Many thanks again to Kara McClurken, Preservation Services Librarian at Solinet, for this guest post.Hurricane warnings…better safe than sorry
I grew up in central Virginia, so most of what I knew about hurricanes came from my cousins in Charleston. But one year, we got off of school because they predicted that a hurricane was going to make it into central Virginia. We were all excited, not really understanding the devastating damage and loss that often comes with a hurricane. I remember waking up early to “see” a hurricane. But the hurricane never came—it moved further east than expected and all we received were some overcast skies and a little bit of rain. I remember thinking, “We are going to have to make up this school day in June and for what? Some gray skies???”
No matter how much experience meteorologists have and no matter the improvements in technology, sometimes the weather is not going to follow the anticipated course. As I have been watching the predictions for Tropical Storm Fay, it seems to have confounded the best meteorologists. Those of you who live in places like Florida are much more likely to be negatively affected by actual or predicted storms than those living in Central Virginia. Like the boy who cried wolf, it is easy to get tired of the school and work closings, of the anticipated storm that never comes, or comes along a different path or level of intensity than predicted. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. When we stop taking the storm or potential storm seriously, that is when it is most likely to have the most damaging effects on our lives. We cannot determine for sure where the storms will go. But we can ensure that we remain vigilant and as prepared as we possibly can be each and every time to try and mitigate the potential loss.
If you felt unprepared when Tropical Storm Fay went through, register now for "Hurricane Preparedness" a LIVE online class offered on Wednesday, September 10, 17 and 24 from 2-4pm (you must attend all three sessions).
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