This seems unbelievable to me! As of last year I had been alive 28 years and thankfully NEVER saw a tornado, earthquake or hurricane. We've had a few blizzards, but COME ON! We live in New York! One of the draws about living in NY, at least for me, is the change in seasons. I love the leaves in the fall, the idea of making a snowman in the winter, the cherry blossoms in the spring, and having the summer off when it's hot! I love having seasonal bags of clothes under my bed that beg to be sorted out when the weather begins to change.
Of course, NY has it's scary problems as well...we've had several terrorist attacks, we have our nasty (and sometimes dangerous) people and some of the worst drivers on the planet.
New Yorkers always are on the edge as far as safety is concerned. It was the main reason I was hesitant at all about having a child. There were several times my heart would race and I would think - How can I bring up a child in such a nasty, scary, unknown world. However, natural disasters in NY were very rare, and barely even entered my mind as something that would really cause me concern, especially as a new mom.
And then, my Little Lovebug was born.
My Little Lovebug has been alive 13 months. He has already seen a tornado/microburst (September 16, 2010), one of the worst blizzards ever (December 26, 2010), an actual earthquake (August 23, 2011) and today, August 28, 2011 - he will witness his first Hurricane.
The thing that stinks the most was, we were heading on a cruise today, 8 nights from New York to Bermuda. The trip was postponed until tomorrow morning. So, instead of packing our last minute items and getting ready to meet the cab in front of my friends house, instead of getting ready for delicious food and entertaining shows, we are boarded up in our house, anxiously awaiting the arrival (and departure!) or Hurricane Irene. This last paragraph is not meant to sound selfish. Obviously, the concern of my family's safety is #1. There will be a lot of devastation after Hurricane Irene passes through and my heart goes out of everyone affected.
The whole point of this is - there is always the unknown, there is always the unexpected. There are always things we would rather be doing. There is always a bad time. The best thing we can do is be prepared. Be prepared and pray. Keep your loved ones close and as safe as you can.
Godspeed and Good Luck.