Power Outage

After church on Sunday there was an enormous rainstorm that my husband took my kids out to play in while I talked for a little while.  My 3 year old son was completely drenched, my husband was soaked, and my little 1 year old girl was fairly wet.  No other parents let their kids play in the rain, of course!  But it is standard procedure at our house  - when it is raining everything stops and you go outside and play for a while.  It made for a lovely Sunday evening.

When we got home, however, we found that our power was out.
Now, we are pretty well prepared for such a time at that.  My husband got out the handcrank radio and the flashlights that you shake to generate the energy to turn them on and he and the kids enjoyed playing with them. 

But food in the refrigerator only lasts 4 hours and food in the freezer only lasts 2 days without power - what if it took days for the power to come back on?

Or, a much harder question, what if it doesn't come back on ever again?

Now in our current comfortable lives that seems like a ridiculous question but it is possible.  There is no Law of Nature or Biblical promise that says "When you flip the switch the light will come on."  It is prudent to ask yourself what you may want to do to prepare for such an eventuality.   This is especially the case when some preparations (like solar panels or windmills) can decrease your electric bill in the meantime.

Natural disasters happen all over the world every day.  Since the Cold War and Terrorism we know that manmade disasters can happen at any time.

I've heard that mental preparation can make as much difference as physical preparation.  If you stop and think today about what you would do if you didn't ever have electricity again, or if an earthquake/flood/tornado/atomic bomb affected your life you will be more prepared if that event ever occurs.

Professionals say to have a plan and practice it.  Survivalists say to have necessities stocked up.   You don't need to go crazy about it but consider what you may need if you find yourself in a disaster situation.  You will want to be able to take care of yourself and your family (and hopefully others!) instead of being a burden to someone else.

The Stand Against the Storm initiative (http://www.againstthestorm.org/) has been launched to get Christians prepared to take care of themselves and help others during disasters.  That might be one step forward in preparing for a possible disaster.