Preparing for Natural Distasters

Would you stay in your home when you know, like everyone else in the nation knows, that a hurricane that is a category 5 heading towards state (city)? If you decided to leave, where you would go and important items would you take with you?  

I am bring these questions up because what has happen with the weather situation over in the Carolines with Hurricane Florence. But not just in the Carolines, how about what has happened in the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, and the southern part of Texas in Houston.  These areas has and will continue to experience more hurricanes in the months and years to come.

Some of these hurricanes like Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Harvey came with such devastations that cost which is more millions than the current Lottery, that is needed to be collective in order for those communities to rebuild again.  When you see those who are impacted by these devastations your heart either goes out to them or you are thinking “What fool would stay in the damn storm?” Though everybody has their own reason as to why they are willing to ride out storm, both literally and figuratively.

So the question that I bring to you is would you stay in your home when you know that a hurricane is coming towards your city?  Let me be sarcastic, I will not be living along the East Coast or the southern parts of any state that is connected to the Gulf of Mexico.  (Hell to the NO!!) I will go visit for 3 to 6 days but that is it. I am going to consider Garland (Dallas) safe from all major nature catastrophes for now.  And only for now.

But to further answer the question, I would leave and I would take with me all important documents such as birth certificates, divorce certificate, degrees, and other documents.  I would take some dresses, some shoes, and some jewelry. I would leave all bills and ex boyfriends there. I would also leave my ungrateful child and my shrew-ass mother or mother-in-law.  

Now where would I go is the next question that I would be ponding as I am packing.  I guess that would depend on what is in the bank account at that time, which would apply to many people. (Sidebar: as I am sitting here writing this piece, I better also make a mental note to talk to the back about an additional saving account for that reason.) I have been saying that if I move again, I would put all my things in storage and get a ticket to somewhere in Europe.  So that third question would would be that ideal place in mind at the time of the hurricane? And I will be like this would be a good time as ever to go. Maybe. If I do go, where, the exact location would be the next decision to think about. For the time being, I am going to consider Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, and especially South Korea because of my two new boyfriends: kimchi and Soju.   

But here in the states, where would you go if you could not make it to oversea or would not consider it. (For some people getting on a plane for that length of time would be too much! I believe a new alcoholic is born with every overseas flight.)   Would you go live in the snow storms of the North like Wisconsin, Michigan and the other states up there with Canada. How about going along the West coast like California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington states. They get a lot of fog and rain there from what I have heard. You could go to Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama, however do note that they too also get hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. This would affect the southern part of Texas. Then again you can go to Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah where they are hotter then hot. Nevada would be my bet because you can truly become rich and go broke in one night there.  Now I know that I have not named some states and that is because I don’t know them too well. However the case, one of these states has got to be that alternative state for you to retrieve to live in when them storms come riding through.

Lastly, there is that question that can only be answer by when the huge storms and everything that come with it has passed and settled.  When you can return home to view the damage from the hurricane, 1) do you want to return home to see what is left or 2) do you care to see left is standing of your home?  If I am in Europe I would not give a rat’s ass as to what is left to be rebuilt. Because what took me years to built with my hard earn love would be destroyed in a matter of hours. My heart and mental state would be destroyed, so I could not imagine what those people are either thinking or let alone feeling when they return to home to see the destruction of their home. And to rebuilt again after again because of the storms that come thru yearly, I guest and can only guest because I have never been in those shoes, would be utmost devastating.

Now I am not really trying to make light of this tragic event but really we should think about the “what if” scenario if it should ever happen to your city or state. Are you really prepare to deal with any natural disasters that come your way?  Regardless if it is a hurricane, an earthquake, a snow storm, El Nino or a fire. Are you prepared for that and is there any way that we prepare for something like those as I described?

So, again I am bring these questions to you as to what would you do.

My Scary Moment with My Mother

What I am about to telling you would be one of the most scariest moment in my life.  It frightening me so hard that I even cried at work and I am very good about holding my expressions in. . . .sometimes.  But this was something that I was not ready to deal with nor did I ever thought that something like this could ever happen.

