It is better to be an outcast, a stranger in one’s own country, than an outcast from one’s self. It is better to see what is about to befall us and to resist than to retreat into the fantasies embraced by a nation of the blind.
Chris Hedges

Saturday, July 26, 2008

A Bad Storm

There is a howling storm outside my home this morning and the Volunteer Fire Service has been called out three times since 5am. Winds are gusting to 130kph and hail is pelting off the metal roof of my home. It is on days like this that I marvel at the commitment and bravery of the people working for the Fire and Ambulance Services. They do not get paid but a sign outside the firehall bears evidence they have been called out 250 or so times this year. It is on days like this, when the power is sure to go off, and serious flooding possible, that I worry about having enough firewood, water and food. What would I do if the roof blew off. It is Saturday, and my wife is supposed to be at a meeting and my grandson is supposed to stay with his mother. Being separated in a disaster would be the hardest of all things to bear. Oops. There go the lights.

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