Would you know what to do if disaster strikes?

In the January 1982 Ensign Magazine Marvin Gardner shared the following:

“On June 5th of 1976, Marilyn Gee of Sugar City, Idaho, was unloading grocery sacks when a neighbor ran into her kitchen with the news that the Teton Dam had burst. “Get your kids and get out. There’s no time to take anything with you!”

“Marilyn screamed at the kids to get in the car. “I figured we would be gone three or four hours so I grabbed some oranges and bananas, a box of graham crackers, some diapers for Shawn, and my purse. We pulled out of the driveway, not dreaming we would never see our home again in one piece.”

“Their home was washed away in the flood’s fury. They found it days later – a pile of debris smashed into some trees.

“On May 13th 1980, Darrell Thomas was watching the sky outside his home in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for signs of a predicted tornado. It began to sprinkle and the sirens started wailing. Suddenly he heard a strange sound, his ears popped, and the house began to vibrate.

“The lights flickered as the family huddled together under a heavy oak desk in the basement. “We heard two thuds,” says his wife, Bev, “and then everything seemed lighter. My husband raced up the steps. When he came back, he announced that our attached garage was gone. It took less than three minutes to level the neighborhood.”

“On February 9th, 1971, Walter Sorensen, a Los Angeles fireman, was on duty. The rumble of the earthquake that hit at 6:00 a.m. woke up his wife, Carol, and their three children before the shaking began. “The children were screaming, but I couldn’t hear them,” Carol remembers. “I tried to get out of bed but was thrown back. When I finally made it to the door, I couldn’t get through because the dresser had been thrown against it. I pushed it away, but it rolled back and smashed against the door again. This went on for several seconds (it seemed much longer), and I finally got the door open. I stumbled over fallen debris into my daughter’s room. Then we went into the boys’ room and rejoiced together that no one was hurt.”

Probably no one ever feels completely ready for disasters. They usually hit suddenly, and then it’s too late to prepare.

How prepared are you?

If there was an ice storm, tornado, or catastrophe of any kind, (which we often see in Missouri) would you have sufficient food and water, within your own home, to survive 48 hours?

According to FEMA, “Preparedness is everyone’s job. Not just government agencies but all sectors of society  . . .  as well as every individual citizen – should plan ahead for disaster. During the first few hours or days following a disaster, essential services may not be available. People must be ready to act on their own.”

There are real benefits to being prepared . . . peace, protection, shelter, security, and safety. 

Next week, I’ll share some tips on preparedness.