Considering Destruction

How could you not? Looking at photos of Haiti and hearing about the destruction, you think about it. Cry for them, wonder for us.

For friends and family in Utah, it's worth it to read this: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705359039/70-earthquake-If-the-big-one-hits-Utahs-Wasatch-front.html?pg=1

Haiti got a "sometime in the next 2 years" warning--and it wasn't enough time to rebuild the entire country (esp. since they had no money). You just got a "sometime in the next 50 years" warning. That's enough time.

So here's the thing that I keep seeing--the people are starving and thirsty.

I realize that even if you had a year's supply on hand, it would have been destroyed (potentially) in a disaster like that. But here in the US, chances are better that entire cities wouldn't be knocked down, and that if you had storage of food or water, you'd likely be able to rescue it.

So I guess this is a suggestion for those I care about: ANYONE can store some jars or 2 liter bottles of water.  I have been more destitute financially than quite literally anyone I know, and even I could store water. And should. So DO IT. Even I can manage to buy an extra can that's on sale once in a while and have 3 months of food on hand before long. I know because I've done it. ANYONE can look around and say, "What do we need if there's an emergency?" and start slowly collecting those extra diapers, extra boxes of bandaids and first aid booklets. It's one of those things that if you don't do it when there's no reason, you won't have it when there is a reason.

I'm not saying go all survivalist on me. I'm just saying that the Lord has asked us to do certain things, and Haiti should be a reminder of one reason why we obey. (Again, not that they have access to their year's supply anyway....the destruction there was so absolute). But still--when you KNOW that there is a really good chance that a "big one" is coming sometime in your lifetime to Utah, doesn't it make sense to at least TRY to be prepared?

Also, one of the things that struck me was that, given that level of destruction, you can't rely on outside help. The article linked to above mentions that in the SLC area, the destruction would make it very hard for "official" aid to reach people--the city would all be divided up, broken up, into six sections that would be mostly inaccessible from each other. What the article doesn't account for is community--is people opening their front doors and doing what they can to help the people around them. In that kind of a disaster, you have to rely on the people living around you instead of the government to help.

So it makes sense to get to know them, and to do your home and visiting teaching, and to generally take steps to get out of your virtual worlds and into your real community because REAL community--the people surrounding you right now--are the ones who ultimately will need you (and you them) when push comes to shove. Just think--if ONE family had collected a year's supply of food and water, and they could access it, they alone could keep 12 families alive for one month, or 52 families alive for a week. One doctor/nurse in the area, one teacher, one master scavenger, one seamstress, one builder, one repairman, etc, who are willing to step out and donate their skills to help their neighbors--and you have very soon a little pocket that is functioning and ready to pick up and start over even if NOBODY ever shows up to save them.

Be that ONE.