Tornadoes

Friday night was an interesting night to say the least. Northern Kentucky was struck by severe weather and tornados. This is the closest I guess I’ve ever been to tornado destruction. It is simply amazing. One house is totally destroyed and the next isn’t even touched. I know people who lost their homes and livestock and people who lost grandparents. My heart goes out to the people who have lost so much.

The pictures have been shocking. I have always felt that we should be prepared for disasters but I really don’t think there is a whole lot you can do to be prepared for such as this. But I have thought of a few things:

1.. We need to get a fireproof, waterproof safe and put all of important paperwork in it. Insurance policies, wills, etc.

2 Store a copy of those same important papers somewhere else. It is not recommended to keep wills and papers you may need on short notice in a safe deposit box. So if you have a relative that lives a little ways from you keep it there. The chances of both of you being hit are not as high.

3. Do not keep cash in your mattress.

4. If you are hit by a tornado, get what you can as soon as you can. I have heard that once the FEMA comes you are not allowed back on your property until they have bulldozed everything. I could not get a clear answer about this online.

5. Make a list of all accounts and phone numbers for those accounts. They found tax records for one of the homes here that was destroyed in Columbus OH. These people are having to close all credit cards and get new Social Security numbers in case they have fallen into the wrong hands.

6. Stay put. These storms came through between 3-5:30 p.m. Lots of people left work when they heard about tornados touching down. Being in your car is not the safest place to be. I know of 2 deaths that occurred because cars were swept off the road and one lady was not found until the next day. If you can stay in a building or get to shelter ASAP.

7. If you have a basement, keep plenty of water, and food there in case you get trapped in it.

We do not have a basement, but I am considering what else we could do to store a few things that might come in handy in a situation like this .

I know some farmers actually had to shoot livestock that was hurt so having some bullets and a gun in a safe place might be prudent. But without a basement, I don’t really know where to store such things as guns, bullets, and the fireproof safe. But you bet I will be looking for options.

Maybe it’s a good time to build a root cellar.

Mae