Fires, Hurricanes & Blizzards

Its ironic how things work in this country when a particular area is struck by a disaster those in other parts say something like “that’s what you get for living there.” The truth is at some point just about all of us have the potential to become victims of a tragedy, some delivered by Mother Nature and others man-made.

Southern California is the latest area to feel the wrath as wildfires have displaced about a million people….a staggering number. Watching the footage leaves you shaking your head over the losses and the fact that many of the homeowners might be affluent is irrelevant. Lives are in danger, including firefighters and not only homes but many have lost a lifetime of memories. More than once I’ve heard someone allude to the fact that all these people have insurance so its not that bad…well in watching TV over the past couple of days that seems to be little comfort to many. The other thing you will hear at times like this is that if you live in Southern California you know that fires come with the territory. We can say that for just about every type of weather-related disaster like:

Hurricanes like Katrina- Well if you live in the gulf coast you know hurricanes are a danger. Of course you can say this for Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and many other states. And there will be a time when they say that for Long Beach Island and other parts of the Jersey Shore.
Tornadoes in the mid-west- When they hit people will say something like
“that’s why they call it Tornado Ally.” If you live there then you know it’s a risk, especially during the summer.
Snowstorms - Blizzards that result in loss of life and disrupt residents for long periods. Hey you know that living in northern states can mean severe winter…you chose to live there so you deal with the circumstances.
Floods, Heat waves, Earthquakes…wherever they occur you can be sure those not affected will often say “that’s what you get for living there.”

You can even go as far as saying that when the World Trade Center was attacked someone living a couple of thousands miles away probably uttered….”you want to live in New York then you take the risks.”

There is a common theme here. Unless we live in an underground shelter with no exposure to the outside world we all face certain dangers. However at the end of the day we are all Americans and should pull together for one another because you never know when you’ll be on the receiving end.