Real Life Disasters

I live in Burlington County, NJ, which was declared a "disaster area" in mid July due to flooding caused by torrential rain and several broken dams. I live on a lake, which is usually a great place to live. This is not so when dams break.

My house suffered major damage due to flood water. As bad as it was, it was worse for others. At least we can salvage our house.

Since I never experienced anything like this before, I learned several things.

First, you should always know where your flashlight is and make sure it works. You never know when you will need it, and when you do, you might REALLY need it.

Your cell phone can be a lifeline to the rest of the world-as long as it doesn't get wet. If you don't know the phone numbers of your family members, you should have them programmed into your phone.

Police Officers and Rescue Workers are humans, just like the rest of us. Some are extremely understanding and others are not.

Family, friends and neighbors will be invaluable and the Red Cross is excellent.

Strangers will help you.

The Federal Government does give out money, and they can work very quickly - this was truly amazing to me.

As bad as your disaster was, there is probably someone who suffered even more.

If no one gets hurt, everything will be OK.

The victims of a disaster become consumed by it. They can think of nothing else, until their life is put back to some semblance of order. I write articles every month, and I often struggle with a topic. This month, there was nothing else.

The best thing I learned, however, is how generous people can be. Family, friends and even strangers showed up at our doorstep to help. Those that could not help offered kind words and sympathetic ears that were much appreciated. Neighbors, who were suffering varying degrees of the same issues, offered their homes, their food, their clothing. I have discovered a renewed belief in the inherent goodness of mankind.