Daydreaming about sunnier climes and bicycling and hiking and picnicking in the warmth of some tropical paradise-anywhere but here right now.
Yesterday I herded 30 students from a portable classroom to the high school library to shelter- in- place as a tornado raged outside. I might add that I do not live in Tornado Alley, I reside in the usually mild northwest, where a tornado wreaked havoc on the small town of Battle Ground tearing up houses and trees and crushing everything in its wake.
Two days earlier a woman died in her bed from a fatal tree crash provoked by a storm not too many miles from here. Needless to say, I slept on my couch, downstairs last night because I have some very large trees right behind my house. If we are beginning to have more extreme weather here, I am determined to be a survivor.
What's going on? In biblical times the priests would have blamed the people saying that they angered God.
We of the scientific times know that it is a whole lot more complicated than that. Science has been warning us about global warming for quite some time. I think its time to listen.
I offer some good sense strategies for survival:
- to be as alert as possible.
- Keep abreast of the weather.
- put together the Red Cross disaster preparedness kit
- Keep your gas tank at least half full
- listen to those around you
- If you should be in the path of disaster, take the steps necessary to survive,
- but most of all, remain calm, panic will kill you.
I urge you to take all of this seriously. When we have a hot harsh summer like the one we just had (in the triple digits)in Washington & Oregon; The Farmer's Almanac usually predicts a cold snowy winter.
For particulars, check the U.S. weather service predictions. The old folks from where I grew up used to say that the winters would match the summers in extremes. My recollection is that was on the money accurate, so I plan to be prepared.
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