In early August, a tornado ripped through Menasha, WI. A dear friend, whose home is three blocks south of the tornado’s path, was without power and potable water for nearly a week.
My friend and her husband were among the lucky ones. Their house withstood this horrific event.
Their neighbors were not so fortunate.
The surrounding area was unrecognizable.
Overturned cars
Crumpled garages
Debris blocking streets
Buildings without roofs
Downed trees and power lines
Seeing the devastation brought back memories of…
- Being evacuated for over a week in 2010 when a 6,000-acre fire came close to touching my neighborhood. It took several days to restore power and get the well operational after I was cleared to return home.
- Sheltering in place in 2013 when a low-pressure system dropped over 17 inches of rain in four days. The rain knocked out power and severed road access to the neighborhood. Hundreds of wells needed to be tested and treated before people had safe drinking water.
- Feeling the isolation, like so many others, when the pandemic in 2020 made us cautious about going to a grocery store.
- Watching water rise faster than I had ever seen before when Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida in 2022. Power was out for days.
- Navigating back-to-back windstorms in December 2025 that damaged the roof of my house, knocked out power, and limited access to water for four days…while hosting company.
Peppered among these extreme weather events are the myriad times my house lost power due to high winds and/or snowstorms over the years.
With each power outage, I got smarter about what it takes to be prepared for such interruptions. Backup batteries. A generator. Bottled water. A well-stocked pantry. Nutritious freezer meals to thaw.
With natural disasters and supply chain disruptions on the rise, this is a call to action.
Whether facing a natural disaster or navigating an extended illness or injury, having a preparedness pantry and a holistic emergency preparedness plan will ease the challenges. It’s not about fear. It’s about staying resilient.
For practical tips on staying prepared without feeling overwhelmed, or for simple, actionable emergency tips to plan for your family’s safety, tap into my colleague Mira Dessy’s website and Substack posts. With Mira’s guidance, you CAN take control of your family’s health and safety when life gets turned upside down.
Here’s to preparing for the unexpected!
