Prepared for Disaster

When I was growing up my grandmother used to have a cabinet in her basement that was filled with canned goods. My parents said it was for emergencies, a practice that many followed up north because of the weather. My family kept supplies in case we were hit with heavy snow and had to hunker down for a few days. Growing up in the north country I got to experience some of those weather conditions: The Blizzard of 77, two major ice storms, a microburst, floods and assorted thunderstorms. Working for the power company I got to work most of the storms, except for the Blizzard of 77. I was too young to work for that one, but I did get an extended vacation from school. I moved south of the snow band with my family two years ago and started things off with two major thunderstorms and a few local floods. Yes, I carry on the tradition of preparing for a storm. I always keep an eye on the snow band which produces lake effect snows in winter and major lightning storms in the summer. I’m pretty sure I’m still too close. Today the highway has been shut down to the north, and it has caused havoc for many who are and have been caught in its clutches. We are also having wind chills of –20’f across the region. Schools were canceled today, but not work. I drove my truck into the city, stood in the wind to fill my truck’s gas tank, and made my way into the office. On the way home I drove along the lakeshore and watched the snow blowing across the frozen lake surface. I could only see white nothingness in the general location where the far shore should be. The weather will stay like this for the next few days at least. When I got home I checked my emergency supplies, yep the pucks are all here.