Snow-mageddon...

To start off with, I must apologize for letting the past few weeks go by without posting an entry in the BLOG.  A few thing came up both in the way of work and family concerns that occupied much of my time and attention.  That said, I wanted to talk to you about some of the recent events that have caught my attention and probably yours as well.  If any of you have followed the weather reports that focused on the north east part of the country, you are well aware of the massive snow totals that have fallen over the past week.  In an article posted today in the Washington Post, the several towns in New York have posted record snow totals.  As of 1:00 p.m. today, some of those reporting were:

• Cowlesville - 88 inches
• Lancaster - 74 inches
• Wales Center - 69.3 inches
• Wyoming - 63 inches
• Orchard Park - 63 inches

Putting it all in perspective, I am 6' 2" tall; Cowlesville, New York's snow totals piled up a full 14 inches higher than the top of my head.

In my years with the military, I have lived and visited some places that boasted some pretty incredible snow, but I have never seen anything like this.  I remember a snow storm while living in Colorado Springs, CO that over the course of one day and night, dropped around 36" of snow.  With the wind drifting it, our cars were buried; some completely.  We lived in a cul de sac that was off the main thoroughfare so no plows were dispatched to our home streets until the main streets were cleared.  consequently we found ourselves stuck in our homes without any way of getting supplies for three days.  I learned then the value of ensuring there was sufficient food in the home to satisfy our needs, at least for a few days.  I must admit, I was dismayed at how quickly the food we had in the cupboard and refrigerator disappeared.  It appears that when all you have to do is wait out the storm, one finds him/herself munching and consuming more that you might otherwise be inclined to do.  By day three, we were searching for the few scraps that were left to tide us over until we could get to a grocery store.

The point I am trying to make here, is that with a little preparation, we can be ready to meet these once in a lifetime events with confidence.  I have noticed lately that more and more I am seeing advertisements on the television and in various businesses that are promoting the sale of 72-hour kits/backpacks to meet just these kind of emergencies.  I am not here to promote any one type of kit, but I will say that there are many out there that can be purchased at a reasonable price for those who do not want to assemble their own.  Either option works.  on the right side of this blog I have listed a few businesses that supply these kits and I have also provided a link to a web page that will inform you which items should be included in your 72-hour kits if you choose to assemble one yourself.

Finally, let me admonish you to be ever looking for ways to ensure you are prepared of any probably and possible emergency that might come your way.  You may feel that to do so is prohibitively expensive, but I guarantee that the cost of not doing so, after you experience that unexpected emergency, will be more costly that you are able to bear.  Take this opportunity to reassess your situation and continue your preparations today.  Best of luck

Erik