A year ago today, we were shocked here in Central Virginia by an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale. This seemed small compared to the massive quakes on the West Coast, but, because we rarely have earthquakes, few were prepared for one this strong. Building codes in this area are just not designed for that kind of movement. In nearby Louisa County, buildings crumbled and the high school was condemned. People are still trying to rebuild.
For me, that was a very emotional week. The day prior to the earthquake, our new van was totaled in an accident while the girls and I were on the way to the doctor’s office. The day of the earthquake, I was at home with all three of our kiddos, trying to keep them safe and explain to them why the house was moving. We lost our wedding cake topper, a few glass things broke around the house, and we had a fair amount of cleanup, but that was nothing compared to the damage just a few miles away. The next day, I had to put Grace onto the bus for the first time. At a time when I felt concerned about my ability to protect her when she was in sight, I now had to trust someone else to protect her. I felt very out of control, very vulnerable, and, emotionally, very beaten down.
Thankfully, the one thing that I never had to worry about was the ability to provide food, water, and medical care. We are pretty good about staying prepared for emergencies. Perhaps most importantly, when the accidents and emergencies happened, I was able to keep a clear head and hold everything together to assure my little ones that everything was going to be fine. It is amazing what proper training will do for you during an emergency. Sure, I have military training, but I am also confident because I have taken classes with the Red Cross.
What I took away from these incidents was that I need to make sure, even when they are young here, to start doing some drills so that my little ones are confident when they are faced with an emergency. When they know just what to do and have practiced over and over again, they are likely to keep a cool head and do just what they need to do when the time comes. That practice will also give you confidence and fewer things to worry about.
As I think about those days, I am glad that I could keep it all together for my family and I that I could keep them all cool, calm, and collected. I am also thankful that, even though the damage was not as bad as it could have been for us, we were prepared if things had gotten worse. Are you prepared for an emergency? If so, what do you do? If not, check out our post, Are you prepared?
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