We made it through the hurricane

[Guest guest]

Well, the worst appears to be over for us. We made it!

Several tornado warnings, but none touched down here. We couldn't evacuate

to our basement because we could not get the wheelchair downstairs, and the

evacuation center was not wheelchair accessible. (I see a portable ramp in

my future, if I can find one in a price I can manage!) I am going to

research the accessibility of other evacuation centers, to see what ones are

accessible, and where they are.

I stayed on the first floor all night, with my daughter, taking my chances

with mother nature, hugging my daughter, and praying!

One window broke, and we already repaired it. We lost one light pole out

front. Our cable went out, but we did not loose power, and none of our tall

pines toppled over, although they looked treacherous for awhile. We are

grateful that we did so well.

Our emergency preparedness came in real handy. We practiced " what we

would do if.....happens " several times during the week, so it would

(hopefully) be a game to her, in an emergency.

I created this game play after the small earthquake we had, that rattled the

house on Tuesday, and shook her up. We practiced " loud noises " , " no lights " ,

" rain coming in " , " leaving the house with our backpacks " , " eating picnic

style " , and other scenarios I had thought about, but don't remember now).

When the storms came, my daughter had her music, and just said " hurricane? "

when she heard scary noises. I said (and signed), " Yes, hurricane, but you

are safe. I'm hear with you, and I'm not going anywhere. " She said, " Ok,

safe " , and continued to listen to her music.

People made fun of us, on occasion, when they were around to see our

practice drills, or to see the backpacks being loaded, but I'm so glad it

worked so well. She did not freak out even once!

I have a couple of additions to the backpack list that I have in my bag, but

neglected to put on the list, for some unknown reason.

If you are keeping the list, you may want to add these items as well.

1st backpack

12. *Maps* and GPS

13.*toiletries*-toothbrush and paste,

soap,washcloth,towel,comb,brush,shampoo,manicure kit,

toilet tissue,toothpicks,

14. *sewing kit*

**

and a friend suggested to list a thermometer with the first aid list,

because it is not a normal item in most kits.

2nd back pack

3.*first aid kit*, with OTC meds, bandaids, ace bandages, *thermometer*,

etc.

She also suggested that if your child has specific needs, such as skin

allergies to tapes, bandaids, etc, to make sure your kit is supplied with

the specific items you may need, and not just the " stock " items in a

commercial first aid kit.

If anyone has other additions, I would be really interested in hearing about

it.

Because of the flooding in my area, one person asked if I had a boat. The

answer is " No, I have 2 boats we can tie together. One for us, and one for

all the supplies we need if we have to evacuate. "

Stay safe.