Playing on the farm d-fence team

April 15, 2011 in: Reflections on the River

When Snow-mageddon was bearing down on us this winter, I called Dad to check on him and make sure he was prepared.

Dad reported that he’d already brought in a bunch of firewood and had drawn off some water. I looked around my house at what I had done to prepare for a power outage – plugged in the laptop, cell phone and electronic reader so the batteries would be charged.

Maybe Dad should have been checking on me instead of the other way around. Clearly, one of was better equipped to live through an emergency.

The particulars of preparing for disaster have become much more important in my new position as an ag preparedness specialist. It’s a long title and I’m still figuring out exactly what it involves. I used to not think too much about things like thunderstorms or fires or radiation leaks. Surely I’d be okay and if not, someone would help me. Now I know how much goes into making sure someone is there to help.

One part of the position that I do enjoy is helping farmers and rural households learn what they need to do to be prepared. Emergency preparedness appropriately focuses first on populated areas in cities and towns. Because folks in the country are more sparse, it takes longer for help to arrive. Or for the electricity to get fired back up as they make their way pole-by-pole to your house.

That’s why it’s especially important for rural homes to have an emergency kit. And why at the same time, country people are probably better prepared to make it through a disaster. The government’s Ready in 3 program, for instance, recommends having a three-day supply of food. When the nearest grocery store is 25 miles away, you learn to stock a lot more than three days of food, even when there’s not a cloud in the sky. My mom canned enough green beans each summer to get us through the next six months.

Another sound recommendation is to keep extra money – meaning cash, which is pretty much universally accepted, even in cases of power outages. This is in addition to the emergency $5 stashed behind the driver’s license in the wallet. After hearing about the nightmares of people driving away from Hurricane Katrina who could not buy gas because the electronic card readers were disabled, I started a cash stash. It has since been periodically raided for emergencies, which while pressing, have not been on the scale of an earthquake. So again, is a disaster preparedness activity which has everyday benefits.

The government suggests having extra prescription medicine. If anybody has figured out how to wrestle an extra prescription out of your insurance company, please share your tips so the rest of us can try it, too. It’s hard enough getting them to keep up with a month-to-month supply, especially for those on Medicare. This might be something for the government to look in to.

Some other ideas are more practical and entirely free. Write down contact numbers. While the numbers may be stored in your phone, a lot of good that will do if the cell tower gets struck by lightning or you can’t recharge the phone battery. When I had to actually punch the number into the phone I used to know people’s phone numbers, but now that everyone in my family is on speed dial I’d be hard pressed to remember most of them. On that emergency list, include the veterinarian, the day care, the nursing home and someone who lives out of state because it may be easier to get in touch long distance than with a local call in an emergency.

Most people figure they’ll be able to take care of themselves during a natural disaster, so they don’t worry about making an emergency kit or evacuation plan. While it’s probably true, making sure you’re prepared means that then you free up resources to help others and you just might be able to help someone who isn’t able to take care of themselves.

While you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to carry in an extra load of firewood and to charge up the cell phone. Just in case.