Friday, April 23, 2010

Spring Has Arrived
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With all the rain, floods, and tornadoes I guess we can say that spring has truly arrived. With the coming of spring another set of issues arrives as well. If you live in the area generally known as Tornado Alley you know what I mean. With little to no warning disaster can strike in a moments notice, day or night. Your home, with you and all your possessions, can be ripped off the foundation and tossed miles away. For those of you with little to no knowledge of the power of a tornado look at this picture of the remains of Greensburg Kansas after an F5 tornado hit this small town. Take a few moments and go buy a weather alert radio and set it up and listen to it. It may give you the short amount of time needed to get to the basement or cellar. If you don't have a basement or cellar determine the strongest place in your house or apartment to take cover in. Closets are usually a good place. Get on line and look at the many ways to reinforce a small room to make it a weather shelter. Next get a copy of any important documents and place them in a water resistant bag or container and keep it in your weather shelter. Keep you shelter stocked with a few supplies such as a flashlight, food, water and a radio. A gas shut off tool might be handy too. I remember, as a small child, the family rushing to the cellar at the coming a a dangerous storm. During one such adventure(to a little boy) I found a pound cake stored in the cellar. A few years later When the storm sirens went off,( actually the fire alarm) the family would all rush over to Granny and Grandpa's house. Panic? Worry? Naw, get out the lawn chairs and watch the clouds, play with the cousins, have a good time. The cellar was only accessed in a dire emergency. I met a man that had purchased, as surplus, a concrete telecommunications shelter, installed a FEMA rated door, and piled gravel half way up the walls to anchor it in place. That was his idea of a storm shelter. What are your ideas?

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