(11/30/16) Today marks the end of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. We were fortunate to escape much of the tropical weather this year. Localized tidal flooding still continues to be an issue and is part of living on a barrier island. Understanding and keeping track of how the occasional tidal flooding affects your property will help you prepare for the next one.
Terrorism Awareness . . .
As we enter the holiday or as some see it the “shopping” season of the year we must always keep in mind that terrorism is still a threat and it may show up at any time. Preparing for terrorism is difficult as most of the attackers do not give much advance notice. Sometimes we find out later that perpetrator posted something on social media of his/her intent but finding it after the fact doesn’t help us prepare. We must be in the “aware” mode at all times when we are out shopping or even traveling to our relatives during the holidays. Being in the “aware mode” is simply making note of our surroundings and most importantly processing it with our knowledge and experiences. For example when you walk into a room you make note of the egresses and the pros and cons of each in case you need an escape route or as you enter a room looking at the people there and making note of who is out of place, like wearing a heavy coat when it is warm out (to conceal weapons or explosives), or people look out of place and are avoiding eye contact with everyone, also is there any packages left around that are unattended? For many of us the electronic age has taken over our senses and we find ourselves constantly playing with our phones or listening to music to the point where we don’t hear people talking to us and don’t see the obvious. Practice being in the aware mode as it is a big step toward terrorism preparedness.