would i have been ready?

It is helpful for me, as various disasters happen near to home, to assess my preparedness. As I've watched the footage of Ike hitting the Texas coast, I've paid attention to the problems that have resulted. Currently, they are asking residents of Galveston to leave or not come back (if they evacuated) because, "There's not enough clean drinking water to serve the needs of the 15,000 to 20,000 people who stayed on the island." (Galvestonians Urged To Leave) Also, the residents of Houston are still being told to boil their water. It's been three days since the hurricane hit and the water supply is still compromised. Some residents still don't have power and might not even be able to boil their water. I saw pictures yesterday of people standing in lines for hours waiting for water bottles and ice (Ike Survivors Face Long Wait).

There is a lot to learn from these circumstances. Just like with Katrina, water seems to be the first priority. Having a water storage at very least would prevent you from having to walk for miles and stand in line for water bottles. In the case of Katrina, there weren't any lines for water, you would have had to exist on what you had already stored. I don't like lectures or scare tactics -- I don't intend this post to take that roll, but rather to make you think about the advantages and realities of having water stored.

I've read several stories about residents who did think to prepare. One family bought enough water to line the perimeter of their dining room. (Houston Family Huddles) She was lucky that water was available, but it's great that she thought ahead. I also read the story of a family who rode out the storm in a 6th story apartment building. They filled every container in the house with water in anticipation of losing their water supply. "We have water in garbage cans, flower pots, all the kitchen pots and pans and anything else that could hold liquid. My dad wanted to make sure we could flush the commodes and have some to drink if our bottled supply ran out." (Riding Out Ike)

We can learn a lot from their experiences. Maybe it will help us to be more ready for the next hurricane, earthquake or whatever challenges may face us.

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