I grew up in New England, in a family that was practical and careful. One of the things I learned from my upbringing was to be prepared: We knew when there was a winter storm brewing, and we were prepared. That meant we arose early enough to dig out the drive way (or snow blow it in later years). We arose early enough to allow extra time to arrive at whatever destinations we needed to achieve. We were prepared.
We paid attention to the weather forecasts, and made sure we were ready for whatever occurred.
When I moved to West Texas, I was surprised. From what I could tell, people really did not plan for contingencies having to do with the weather. If a storm was forecast and blew in, everything stopped or was late. People did not seem to plan to start early because of a storm. Rain could deter activities, including going shopping, or going to the doctor.
Some people had tornado shelters, but not everyone did. Some people who did not have tornado shelters had plans if tornadoes occurred, but not everyone did.
The weather service, the municipal powers and the local media encourage people to have an emergency kit. As if this is a new and previously unheard of idea. Who would not have an emergency kit in case of a disaster. Mine is not elaborate, but includes provisions for myself and my cats. Because my "shelter" is the closet in my bedroom, I have a lot of stuff readily available with my emergency kit. If I had to take shelter, my purse with my ID, credit cards, my cell phone, and such would be with me.
For winter weather, I have equipment to "dig out." I have emergency equipment in my vehicle, including a blanket for warmth, in case of being stuck. I am not the most prepared person there is, but I have made some preparations.
Something is better than nothing.
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