Sustainable Democracy

Today I got to work to find out about some news that needs to be posted. This is mostly a local event but it does demonstrate the need for emergency preparedness.

At around 1 AM a gas tanker crashed, exploded, and spilled 9,600 gallons of flaming gasoline into a residential area. The first report from The Boston Globe states that three residential buildings and 40 cars have been burned. So far no major injuries or fatalities have been reported. the three images below tell the story much better.

These images are from George Rizer, Globe Staff.

Fires do not always happen when the weather allows for easy evacuations.

This is all that remained of the tanker that caused the fire.

the heat of the fire was intense enough to melt light posts.

It was probably below 20 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the fire. So ask yourself right now, would you be ready for an event like this?

Always make sure that you have some clothes and most basic necessities ready in the case of a fire or other sudden disaster. Especially in the case of a fire, you will not have the chance to get much back. The things you will most need are some warm clothes ready and id cards. Having someone steal your identity causes enough problems, not being able to prove who you are can be much more difficult to drag yourself out of.

How can you get the paperwork to prove your own identity if what you need to do so is the paperwork that you lost? Also make sure papers like birth certificates, etc. are in a firebox that can be recovered.

Be safe, and be ready.