Even in situations that are supposed to be relaxing and fun, I have a hard time just turning things off and letting my thoughts go. Sometimes my mind wanders to places I would prefer it not go. I haven't always been this way. (I am an optimist generally, so I blame naive optimism). Now it makes me paranoid! We spent the weekend visiting family in New York which used to always be fun, but now it is both fun and a bit stressful. The best thing about being there is family of course followed closely by the food and the fun. The more and more I read about emergency preparedness and take steps toward preparing my family for basic emergencies, the more I feel that cities like New York and our own city are just too crowded. Too many people and not enough resources. I keep our car well-stocked for most emergencies but once we hand our keys to the valet, we have no idea where it goes. Likewise, the view from the 32nd floor of our hotel is lovely but what if the power goes out? I always pack an emergency candle and lighter in my suitcase just in case, but it's only one candle!
To further my paranoia, we passed a huge shipping yard as we drove away from the city and that just added to my worries. We need so much infrastructure to get goods from point A to point B and points beyond. Our ships, our roads, our trucks, and our trains are all essential for feeding, clothing, and housing America. They've served us well so far, but we've seen what can happen when the structure breaks down, even temporarily. During Hurricane Katrina, gas stations in and around the Gulf were without gas for weeks. During Hurricane Sandy, flooded subway stations kept people from work for several days. This winter, several ice storms left roads impassable to trucks delivering food to neighborhood grocery stores. Outdated water mains and gas lines break on a regular basis.
How prepared are American families for temporary breaks in our infrastructure? Could you get to work without gas? If your home was without power, could you feed your family for at least a week? If your home was without water, would you have enough to drink for a week? And where would you poo?!
These are now the things I think about all of the time and it probably contributes to why I have a hard time falling asleep. I could just ignore it and hope these things never happen but they happen all the time. I'm proud to say my family is more prepared than most and I'm committed to continuing to simplify our lives and prepare for all types of emergencies. I hope you will continue (or begin) to prepare as well!
Ryan spotted some great ads while wandering around in search of bagels with lox and the perfect slice of pizza: Winging it is Not a Plan. The suggestions recommended there should help you get started.
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