There was a terrible mess through the southern states, specifically Alabama and Georgia when a terrible snow storm went through.
Atlanta was hit especially hard and people were stuck in traffic for hours. Many had to leave their cars and walk miles for shelter, a perfect example of making sure you have The Right Shoes.
The odd thing is I have heard many blame the traffic jam and lack of planning on municipal powers. Even Al Roker of the Today show and Jim Cantore with the Weather Channel added their two cents.
Last week I Tweeted “Why did so many need to wait for gov to make a decision before they headed home? http://read.bi/1jJtLQZ “
Let me be clear, the major responsibly of municipal authority is public safety, some in power may be good at this and take it seriously. However, from what I have seen when things are left up to any level of government, things tend to fail and fail badly.
With that said, why is it people, or should I say sheeple are shocked when they are stuck because they waited for direction from government authorities that comes too late.
The storm was well predicted. In this day and age nearly everyone has a smart phone and everyone should have a weather app on their smart phone that includes live radar. Those who don’t have the app are usually told by others who do have the app, “wow, there is a storm coming in”. Still with all this communication and modern technology so many people waited for either their employer to say “go home” or the government to say go home.
It is time for people to take responsibility for themselves. The government can’t think for everyone. You must think for yourself. Now, it is true, hind sight is 20-20, but, why did parents let their kids go to school that day? Why did they go to work? Oh I know, some will say, if I don’t go to work I don’t get paid. True, I know it is hard, believe me I do, but, is a day’s pay worth putting your life at risk? Is it worth risking the safety of your kids? Thank goodness the kids were safe spending the night at school, sadly most probably didn’t notice a difference because they see so little of their parents anyway, but I digress.
Part of being self-reliant is watching what is going on around you, whether it is paying attention to what is going on in a building or a store you are visiting, see Fire Watch When Not Home or keeping an eye on the weather.
If you don’t have a weather app installed on your phone, install one today, preferably one that includes live radar of your local area and has severe weather alerts. Keep watch on what the weather is doing, weather predictions are not always perfect, but they are pretty darn good.
Also, keep a weather radio on and near you at home. I have one in my bedroom and have it set specifically for the county I live that way I don’t get alerts from counties that are miles away. I know when the radio alert goes off there is something local that I need to be aware of.
Don’t stop there or get to reliant on the app or the weather radio. Always keep a good eye on the weather outside, get use to looking out the window and learning how the weather looks in your area.
Another concern is employers. I worked for an employer who back in 2004 would not let us leave during an approaching hurricane. The manager said “I can’t let everyone go home” so I am not letting anyone go home until the company president makes the decision to send you home. Well, I waited, and I waited nearly too long. I ended up driving home in strong wind and rain I vowed then I would not let my employer determine when I am safe to leave or not. At the same time there have been times when I have been at work, and chose to stay because a terrible storm had blown in and I wasn’t going to go out into the storm. Usually rain storms blow in and are gone within a few hours, but even then, I watch it on the weather radar and out the window, I am aware of what the conditions are.
It is a hard decision to make, but always remember, for the most part, the final decision about your safety, is yours. Yes, there are times, such as when a hurricane does blow in, when the authorities make the decision and advise the public to stay off the roads and that police and fire will be off the road until the storm passes. You have to know by the time the authorities, such as police and fire decide they will stay off the road until the storm passes that it is not safe to be on the road. That doesn’t mean you have to wait for their decision. You can make your decision to go home and stay home ahead of the storm.
Be informed, stay alert and vigilant. You need to be the shepherdess and lead and not part of the sheep that follow.
5 Feb 2014
0 CommentsMunicipal Powers Will Usually Let You Down
Atlanta was hit especially hard and people were stuck in traffic for hours. Many had to leave their cars and walk miles for shelter, a perfect example of making sure you have The Right Shoes.
The odd thing is I have heard many blame the traffic jam and lack of planning on municipal powers. Even Al Roker of the Today show and Jim Cantore with the Weather Channel added their two cents.
Last week I Tweeted “Why did so many need to wait for gov to make a decision before they headed home? http://read.bi/1jJtLQZ “
Let me be clear, the major responsibly of municipal authority is public safety, some in power may be good at this and take it seriously. However, from what I have seen when things are left up to any level of government, things tend to fail and fail badly.
With that said, why is it people, or should I say sheeple are shocked when they are stuck because they waited for direction from government authorities that comes too late.
The storm was well predicted. In this day and age nearly everyone has a smart phone and everyone should have a weather app on their smart phone that includes live radar. Those who don’t have the app are usually told by others who do have the app, “wow, there is a storm coming in”. Still with all this communication and modern technology so many people waited for either their employer to say “go home” or the government to say go home.
It is time for people to take responsibility for themselves. The government can’t think for everyone. You must think for yourself. Now, it is true, hind sight is 20-20, but, why did parents let their kids go to school that day? Why did they go to work? Oh I know, some will say, if I don’t go to work I don’t get paid. True, I know it is hard, believe me I do, but, is a day’s pay worth putting your life at risk? Is it worth risking the safety of your kids? Thank goodness the kids were safe spending the night at school, sadly most probably didn’t notice a difference because they see so little of their parents anyway, but I digress.
Part of being self-reliant is watching what is going on around you, whether it is paying attention to what is going on in a building or a store you are visiting, see Fire Watch When Not Home or keeping an eye on the weather.
If you don’t have a weather app installed on your phone, install one today, preferably one that includes live radar of your local area and has severe weather alerts. Keep watch on what the weather is doing, weather predictions are not always perfect, but they are pretty darn good.
Also, keep a weather radio on and near you at home. I have one in my bedroom and have it set specifically for the county I live that way I don’t get alerts from counties that are miles away. I know when the radio alert goes off there is something local that I need to be aware of.
Don’t stop there or get to reliant on the app or the weather radio. Always keep a good eye on the weather outside, get use to looking out the window and learning how the weather looks in your area.
Another concern is employers. I worked for an employer who back in 2004 would not let us leave during an approaching hurricane. The manager said “I can’t let everyone go home” so I am not letting anyone go home until the company president makes the decision to send you home. Well, I waited, and I waited nearly too long. I ended up driving home in strong wind and rain I vowed then I would not let my employer determine when I am safe to leave or not. At the same time there have been times when I have been at work, and chose to stay because a terrible storm had blown in and I wasn’t going to go out into the storm. Usually rain storms blow in and are gone within a few hours, but even then, I watch it on the weather radar and out the window, I am aware of what the conditions are.
It is a hard decision to make, but always remember, for the most part, the final decision about your safety, is yours. Yes, there are times, such as when a hurricane does blow in, when the authorities make the decision and advise the public to stay off the roads and that police and fire will be off the road until the storm passes. You have to know by the time the authorities, such as police and fire decide they will stay off the road until the storm passes that it is not safe to be on the road. That doesn’t mean you have to wait for their decision. You can make your decision to go home and stay home ahead of the storm.
Be informed, stay alert and vigilant. You need to be the shepherdess and lead and not part of the sheep that follow.