James told me tonight that Brattleboro, Vermont was hard hit by Tropical Storm Irene. The New York Times reports that downtown Brattleboro has been under several feet of water.
Twenty miles south of Brattleboro is Greenfield, Massachusetts, where we used to live.
Greenfield was also hit hard by the storm.
The AP reports that a wastewater treatment plant had to be closed down and untreated human sewage is flowing into the Deerfield and Connecticut Rivers.
There are pictures in the local paper, The Greenfield Recorder, of buses overturned in the water.
The small red farmhouse where my son was born and where my daughters shared a small slope-ceilinged room is in a low-lying area. I wonder how much of the house is underwater. I worry about the current occupants, a couple with a young son, and hope they’re okay.
My first response to the news about the downgraded hurricane was a selfish one. I’m glad we’ve moved to a city nestled in the mountains at an elevation of 2000 feet altitude.
I’m glad we live on a steep hill.
I’m glad we weren’t on the East Coast during Tropical Storm Irene. I’m glad we’re not among the thousands of stranded travelers trying to get home.
My second response was to worry about our friends and family on the East Coast. Many are without power. Some are clearing downed tree limbs.
But everyone we know, thankfully, seems to be okay.
My third response is, holy expletive deleted! It’s time, really time, to get a disaster preparedness kit together, have a plan in place, and buy a fire-proof safe (that would presumably be waterproof as well).
James and I have been talking about this for years now, but somehow we’ve never put it all together.
Frugal Kiwi, who has weathered two earthquakes in New Zealand, has been urging her loyal readers (myself among them) to be prepared with food, water, shelter, clothing, a first aid kit, a hand-cranked radio, and the like before disaster strikes. A disaster preparedness kit should contain all those items and be stored someplace safe and easily accessible.
Since we live in an arid region, it’s more likely we’d be caught in a forest fire than a flood.
Frugal Kiwi (aka Melanie McMinn), I’m listening this time.
Disaster action plan, disaster preparedness kit, we’re on it.
Making it happen right now.
Brett Paesel says
Thanks for reminding us all, Jennifer. I always think those earthquake kits the schools ask for out here in Los Angeles are such a pain. Truth is, they’re just plain smart.
Cindy La Ferle says
This is a very timely reminder, and one I will share with my son and his fiance, to put into practice for their own home. You’re so right — all of us need to put more time and thought into this issue, Jennifer!
Meagan @ The Happiest Mom says
Oh my gosh, really not at all. We aren’t likely to ever get hit by an earthquake or hurricane here in Michigan, but tornados and floods do happen. I also don’t like clutter, so having tons of food in my pantry makes me feel kind of crazy, but maybe I could set up an emergency storage area in my basement? I need to find a place for the plethora of food I’m canning lately anyway.
Luckily my husband is a very good protector of batteries and flashlights so I don’t have to worry about that part 🙂
Mona Gable says
I’ve been in more earthquakes than I can count, Jennifer, but I still am bad about keeping emergency supplies in our house. So thanks for the reminder to replace those dead batteries in the flashlights and replenish our water supplies.
Mark Anderson says
Jennifer, thank you. These are potent and important reminders that disasters all over the world strike all the time. And sometimes, rarely (hopefully so rarely as to be close to not at all) they strike where you live or work or go to school, etc.
We live about 25 miles south of Greenfield, Mass. In the past month, we’ve had a tornado, earthquake and now tropical storm rattle our collective cages. The tornado, which a sheltering mountain we live near kept us on the far side of, was something this transplanted Minnesotan (accustomed to tornado warnings in the summer) didn’t think would be part of western Massachusetts life. But all bets were officially off when last week the weather reports began to suggest that, no seriously Red Sox fans pay attention now, there was going to be a hurricane blowing through much of New England.
Our household went slightly nuts with preparations. Although not at first. It started out innocently enough 4 days before with a casual stop at the Walgreens to get a 2-1/2 gallon jug of water. (Before long it became clear that was so very not enough.) But by the end, I was filling a shopping cart with the best of ’em. It was like a long-weekend-long crazy fling you might see in some movie starring Gregory Peck. But the consummation in this case involved a dozen cans of Progresso Soup.
Irene did hit our daughter’s school, which had to do some post-flood cleaning, and spouse’s work (which was partly underwater earlier this week)… but we’re all OK. And so is our house and car and so on. It could have been much worse. And clearly was for people very close by.
So we’re counting our lucky stars. And enjoying our bottled water and Progresso.
Jennifer Margulis says
Glad to hear that everyone is okay Mark. What turned out to be an adventure for you and yours was such a disaster for others. I am glad you had time to stock up. I think it’s good to be prepared…
Cindy La Ferle says
Wow, Mark, glad to hear you’re OK, too, but it sounds harrowing. I meant to add in my last post that I’m in southeast Michigan. We don’t have to prep for hurricanes, of course, but we’ve had a serious increase in serious storms resulting in downed power lines, falling trees, and power outages. Our neighborhood was out of power for nearly a week, and we were grateful to be able to heat up canned foods on the gas stove. A recent storm knocked the power out in other parts of our community two weeks ago, and they waited days for it to be repaired.
Kate Haas says
I know I need to get an emergency kit together. We’ve talked about it, I’ve read books, our county even has an easy “30 days to prepare” plan (instructions on little things to do every day for a month instead of the more overwhelming task of assembling all the supplies at once). But I never seem to get around to it. This is a good reminder!