We live in an area blessed with many good things and a few IBPEs (Irregular But Predictable Emergencies). November is a good case in point.
While not as rainy as outlanders think, we do have occasional floods, usually in early winter months. They result in impassable roads, mud and debris slides, power outages and general damage to the civic and economic infrastructure. We dont often get snow and freezing temperatures some west of the Cascade passes, we do get both often enough that it is not totally unexpected.
Power providers, highway maintenance, fire fighters and law enforcement have contingency plans in place for such emergencies, funded to the extent possible under public mandate. Many individuals, however, despite much public nagging, continue to be surprised and unprepared for such events despite sure knowledge that they will happen. We excuse it by saying we dont know exactly when it will happen, so how can we be prepared?
Bushwa.
Those who continue to use this excuse are costing the rest of us a lot of money and inconvenience. They also endanger our community and individual safety. They add to our many accomplishments a tarnished gloss of foolishness.
Take our recent low temperature snow and ice storms, as an example. It is past time for those pictured in barrow pits and ditches to receive our sympathy as a consequence of driving chainless on ice-covered roads. Local law enforcement would be the first to tell you that most of these people do not own tire chains, let alone know how to install them, or when. Many drive four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicles with the overconfidence born of ignorance of how such vehicles are designed to perform in such conditions. Many are unaware that chains are appropriate on such vehicles in certain conditions just as with 2-wheel drives.
Although the actual costs of the vehicular messes witnessed on our freeways in recent days is enormous, we do not address the human causes in our driver licensing process, a logical place to start. The next step is adding legal penalties.
Some suggest why not just stay home.
People who ask this question are often the same ones who proudly say you cant let a little rain stop you from living your life if you live in the Northwest. The same logic adheres here. Our local economy takes a huge hit when ice and snow that people in Montana or Minneapolis deal with for much of their winters keep us quivering at home.
Our neighbors who share the 49th parallel are laughing at us. We cant seem to master the skills necessary to live with our weather. Being the butt of such jokes (These people are smart enough to work at Microsoft but cant figure out how to drive their vehicles in a skiff of snow and ice?) may not be motivation to change for some. For others, civic pride means something.
What about those who are without power?
Power companies, as stated above, have the most comprehensive emergency plans as well as preventative plans in place. To ask more of them means a willingness to pay them more. A far better option is to expect our citizens to do some self-preparation. Seven (not three) days of stored food, water and medications for all family members including pets should be a self-imposed minimum requirement for each household. Flashlights, safe non-electric heat sources, blankets and warm clothing should be easily available. Special medical needs should be addressed and options prepared in advance. Alternate routes should be planned and familiar, again, in advance.
Those who say we dont know when these things will be needed are entirely correct.
But it is way past time to use that excuse for not having them because we have chosen to live in a place where one thing IS certain:
They will happen.