug-out of a town or get out of dodge without having to go home and gather up your supplies. This way when the crap hits the fan—you’re the first one out! Typical bug-out bags include:
a. Enough food and water to last for 72 hours.
b. A first-aid kit.
c. Fire starting tools.
d. Weather appropriate clothing.
e. Standard camping equipment, including sanitation supplies.
f. Enough medicine to last an extended evacuation period.
g. Bedding items such as sleeping bags and blankets.
h. Lighting.
i. Firearms.
j. Fixed-blade and folding knife.
k. Identification.
l. Tape.
m. Wiring.
2) Stock up on Batteries – One of the first things to go when the wind hit was the power. Houses, gas stations, and stores were without power and were closed and sealed up tight pretty quickly. The truth is you don’t realize how power dependent you are until the electricity is gone. Have alternative sources of power, a battery operated phone for example, and think ahead!
3) Keep Small Bills – People have the tendency to make a run on the bank when disaster strikes and odds are you’re not going to get there in time. Keep a few hundred dollars in small bills (1’s, 5’s, or 10’s) because when the crap hits the fan—people aren’t going to have change.
4) Educate yourself and others – When the time for actions arrives, the time for preparation is over. Let’s face it, when the crap hits the fan you won’t be able to “Google” knot tying skills or run a search for edible plants. Educate yourself now—or deal with the consequences later.
5) Practice – No plan ever goes the way we intend it to! Make a plan and then practice it until if you feel confident about executing it. Run random scenarios, kill the power for the weekend or spend a night in the wild to gauge your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t assume you know what you’re doing—too many people are armchair Rambo’s.
6) Establish a Rendezvous – Set up a meeting point before disaster strikes. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to get ahold of your friends or family when it does so set up a rendezvous and a 3rd party middleman outside of the state to relay messages through because contact and communication will be sporadic.
I know my list of 6 emergency tips is very inadequate but I’m just learning! There are tons of resources to educate yourselves with and I’d personally recommend the Federal Emergency Management Agency website or Neil Strauss’s book on survival and preparedness, “Emergency: This Book will Save your Life”. Don’t hesitate, start today!
Finally, I’ll leave you with an old Irish blessing:
“May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.”
And remember, if it’s not—you better be prepared!
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