Urban Survival Secrets

Urban Survival and storm awareness

Most people will not be aware, but in Arizona we are in our summer rainy season (monsoon).   We get roughly half our rainfall in about 6 weeks.  Now you folks from the rainy climates are thinking – so what!  We get 2 bazillion inches a week during a drought!  Well, down here the rain comes down real hard real fast – making for a disaster really quick.  We can get an inch of rain in a matter of 10 minutes.  With the soils made primarily of clay (not sand!) the water has a tendency to start making dry washes run wet and flooding will occur.

Now my neighbor had the winds blow two rather large mesquite trees down and his front yard was flooded since the irrigation canal overflowed since the culvert was plugged up with trash and tumbleweeds!  He had 4 plus inches of water in his front yard in no time.

So how does this affect the price of tea in China??  It doesn’t.  But safe practices and readiness are very important.  We had no power for over an hour.  Without AC this time of year, things get real hot.  Should we start our generators?  What should be powered first?  Methinks that food storage then AC would be the priority.

If the power is out at the water treatment plant what happens next?  You may be screwed!  If the water treatment plant does not have backup generators, you may not have running water.  Do you have backup water?

During floods, sometimes the natural gas is turned off, what should I do?  Rarely does this happen as most power plants in the Southwest are natural gas fired.  If the gas is turned off and you dont have electricity, I hope you took time to fill up a few propane tanks for cooking.

Man, the rain came down so hard I could not see – what should I do?  Well, back in May I discussed this.  Pull over to the side of the road, turn off your lights and do not step on the brake pedal as someone may ram you, making your car a compact and giving your neck a stretch my Chiropractor would love to assist you with fixing.

I may sound preachy tonight, but that is my prerogative!  Please listen up. Take time and get the right equipment, study and be prepared for the worst.  The you will survive even in an urban environment, regardless of the morons out there!