Disaster Preparedness
We have all heard about the need to prepare for the worst in recent years. Disasters and events, such as September 11th, hurricane Katrina, the wild fires of California and flooding last year in the mid-west have all made us stop and think about ourselves and families.Typically, we think about such events and then discard our concerns by thinking that such events can not or have not happened in our area, therefore are not a likely occurrence.

While this type of thinking is natural, we should all remember the advice “It is better to be safe than sorry”.

Types of disasters
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a disaster as: a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction; sudden or
great misfortune or failure.

While New England is not known for its earthquakes, tornados, or volcano eruptions, this does not exclude us from the possibility of a natural disaster. Threats of weather and nature related disasters in our area include, hurricanes, flooding, winter storms and extreme cold.

We’ve all experienced inconveniences caused by these events, however, imagine how you would survive at home without electricity for two weeks.

Imagine now, how this scenario changes if you live alone, are less mobile or depend on others for daily support. It becomes much easier to imagine that a “disaster” may occur during an event that for others maybe easily surmountable.