I had been listening to the issue as background noise - there seems to be so much going on now - when suddenly the words "Emergency Evacuation" came out. That always gets one's attention - especially since it was tied to an Emergency Spillway failure within an hour of the evacuation order.
(Yes, I know, there is not a specific link. Interweb "Oroville Dam" and you will get all you need).
It did get me thinking - again - about our own situation (not that we are in any danger of flooding: we are on the uphill side of our Urban Area of Choice and if we have flooding, there are larger problems). In other words, if we had to leave in short order, could we? What would we take? Would we know to take it? And where would we go?
So on the brighter side, we actually do in fact have something which may or may not resemble a bag to take with us in case of emergency. I have gotten a little careless about fuel levels in cars - blame the fact our commute is much less than it used to be and I now have my "routine" of how much I use in a week and when I fill up (about three quarters of a tank and on Tuesday evenings, thank you very much).
We are fortunate in our case that we live relatively close to the intersection of multiple freeways including a large Interstate - and, we live on the right side of town for the most likely disaster (flooding, in our case). But where would we go in the event of such a need? That is a little more concerning. At best with a full tank I can make it to the next major urban area, about a 3 hour drive. But that assumes an empty freeway and no traffic (neither of which would be true). And even then, where would we go once we got there?
I do not have answers for everything - which bothers me as it should - but if nothing else this has been a useful reminder that bad things sometimes do happen - and to be ready for them.
Yeah, we don't keep our spare tank as full. We're already where we were going to bug to. If we had to go somewhere else, well, we have an invite, but as I say, we don't keep our tank so full.
ReplyDeleteWe do a little better during hurricane season; but not a lot.
Which reminds me we need to check our generators soon. One, I believe, probably will need a big bottle of heat added to it.
Have a blessed week!
It is just a good reminder, Linda. Speaking with my father tonight, he pointed out that the evacuation I am talking about in California was about 200,000 folks. He wondered what it would be like if it hit a larger urban area like Sacramento, where it would be 1-2 million - other than a complete disaster.
DeleteYeah, from the coast on up, here, they have roads designated for hurricane evacuation. But if you really need to get out, you should take less traveled roads and not the expressways. And if you can find your way without GPS, so much the better.
DeleteBecause yes, a Zombie apocalypse would be a complete disaster.
We do have a number of other East/West (but mostly West) options - but then it becomes a question of where would we go?
DeleteYes, everyone should have a paper map because even the Interweb can go down. And, you might not want anyone to know precisely where you are...
Yes, that is our problem, too. We are already where we thought to go, when we were in NC.
DeleteSo where do we go from here? For us it would be North, I think. A friend has invited us. The extra help would be good all around.
I kind of wish we had gotten someplace in a mountain somewhere, like LL; but I am sure we are where we are supposed to be. We are blessed.
You all take care and God bless.