On this particular Tuesday was the day after I had brought my mother home from the hospital.  She had 2 slip disc in her spine repaired and aligned with screws so she was still under some influence from the medicine that she was taken.  Between my auntie Do and I we were trying to be very careful with her because of the surgery. We were seeing that everything that she would need be in her reach including her cigarettes. (Lord knows that we are trying to get rid of those things.)

I had just got home and went straight to my mother’s room where at that time she was talking to Aunt Do about bar-be-queing.   Okay, if that is what she wants to do. No point in robbing her what remaining life pleasures that she can still enjoy. She looks up at me to greet me and asking me to help her getting to the bath.  As her child, yes, I protested but I still putting my things down and went into her bathroom to start her water. Once I had her water ready, I helpped her get ready and into the tub.

My mother was conscious and alert when I said to her that I was going to run my things upstairs to my room and come back down.  She said okay, so I did exactly what I said. I ran upstairs with my bag and shoes. Threw my shoes in my closet and bag on the side of my bed.  Grab my cell phone and Kindle, and headed back down to my mother’s room.

So I was sitting my mother’s room while she was taking a bath. And I hear her having a conversation with herself.  I asked her was she okay and she respond with yes. I hear the water moving as she is washing herself.

So I am starting to play my game on the my Kindle when I noticed that she was talking any more.  I yelled out to mother “Are you I yelled again “Mom, are you okay in there?” and again I got nothing.  So I put the Kindle and go into the bathroom to see my mother passed out in the tub. I catches her head before it goes underwater and she drowns herself.

I did not have time to get emotional. The first thing that came to mind was to let the water out in the tub. That was a stretch for me since I had her head in my right and used my left hand to remove the stopper to let the water out in a long tub.  I was able to pull my mother up and get her in a sitting position in the tub where she could not fall over into the water. The water had cleared enough to where I could run to the stairs that lead to the upper floors of the townhouse and scream “Auntie Doreen”!”.  I heard auntie saying “Coming, coming!!” as I am running back to my mother in her bathroom. Along the long back I grab a few towels to help pick her up because she is covered in baby oil-like substance that made it hard to grab and lift her out of the tub.

I grab the upper part of my mom’s body while Auntie step into the tub to grab her legs.  What pissed me and my Auntie off was that fact that my mother had some much stuff in her bathroom leaving no room to room about in it. But between Auntie and I, we managed to get her out ot the bathroom and into her bed. We then tried to dried her off and put some pjs on her.  The interesting part was trying to put her diaper on. Because she was dead weight, it was really difficult to get her to stand up and put on the diaper, let alone pull it up on her. However, the case, Auntie and I got my mother dressed, ready for bed and in bed in a comfortable position.

After making sure that my mother situated, we checked to see if she was still breathing. But let me make this clear that during that time when she was passed she was able to respond to me that is how I understood that she was somewhat still with us.

My Auntie and I had to take a few minutes to collect ourselves after this.  About 10 or 15 minutes later I was overwhelmed with emotions as I was telling my girlfriend Sonia what happened.  She was shaking that I was. When I went into work and started to tell my lead admin what had happen the previous night before, I broke down in shock and the only thing I could for the rest was finished crying here and there.  Again, I was overwhelmed with emotions.

During the rest of that week and into following week I was scared to let my mother take a bath.  And she hates taking showers, she feels that she does not get clean in a shower nor can she relaxes in a shower.  “Mother! I do not want to you relaxes in a shower! I want you clean.” But eventually I give in and let her have her bath. Why? Because it is her choice in how she wishes to take care of herself.

Weeks after this event, she has twice passed out in the tube where my Auntie and I had to pick her up out of the tube and onto her bed. Recently we learned that she has been having these seizures and because she has been having them for so long that her seizure meds sometimes works.

It has now been a  few months since this has happen I can not escape the image of seeing my mother like that. Many things has come to light in regards to my mother's health, and we that she does need 24 hours care because I am now fully aware as to how often she has these seizes and it is frightened to know that there is pretty much nothing you can do because they happening way beyond her control.