Storms and You

[cdewald]

Hi Gang.....

 

Well, this month I shall be 2 years post stroke and in that time, never considered some major what if's? Last night was a horrific time here. While on chat my "weather bug", which is an on line weather alert system, started activating.

It was warning that we were in a tornado warning box.......Very unusual for this part of Virginia.....

Now before my stroke, I knew I had oil lamps, candles and all the fun jazz...So no concern passed me...So loving storms, said goodbye to my chat buddies, disconnected the computer and went onto my covered porch.

Kinda unique....just getting dark and the birds and tree frogs were active.....Watched the flags on my porch go from blowing from the west to blowing in from the east.....Then dead silence....No birds, fleas trees on bended knees...

Then the rumbling and a strange noise....It was dark now so I could not see....People say it sounds like a freight train but what I was hearing sounded more like the jet blast from the rear portion of a plane that is taking off.

I could not determine where it was coming from. It seemed all around me. Does not help that since my stroke, I have a buzzing in my ears anyway..Hahahahah

Then the local college sirens went off...Steady Chris....Never heard them in 5 years of living here....Then the TV got entirely red and I have cable.....Yellow letters came across...Tornado, take shelter !!!!!!!!(I have to call them about that as the lights were flashing too quickly and I wondered about those with epilepsy)

Now I shall take a break , come back later and finish this......I am okay and my house sits....I am minus a tweety bird flag. I bet Donna has it in her back yard by now..hahahahah

 

All right , I am back..Had my 12 cheeze its for my mid snack.....So next thing I hear is the wind pounding against the east and west sections of the house....Well, a combination of wind, rain and small animals......

 

Now, I do not scare easy...If you have seen my photo, I am big boned and have come across many a person whom I had to pursuade. But in general, I want to list some things for Caregivers and Survivors to consider upon my many miscues.......

 

1). If you have a basement, have you seen the stairs since your stroke leading there? Mine are a bit more angled with no hand rail. I have a home constructed in the early 1800's. Please check them and see if you can easily acces them. For now..Heck getting out, just get in !!!!!

 

2). Do not run around getting your cats....They have minds of their own for sure. Dogs will follow....Australian Cattle Dogs are velcro. Mine helped me down stairs I actually feared all of a sudden....

 

3). If you have no basement, take a position away from windows. Especialy if you are on Warfarin/Coumadin...

I have sturdy beams in my home so a supported closet in good here.....I also have heard tubs, but mine has a glass door......See !!!!! Go check things out guys......

 

4) If you have a bad grip or no grip on one hand......Consider battery operated lamps or heavy flashlights. My emergency kit downstairs did not contain items that really would be more intelligent. I thought of how the heck do I light a candle with one hand(numb) and gee, for that fact...a kerosene lamp? Can we say "Got smores" ?

 

5) Keep a rotary phone..No matter how dumb they are, you could still dial out if you lose power. The portable nice one's die without a power source......

 

6) If you know in advance there is a storm coming, get dressed........Ok, some in chat may not...but having shoes on in case there is glass breakage would sure be nice.....

 

7) Most of all, stay calm.....Easier said then done when you are handicapped huh? I think in these circumstances you can cuss if it keeps your mind on track....

 

8) I love you all dearly. Please check out your house now that conditions have changed. I found out the hard way.

I hope some more of you can add a post to it , provide some more tips to us !!!!!! Thanks Gang

[dstraugh]

Hi Chris,

 

Glad you're safe and sound AND in one piece. No....your Tweety flag did not end up in my back yard. Thank you for the tips. There are a few things we need to get for here - flash lights and one of those electronic lighter things to light candles. I've already lit a toothpick from the stove then lit a candle but that wasn't in an emergency situation.

 

Thanks to my cousin and her hubby there are railings on both sides of my basement steps so I can get down ther AND back up without assistance. Total cost for railings and hardware was $100.

 

As long as my kiddo is home, I've got access to her cell phone too.

[lady k]

i would also suggest some flashlights that charge when you shake or wind up, that way if you forget your batteries won't be dead or mia, ibelieve you can get lanterns and radios also, might be nice to get a little seldlighting coleman stove and squirrel away some hot chocolate and some littlw snacks, comfort foods are great for comforting you, we had a torndo around here a couple of weeks ago, i got my wind up flashlight out, i got it after about the 3rd time i accidently left the fladhlight on and the battereries died, it eas about $8 at wal-mart, cheaper than all the dead batteries, yes we all do need to consider our situations now maybe also stash a day or two of meds wherever we have to go, pillow and blanket too.

[kanderson]

whoa chris, you were rocking and rolling with your dog huh. glad you both made it through the storm unscathed. you had some great suggestions. if i were you, i would install railings to get you down safely the next time. mother nature is not always kind to us. at least you have a good warning system which is a good thing. but you need to be able to be safe trying to reach shelter too. next time the dog may have to drag you down the stairs. that might hurt a bit. your house is pretty old, my friend. sorry you lost your flag, maybe it will blow back to you with the next big breeze. just kidding LOL take care and be safe.

