I am by nature a positive person. On the other hand, I fully recognize that we live in a very dangerous world. Ignoring the reality will not make you safe – that would only be an illusion of safety. I sincerely believe that far too many of us live in a fantasy world shaped by what we see on television, and reinforced by our very limited exposure to the world outside our immediate communities. Also, many of us are so caught up in the daily rat race that we don’t stop to think about much else.
To me, being prepared begins with being aware of the real risks that we face daily, or may someday come our way. The fact the something “bad” has never happened to you does not mean that it never will, or that you are somehow immune from such things. I will give you an example. In 1992 I lived in southwest Miami-Dade County with my young family. Florida is known for its long history of deadly hurricanes, but I had lived through many hurricanes, and my limited experience had taught me that hurricanes were nothing more than some wind, rain and a day or two off from school/work. The reality is that hurricanes have tremendous potential to kill people and destroy property. If you are taken by surprise (unprepared), a hurricane and the resulting aftermath can seriously change your life, or possibly end it. In August 1992 Hurricane Andrew turned out to be one of the most destructive in US history and I was completely unprepared. I lost my house, most of my personal property and almost my life. After Andrew passed through my neighborhood, I had little more than the clothes on my back. At that moment I realized just how badly I had failed myself, and my family, by my lack of preparation.
We were lucky to survive, but the lessons I learned will stay with me for the rest of my life. I will never make that mistake again. Today, although I am 1000% more prepared than back in 1992, I still feel it’s not enough. Very few people understand this and many make fun of me. But they have not had death knock at their door as I have. They have not felt the fear and desperation of seeing the storm, literally and figuratively, coming their way and not knowing what to do because they had not taken the time to prepare and plan.
I don’t know what the future will bring, but I know that whatever it is, it will be unexpected, sudden and it may be very bad. Next time it probably won’t be a hurricane – that would be too easy. After Andrew and Katrina, few of us take hurricanes for granted. But given our present social, political and financial environment – anything is possible. Ten years ago we thought our biggest threat was from outside terrorism. Today, I sincerely believe that the biggest threat comes from within our own borders.The economy, complacency, willful blindness, and people who refuse to recognize that we have turned a corner. A corner that will not allow us to go back to the way things were. But, I can hear it already: "Maybe if I just go about my business and not think about the gloom and doom – everything will be just fine."
After Andrew I saw a population that very quickly deteriorated. The thin veneer we call civilization was quickly lost in the confusion and frustration. Looters were in my neighborhood within hours of the storm. People were fighting over water, flashlights, plywood, etc. Generators that sold for $300 a week before were fetching $1,000 or more – if you could find one. People were stressed to the maximum, nerves were on edge, and the essentials were all in short supply. Andrew was a relatively compact storm that left most of North Miami-Dade County untouched. I got in my car and drove an hour north to my cousin’s house in Fort Lauderdale and saw that his place was just fine. He took us in and gave us everything we needed; for which I will be eternally grateful.
But, just imagine a larger scale event where there is no place to drive to for relief or safety; unthinkable right? Imagine that you are unprepared – No Food, water, or medical supplies. What then? This is why I prep, this is why I devote, time, effort, money and a lot of planning to prepping, so that I don’t have to face that “what then” scenario. In retrospect, and to give it a positive spin, Andrew may have saved my life.