If you’ve watched or read the news over the last four days then you should be at least somewhat familiar with what many are calling “one of the worst snow storms on record” that took place over the weekend on the east coast. This blizzard cancelled thousands of flights, rendered State-wide travel bans, left hundreds of thousands of residents without power and, sadly, was blamed for a number of deaths.
This event is significant for us in that while it may not have had any direct impact on our well-being, how many of you reading this have family or friends in one of the impacted states? Does anybody have children that go to college on the east coast or is involved with a business or a supply chain based on the east coast? How many of you had a scheduled flight this weekend with an airline that was impacted by the cancellations? We must always keep in mind that while localized disasters have the greatest direct impact on the local community there are ripple effects that can stretch nationally or internationally. By incorporating this truth in to your disaster planning efforts you will be that much more prepared for the unforeseen impact.
A CNN report cites the following known statistics related to Winter Storm Jonas as of January 25, 2016 @ 10:00am (PST).
• At least 37 deaths have been blamed on the severe weather.
• Airports are recovering, but at least 1,500 flights were canceled Monday, FlightAware said.
• New York City missed its all-time storm record by a tenth of an inch, with 26.8 inches at Central Park. Meanwhile, 30.1 inches was recorded at JFK airport.
• Worst-hit was the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service, with 42 inches recorded in Glengary and 40.5 in Shepherdstown.
• Federal workers in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia were ordered to stay home Monday.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/winter-storm-live-updates-millions-brace-major-snowstorm-n500421
If you are somebody who knows somebody that was impacted by this storm then you should talk to them about it. Find out how they were impacted, how well they were prepared and what they need to do to be more prepared for the next event. Talk to them about your personal preparedness and some of the hazards we face here in southern California if they are not familiar. The great thing about many preparedness actions is that they are not hazard-specific which means we can draw preparedness parallels with those in other parts of the country facing different disasters with similar impacts (i.e. power outages, evacuations, inability to access clean water, etc.)
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