Cycling in Emergency Situations

[Aggie_Ama]

No advice but glad she is okay!

[skhill]

So glad your daughter's OK. It's hard to really comprehend the destruction down in AL.

I have used my bike for transport in a natural disaster. It was an ice storm, of all things. Since I don't have a garage, my car was parked outside, and ended up encased in more than an inch of ice. There was a day when the main roads were basically ice-free, but I still couldn't chip my car out of the ice, so I got around by bike. Not pleasant, but it worked.

[indysteel]

Mr. B, I'm so glad your daughter is safe. I thought of you when I saw the new last night. Do you have any other family in the area and are they okay?

[tangentgirl]

No actual experience, but I was just thinking about this yesterday. I should probably keep my hybrid in shape and/or put cross tires on my old roadie.

My bf and I have also talked about getting enduro sport motorcycles in case of emergency (ok and for fun too) - traffic would be a major cluster, and we might need to ride over things. If we needed to get out of town in a hurry, that would be a good choice.

Glad your daughter is all right, Mr. Bloom!

[smilingcat]

Always have a pair of work gloves, a pair of boots in easy reach for disaster. Boots/shoes are really important because of the debris outside. Lots of broken glass after a disaster. You should also keep two 8x11 sheets. One with We're OKAY! in big green letters. A second with NEED HELP!! in big red letters. When the disaster hits you can tape the appropriate sign on the front window where it can be seen easily.

Have a MTB instead of regular road bike for the same reason. Having a panier available for your MTB would be good too. Keep emergency supply in the panier along with first aid kit.

And if you have an amateur radio license, keep a hand held charged up with your emergency supply. My partner and I keep a set of 2-way radios, which doesn't require a license. You can pick them up at a sporting good stores, Radio Shack, Fry's etc. Being able to communicate is really important after a disaster.

We were a part of local disaster preparedness group. And I thought of joining DCS until they lost ... oh never mind.

Lastly to all, if a police car or fire truck goes through your neighborhood without stopping don't get angry. They are assessing the damage first!!

KI6YMF

[ladyicon]

Soooo glad your daughter is safe. Tornadoes scare me.

[zoom-zoom]

No personal experience, but I've seen a couple of news articles about renewed popularity of bicycles in Japan post-earthquake/tsunami.

Glad your DD is OK. How scary for everyone involved!

[Tri Girl]

Glad to hear that your DD is safe. I'm sure you were worried sick last night.

[Mr. Bloom]

First, Thanks for the good wishes. I'm feeling blessed and grateful tonight. Dd's best friend suffered a broken back and is in surgery in Birmingham (with a good prognosis) as I type this; another sorority sister's body was found today

Also, thanks for the stories and thought provoking suggestions. Please keep the experiences and ideas coming! I particularly like the Katrina stories...I've got this vision of one wicked fast tailwind pushing that guy inland like greased lightening!

[Tri Girl]

Dd's best friend suffered a broken back and is in surgery in Birmingham (with a good prognosis) as I type this; another sorority sister's body was found today

glad to hear her best friend will be ok, but oh no about her sorority sisters. I'm so very sorry...

So do they just not have the preparedness that we have in Tornado Alley? I know they said people had an hour warning in many cases, but I'm wondering if they don't have storm shelters, sirens, places to hide. It just breaks my heart for them. At least we are ready for it, but when you're not used to it and don't know what to do....