Emergency-Preparedness

I know that 20 degree weather is hardly cold for most of the country, but it certainly does cause this 360-days-of-sunshine-town to come to a screeching halt.

Water mains broke all over. Schools are closed. Water is frozen or pipes broken at homes all over town. The gas company can't meet the demands. Plumbers are working over time. Our infrastructure was not built for this kind of cold. Someone said to me, "This is good practice in emergency-preparedness." And I agreed.

But in my own small world, this is what I experienced in this small "emergency."

A friend offered (on Facebook!) to open her home which still had water and heat to anyone who needed a warm place to say. The church down the street opened it's doors for the night. My brother-in-law was out of town when neighbors called to say water was gushing at his house. Another friend offered her house when she heard sections of town had lost gas service. Our neighbor was fixing his heater and water lines, so I headed out to tell him our back hose-bib was also leaking. Honestly, I didn't even ask him to take a look, I just mentioned it and he said he'd be right down...along with his dad and his daughter. They even made a trip to Ace Hardware for parts. My sister offered her warm, all-electric house to my in-laws, who still don't have gas service. I called our general contractor to get a recommendation for fixing the lines at my brother-in-law's house; when he couldn't reach me by phone he just stopped by to talk to me and check on our house. My brother in law's property-management-friends stopped by to pick up keys so they could check on his house and give him a prediction for repairs. I called my dad to check on their water and heat since they live in an area that is typically colder.

And that is what happens when there is an emergency. Neighbors look out for each other. Family make themselves available. Doors are opened. Schedules are adjusted to make due. And everyone shows a little more grace and patience because we are all in the same boat.