Any other day, of the week is f i n e yeah. But whenever Monday comes . . .
You know it's likely to be a severe weather event when they start talking about it four days in advance. That's what happened here this weekend. I was not paying any particular attention to the weather broadcast on Friday. However, it piqued my interest when I heard the weather man say that we would have severe weather on MONDAY. Monday? Like the day AFTER the weekend Monday? Yep, that one. Ok, now I'm listening. Seems there is this terrible weather system moving across the country and it's going to be here - Monday night. Torrential rain, strong winds, possible tornadoes. Monday. Wow.
Ok, time to get serious. Weather IS serious and being prepared for it is very important.
When we went to bed last night we had a plan. Signals were set on our smartphones to let us know if there was an alert. Bill and I each had a change of clothes in a backpack along with a flashlight and a pair of shoes. Laying next to our backpacks were our motorcycle helmets. If conditions dictated, we could easily grab our packbacks and helmets and head to our safe spot: a roomy closet under the stairs in our basement designated for such events. It's in the center of the house with lots of framing, no windows and no exterior walls. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep listening to the sounds of the blowing wind and tree limbs hitting our metal roof.
It was dark when the alarm went off at 6 am. The wind was blowing a gale and it was still raining, but we'd made it through the night without incident. Unfortunately, many people across the Southeast weren't quite as lucky. Numerous tornadoes were reported, trees were down, roads were flooded and power was out. Cars were overturned, homes flattened and one life lost when a tree fell on a man.
Do you have a plan? Have you practiced it with your family? If you have young children do they know what to do? The important thing is to be prepared. Whenever you hear a weather warning you should take it seriously. Don't become complacent simply because you may have dodged a bullet before. You never know when it will be your turn!
Monday, Monday - can't trust that day . . . .
Cyndi
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