You know, people talk about "being prepared" as something new. People used to be prepared all the time. We have always had storms and weather problems. Have you ever heard of the Blizzard of '49? Or the Great Blizzard of 1888? How about the the deadly hurricane that leveled Galveston, Texas in 1900? Those are just in the United States so I'm familiar with them, but there were other devastating storms in other places. Those were major storms, but there have been many, many smaller but dangerous storms over just the last century. The biggest problem we have today is that most people are living so close to having nothing on hand all the time. If a person can't get to the store within a week, there is nothing to eat. No milk, no frozen entrees, no bread... and if something happens that sends everyone to the store to stock up, the shelves empty fast. If you're not fast enough, you might be the one to go without.
That's because grocery stores (and other kinds of stores) work on a "just in time" basis where products are shipped to them twice each week or even daily, and they keep very little, if any, stock on hand.
That should be a very good incentive to keep at least a little extra on hand. Not just an extra loaf of bread, but two or three in the freezer, and not just a little extra milk, but perhaps a package of dry or a few cans of canned or milk. Maybe a few cans of soup some extra crackers and canned meat. Or more. And don't forget the water.
With all the strange weather we've been having, it only makes sense to be prepared.
Image courtesy of morguefile.com
