In Case of an Emergency!

Image Source: Virginia Department of Transportation AP

You know, I was watching the reports of the Nightmare on I-95 and was simply stunned by the miles and miles of stranded motorists who dealt with this sudden winter storm. The roughly 50-mile traffic jam that forced scores of drivers to wait in their cars for more than 24 hours in some cases for the roads to clear slammed the Washington area, parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S.

So this got me seriously thinking about making Emergency kits that I can have on hand in the event we need it for “any” type of emergency. Usually, when we travel, I pack extra bottles of water, non-perishable food, binoculars, matches/lighter, flashlight, extra batteries, a knife (to open a can or use as protection), paper towels, wet wipes, and a blanket or throw in the event we need it. I have a handy suitcase that all of this can be stored in if we have to make a quick getaway.

So this prompted me to check out some of the lists out there that will give me some ideas on what to include in my emergency kit, but honey, my little emergency kit didn’t touch the surface. So, instead of listing all of the suggested items to include in your emergency kit(s), click here to go to the Ready Emergency Supply List provided by Ready.gov. This list is also available in various languages like Arabic, Español, Français, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Chinese, Simplified. Just go to the “Make a Plan” tab, and pull down the menu and hit “Build A Kit.”

Better ready than sorry. Or is that better safe than sorry? Hmmm, either way…Happy emergency preparedness!

Patience for an Emergency? 🤔

Image Credit: Pixabay

Okay, so I had to jot down some comical thoughts, albeit frustrating, while chillin out in the local “emergency” waiting room. Yesterday, I had to go to the emergency room with my husband. While it was not a life threatening situation, thank God, after five and a half hours of sitting and glancing periodically at the time on my tracker, I stopped counting the minutes, milliseconds, or hours. Now this isn’t my first rodeo in the ER so I think we kinda know what to expect. Still, it’s exhausting. As my husband, a Vietnam vet would repeat what they told the soldiers in the Army, “Hurry up and wait!”

Now grant it, I have the utmost respect for the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers going above and beyond the call of duty. For them and their service, I am deeply grateful. As there were about a dozen people in the waiting room when we got there, we knew we would be waiting for a while, so thank goodness I brought me a book to read while “killing” time, no pun intended.

But seriously, I don’t know of a time when I have ever been to an emergency room and didn’t stay about as long as a working shift. 🤣 BTW it was freezing like the dead of winter, not just in the waiting area, but in the examination rooms too. I kid you not, they were passing out warm blankets and I do mean they were oven warm.

So, that my dear friends is a snippet of my great adventure in the ER waiting room! Are emergency rooms really for emergencies? That’s probably an oxymoron, but hey! 🤗 Patience for patients I say!