Comfort or Chaos—It’s Your Choice

You’ve no doubt read of the extreme number of homes and business in the Midwest which are without power for at least two weeks due to extreme weather conditions. With over 1.3 million homes and business in the dark and cold until mid February, this translates into nearly 5 million individuals in a crisis situation. With the electricity out, heating will cease, microwave or oven cooking is eliminated, the days will be subject to minimal light in the midst of this hard winter, water pipes will freeze, and so much of a normal life for these millions of people will be hijacked for an involuntary 14 day minimum. Electricity affects your water supply, your food supply, your heat, your light, your medical access, your traffic flow and your security. It even affects your access to gasoline and other regular supplies which you may take for granted. Clearly, an electric outage of this nature is not just about finding things to do that don’t require electricity. It’s about completely altering your way of living, and even survival.

In a previous article I wrote an appropriate warning about the occurrence of such a plausible situation. I shared some relevant research in terms of the shocking numbers of employees available to restore common utilities in the event of an outage. In most states, the numbers of employees per numbers of households is 10,000 to 1. However, the economic crisis has forced layoffs so that the ratio in some areas may be as high as 13,000 to 1. This ratio accelerates even higher in concentrated populations as well.

Even with the assistance of the National Guard, this recent storm strike has manifested the reality of what I shared in my previous post. Many are just a bit too naïve when they lightly think of the “what if” scenarios of their ability to survive an emergency. They underestimate their sustainability due to a lack of sound information. Keep in mind that in the event of a terrorist attack on our nation, the luxury of the assistance of the Guard will not be present, as they will be engaged elsewhere by mandate.

So the question is, are you ready for such an occurrence in your life? Whether you’re affected by it or not this trial can serve as a generous reminder to get prepared now before the same stakes face you. Think of how much more bearable this particular situation would be if alternative cooking skills and supplies were available to those affected by the storm. What if some water was stored away? What if a small amount of fuel for a heater were on hand? There have been over 24 deaths reported so far as a result of this natural disaster—all as a result of the failure to appropriately plan for a real “what if.”

I have a lifelong friend who’s braving this exact storm in KY. Not only is she subjected to the standard trials of a power outage and all the problems that brings, but the storm also caused the large tree in her front yard to come crashing through her roof in the main portion of her home. Fortunately, this dear friend of mine is happily prepared for just such a situation with ample food, water, medical, and heating supplies stored for just such an occasion—oh, and accessible. She was even able to make use of her bounty to others who were not so fortunate to possess such mental preparation. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be in a position of helping others in such a situation than to be in dire need of it.

In closing I want to share with you a brief thought I posted on my Facebook page. “You can learn in comfort or in chaos. But I’d much rather learn in comfort.” Of course there is still much to learn about truly being prepared for a mere 2 weeks, let alone a full year. But the people who are affected by this storm are having to learn their lessons in a time of chaos, thus bringing upon themselves additional suffering and stress. Since you have the opportunity now, wouldn’t you rather learn and prepare while you still have the luxury of light, transportation, and a chipper disposition? Obviously how you learn and implement is your choice. When you will be required to use your knowledge is unfortunately beyond your control.

Copyright 2009 Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Kellene Bishop.


Preparedness Pro Note: If you would like Kellene Bishop to present an Emergency Preparedness message for your community or church group, please contact us at 801-788-4133. Ms. Bishop is an experienced speaker on Emergency Preparedness topics and also has created a great “Preparedness Party” platform which makes the learning of such a topic more enjoyable for all.