Severe droughts have been plaguing many parts of our country in recent years. There simply has not been enough rainfall in so many places. Although droughts are common from place to place at almost any given time, it is not that often that they cover so many states at the same time. It has caused real water shortages in states like Georgia and those who live there have had to limit their use of water to only the things that have been absolutely necessary.



During 2007, Southern California suffered greatly when wildfires started and spread throughout several counties leaving behind charred homes and other buildings. It is especially devastating when urban areas experience these fires because they disrupt so many lives. Firefighters struggled to contain the blazes before they reached homes that were in the path of the fire, but unfortunately they were not able to keep it from many of them.

Firefighters had to try and stop the fires from spreading, but with the bone dry weather and the strong Santa Ana winds to help push the fire along, it was such a daunting task to make any headway at all. Hundreds of families had to be evacuated because the fires were inching ever closer to their homes and it seemed that nothing that was tried could stop its progression. Many of these families ended up in shelters and some were even transported to the San Diego Qualcomm Stadium, similar to those that were sheltered in a Louisiana stadium after hurricane Katrina.

It is shocking when residents like those in a town the size of San Diego have to evacuate because of a natural disaster like this. They have a difficult time believing that it is happening to them. At least seven counties in California were declared federal emergency zones and some families that lost everything only had government aid and disaster relief to help them out. Some of these families did not even have emergency supplies for themselves because they never thought they would have need of them.

This only goes to show that none of us can ever be certain when and where a natural disaster will strike. Whether it is from flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or fires, it is so important for families to have a survival kit prepared for any of these emergencies. When you are forced to evacuate your home, there can be no telling how long you and your family will have to take refuge somewhere and you at least need to have enough supplies to last a few days unless you want to have to completely rely on the goodness of strangers.