Hey blog fans,
Just wanted to update Exploring 24 with a mid- work day post. Right now my team and I are sitting in the middle of a parking lot at a FEMA Mobile registration center in San Marcos, TX as Hurricane Bill proceeds to make landfall. Upon arriving to work this morning, the first thing we were shown was the building we should run to in the event of severe lightening or tornados (no biggie right?) 5 hours later and here we sit with the rain pounding down on our tents, jackets and sometimes even our computers. As the day continues I can’t help but think about one overriding factor that I probably should have considered a little more when I dedicated a year of my life to emergency management. It is a fact about me that only a few really know the severity of. Something that I have been trying to get a grasp on for years but have never really been that great at.
Fact: I have an overwhelming, almost paralyzing fear of bad weather.
Yes, I know that it’s silly. Especially considering that my ultimate weather fear is tornados and I live in Philadelphia where that almost never happens. I know that I am a grown woman and should stop acting like a baby every time I hear the weather report. But I am not ashamed that anytime I hear thunder, deep down I kind of just want to go sleep in my mom’s room like I am 5. I like to think that I have found the reason for my fear. I genuinely think it boils down to my never ending control issues. I wouldn’t in any way say that I am a “control freak” but I at least like to know about or have some say in whatever is going on around me.
But weather doesn’t work like that. If Mother Nature wants rain, she’s getting rain. If she wants 30 degree weather in June, it’s going to happen. If Mother Nature wants to pick up your home and throw it 4 miles down the road… well then you’re just shit out of luck. And to put it nicely, I’m not super down with that. If it were up to me, people would be able to be like “Hey Mother Nature, I live here. Why are you being such a jerk?”
But unfortunately, that’s not how it works. So here I am, a 24 year old lilapsophobic, someone with an abnormal fear of tornadoes and hurricanes, battening down the hatches as my surrounding areas light up with oranges and reds on every Doppler radar system. I have never felt less in control in my entire life and for some very, very weird reason… I have yet to freak out.
If I were at home I would have already thought about how fast I can clear out our closet under the steps and get my dog in there in the event of a tornado. I would have already considered going to my grandparent’s house so that we are all in the same place when the rescuers inevitably came to get us in rafts. I also probably would have called my best friend who would without a doubt have absolutely no clue that there was even a storm on the way and find myself yelling “WHY THE HELL DON’T YOU EVER WATCH THE NEWS” to which their response would be “Because you’re going to call and tell me about it either way”. This would obviously result in hang up.
But I feel shockingly calm right now. Maybe it is because this time, I am here as one of the “rescuers”. Maybe I think that our big 15 passenger government van is incapable of being lifted off the ground (I don’t actually think that by the way). Or maybe I am finally coming to terms with the fact that there is no sense in freaking out over something I have no control over because of just that… I have no control over it. Whether I want it to or not, these storms are going to happen. All I can do is be prepared, stay informed and hope to God (or whatever higher being you believe in) for the best.
Hopefully I can remember all of these ground breaking things I am posting when I actually see this storm in action later on tonight. Keep checking my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more storm updates!
Special Request: Please keep the people of Texas and Oklahoma in your prayers over the next few weeks. The disaster survivors I have spoken to have already gone through so much, maybe Mother Nature really will give them a break if enough people ask for it.
Just wanted to update Exploring 24 with a mid- work day post. Right now my team and I are sitting in the middle of a parking lot at a FEMA Mobile registration center in San Marcos, TX as Hurricane Bill proceeds to make landfall. Upon arriving to work this morning, the first thing we were shown was the building we should run to in the event of severe lightening or tornados (no biggie right?) 5 hours later and here we sit with the rain pounding down on our tents, jackets and sometimes even our computers. As the day continues I can’t help but think about one overriding factor that I probably should have considered a little more when I dedicated a year of my life to emergency management. It is a fact about me that only a few really know the severity of. Something that I have been trying to get a grasp on for years but have never really been that great at.
Fact: I have an overwhelming, almost paralyzing fear of bad weather.
Yes, I know that it’s silly. Especially considering that my ultimate weather fear is tornados and I live in Philadelphia where that almost never happens. I know that I am a grown woman and should stop acting like a baby every time I hear the weather report. But I am not ashamed that anytime I hear thunder, deep down I kind of just want to go sleep in my mom’s room like I am 5. I like to think that I have found the reason for my fear. I genuinely think it boils down to my never ending control issues. I wouldn’t in any way say that I am a “control freak” but I at least like to know about or have some say in whatever is going on around me.
But weather doesn’t work like that. If Mother Nature wants rain, she’s getting rain. If she wants 30 degree weather in June, it’s going to happen. If Mother Nature wants to pick up your home and throw it 4 miles down the road… well then you’re just shit out of luck. And to put it nicely, I’m not super down with that. If it were up to me, people would be able to be like “Hey Mother Nature, I live here. Why are you being such a jerk?”
But unfortunately, that’s not how it works. So here I am, a 24 year old lilapsophobic, someone with an abnormal fear of tornadoes and hurricanes, battening down the hatches as my surrounding areas light up with oranges and reds on every Doppler radar system. I have never felt less in control in my entire life and for some very, very weird reason… I have yet to freak out.
If I were at home I would have already thought about how fast I can clear out our closet under the steps and get my dog in there in the event of a tornado. I would have already considered going to my grandparent’s house so that we are all in the same place when the rescuers inevitably came to get us in rafts. I also probably would have called my best friend who would without a doubt have absolutely no clue that there was even a storm on the way and find myself yelling “WHY THE HELL DON’T YOU EVER WATCH THE NEWS” to which their response would be “Because you’re going to call and tell me about it either way”. This would obviously result in hang up.
But I feel shockingly calm right now. Maybe it is because this time, I am here as one of the “rescuers”. Maybe I think that our big 15 passenger government van is incapable of being lifted off the ground (I don’t actually think that by the way). Or maybe I am finally coming to terms with the fact that there is no sense in freaking out over something I have no control over because of just that… I have no control over it. Whether I want it to or not, these storms are going to happen. All I can do is be prepared, stay informed and hope to God (or whatever higher being you believe in) for the best.
Hopefully I can remember all of these ground breaking things I am posting when I actually see this storm in action later on tonight. Keep checking my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more storm updates!
Special Request: Please keep the people of Texas and Oklahoma in your prayers over the next few weeks. The disaster survivors I have spoken to have already gone through so much, maybe Mother Nature really will give them a break if enough people ask for it.
