Preparedness Over Panic

I still remember the impact Hurricane Andrew made on me back in the 90s in Miami, Florida. I felt helpless because I was not able to help my extended family. We had electricity, while their food was rotten, and the flooding enabled us to distribute our food to them.

Fast forward, to the early 2000s, yes, I’m talking about the event that changed the United States, 9/11. This time around, I was the one without communication in Manhattan, NYC. I remember crossing the 59th Bridge as if it was yesterday. I got one destination, my uncle’s printing shop across the bridge. And I’m glad it was my father’s destination as well. He stood on the ramp of the bridge as he saw hundreds, if not thousands of people, looking for his firstborn child, me. I remember when we locked eyes from afar. It was a moment in time.

Literally two years later, as I was having a discussion with my campers at the YMCA talking about our 9/11 experience when the lights went out. Panic and fear are all around the hallways of the YMCA. The power is out. Again, no form of communication. We only had each other to come up with a plan. I still remember my Coordinator’s phrase, “You can stay, or you can go to your family. Zero judgment.” An hour later a co-worker told me he can take me home since he was only 15 minutes away from me, and I took the opportunity. Being a passenger in NYC streets with no traffic lights was a certainly vulnerable experience, however, I made it home. To see my parents and sister eating watermelons and playing cards with the neighbors in the front of the house. It was a hot summer day in NYC.

Those 3 memories replay in my head as gentle warnings and a true blessing. It was in those moments that I realized that I’m meant to help people be Proactive and Prepared. It was Hurricane Sandy in NYC that finally got my family’s attention. We were prepared, and we were grateful for our safety. And that was not the case for so many Staten Islanders in NYC, including a mom who lost a child from the surge while evacuating her home.

My friends, the question is not “IF,” nowadays it is “WHEN.”

Emergency happens every day, and we can prepare for our families because no one else will.

Think about it.

Do you want to be a last-minute shopper standing in long lines & feeling overwhelmed? Or do you want to be home with your family and loved ones feeling grateful? Download your checklist today. I don’t want your email address, I want you to take action. Click on the button below:

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