The recent horrific floods in Iowa were worse than anyone could have ever expected - especially a guy named Mark Egly. Mark owns a driving range on the outskirts of Des Moines. He bought it six years ago - but checked it out thoroughly before he did. The thing he was most concerned about? Flooding. In 1993, Iowa was hit by the most devastating floods since it became a state - and Mark wanted to make sure that the ultimate water hazard wasn't going to happen to his new golf greens.



I'm Mr. Prepared, and I want to remind every reader that disasters can happen pretty much anywhere, no matter what you're told. As Mark recalled to Newsweek magazine, every state and federal agency swore up and down that that kind of flooding could never happen again. They had installed new levees and water pumping stations in the area - and Mark was assured again and again that it was impossible for his driving range to turn into an instant swimming pool. So he decided it wasn't much of a risk - and bought the business.

Well, we all know what happened this past June. The 1993 worst-flood-of-all-time suddenly became an also-ran - because the 2008 flood turned out to be the biggest in five hundred years, according to experts. Mark's entire driving range ended up under water - with a John Deere floating on top for good measure - despite all the official pledges that this would never happen.

About a week earlier, in the western part of the same state, an unexpected disaster of another kind struck suddenly and savagely - at a Boy Scout ranch, where about 93 boys were expecting only a fun few days of camping. Instead, they ended up facing a gigantic twister terror - a sudden onslaught by a tornado that went through the camp "like a bowling ball," in the words of one survivor.

Fortunately, these well-trained Scouts had practiced an emergency drill just the day before. They also monitored the severe weather alerts on radio as the storm approached, and went to the lowest part of the camp - the safest place in a tornado situation - to ride out the storm. After the tornado passed through, the boys then used their Boy Scout first aid training to treat the injured. As awful as the experience was, it all could have been a whole lot worse - which is why I admire the Scouting program so much! Any organization that has "Be Prepared" for a slogan has to be Mr. Prepared's favorite!

Yes, weather-wise, June was a tough month for all of Iowa. No one could have foreseen disaster on that scale - just ask Mark Egly. But that's exactly my point. Be prepared for anything by taking the simplest steps - stocking food supplies and other emergency gear such as a generator, having an emergency preparedness plan in place for you and your loved ones, and knowing where nearby shelters are in case of approaching disaster.

Hurricane season is still with us, as well as tornado season. The American West is also facing drought conditions, which bring with them dangerous wildfires. I don't like to be a pessimist, but weather keeps getting more and more extreme - so all of us have to be more and more prepared! Don't assume you're safe no matter where you are - but, please people, don't sit in the corner, biting your fingernails in a panic either! You'll be okay if you prepare!

This is Mr. Prepared, bringing Awareness to Preparedness!

Copyright (c) 2008 Mr. Prepared