[fking]

All I can say is tornado's are coming every year in season like hurricanes and you have a great plan to stay alive when they arrive, we had them yesterday around 8 pm in central Texas and in Alabama too. Stay safe so you can get out and vote on next Tuesday in your state.

[glaidice]

WOW CHRIS, glad you are ok. I'll get an emergency kit together right away. Thanks

[myhome]

I just heard that Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas took a thumping yesterday from more tornados. I hope everyone living in those areas is ok.

[Mema]

Thanks for the reminder, Chris. We do get tornadoes here in Western Nebraska occasionally so most of us know the routine. I live in a house without a basement so the best place for us is in the central hallway with all doors closed.

 

A scary thing happened when I was in the SNF. We have a tornado alert every Spring and that year, when it sounded, no one in the nursing home knew what to do. I did, but I was in a wheelchair and couldn't help anyone. The aides were running around like headless chickens. When the all clear sounded and we were going back to our rooms, I noticed one of the residents who had never been taken out of her room.

 

Anyway, I do need to get one of those flashlights and put fresh batteries in the radio, because power is usually disrupted.

 

Stay safe.

 

Vi

 

[Guest Pjoy]

Dear Chris,

So glad you weathered the storm with no lasting effects! Here in Alabama we get tornadoes late at night and the wee early hours of the morning, making them very deadly to those who choose to go to bed in bad weather. Many people here have storm shelters. For those of us who don't we use the strongest supported middle room of the house. They say to crouch down, cover with pillows or a mattress( I like a helmetHAHAHA). Another good thing to have on hand is a bag with all your medicine, bottled water and emergency rations in cans with pull tops, flashlights as previously mentioned. AND like Chris said, please get dressed. You don't know how many tornado victims I have seen half dressed , no shoes, with feet that looked like they went through barbed wire. Chris is so right, please be prepared! pJoy

[Julie Craig]

California has wildfires everywhere! not near me but i can see smoke and our air quality is HORRIBLE!

 

aH, GLOBAL WARMING---these fires started by lightning!

 

Stay safe Chis and everyone..... :happy new yea:

 

[lliu]

unless it's proven that they were started by insensitive and thoughtless people who have no regard for others, the fires in california and the threat of levees bursting in the mid-west are due to mother nature. and i don't think anyone can make an issue over the force of mother nature. government agencies just need to be prepared to effectively assist those affected. that's a no-brainer.

[dstraugh]

My 2 cents worth - global warming has caused a massive screwup of the climates - one indication is the droughts therefore the amount of forestfires are increasing even more so during lightening strikes. Mother Nature is not happy with us.

 

Be safe all and heed weather warnings.

[lliu]

right! it's a royal scewup. a massive and destructive cycle that we can only blame on ourselves because we helped create it. this is a debate that is endless. thunder storms have just interrupted power to the city of omaha that may take several days to restore.

[Julie Craig]

You girls are sooo right. lightning that strikes in areas with green trees and brush don't start fires...but we are drought territory this and last year= hence easier for fire to start in areas that are VERYYY dry = highly flammable....Mama Earth is pretty confused and definitely annoyed at us and we reap the consequences!

Bought my hybrid last year... one of few really smart moves we've ever done!

[bstockman]

Chris has great ideas.. and a tote bag in the closet with some items.. maybe check it when you change the clocks.. like you are supposed to check your smoke detector batteries then. They have those stick up lights that work on batteries. maybe a couple stuck to the wall going down the stairs. also rubbe treads glued or nailedto the stairs especially if steep or hve been painted a lot. I like that Donna has rails on both sides of her stairs.. we do on our porch.

 

These are tips for any area.. some get tornedo's, some earth quakes, or ??/ well flooding don't o to your baasement.. go to the attic .. yes and have some bottled water for sure.. I have heard bath tubs or inside closets. During lightening stay away fom windows and off telephones, I have a plug in phone in the bedroom..

 

Those bic.. and other brand.. lighting things.. for candles or to start fireplaces. oh and a battery operaated. or wind up radio.. for weather reports , news etc

 

I have a couple kerosene lamps. but you want to be really careful because they smoke quite a bit.. and you should not use them unless you can have a window open a little for venting.. a small first aid kit.

 

Quite a few people died in Seattle when the power was out,, for usingcharcoal grills in the home.. one couple had their generator in the garage, but 3 died from carbon dioxide geting in the house. so be SAFE .

 

oh and some dry dog and cat food..

[lliu]

the bottom line is we have to focus on the here and now. since it's impossible to know for sure when severe weather will hit, and it is hurricane season, everyone should be prepared to act at a moment's notice. get your emergency kits ready! most importantly, your emergency kit needs to be tailord to your own situation. the provided link has a list of things you should have and things you should prepare for. print it out, and start preparing!

 

find helpful info here ---

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/03/...ain640660.shtml