Back in my days of youth I had this sudden urge to get proficient in first-aid. I started studying everything I could find. I had a chance meeting with a paramedic that shared the realities of treating trauma victims and performing CPR (victim vomiting in your mouth, etc). A few weeks later I was finishing up a flying lesson at Santa Paula airport, when one of the instructors ran up saying he saw a Great Lakes airplane go down in the nearby Santa Paula River. My instructor and I jumped in my truck and raced to the river. We found the plane upside down on a sand bar with the man pinned underneath and fuel spilled all around. Another instructor arrived and they pulled the man free. Then they just left him there lying on the hot sand. I jumped right in and did what I could. The man had severe facial injuries and a compound fracture of one leg. Probably more injuries I couldn’t see (he spent a week in ICU). The amazing thing is nobody else would help. While we waited for the Sheriff’s helicopter to arrive, a crowd gathered. Nobody would help. It was sweltering, so I finally yelled at this group “If you are just going to stand there, at least stand where you will cast some shade on this poor guy”. Nobody budged. Weird. There wasn’t a lot I could do for this guy so I mainly just kept a constant conversation going with him to keep him alert, keep him distracted from the pain, and hopefully lesson the chances of severe shock. Afterwards when I reflected back on this string of events, I felt like I was meant to be there. Or was it all just coincidence?

Back to the present…

The hair on the back of my neck has been on end since early August. Something’s up!

My interest in preparedness went into overdrive. I began surfing the web regarding preparedness and going back through all my kits. I shamefully admit I had not updated some of my kits in 5 years (results: rotten candy, leaking batteries, etc). I decided to methodically re-evaluate and update all my kits (these things take time and money).

Then along comes Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in our country. Was this what I was sensing?

I continue to work on my kits. After being a former lurker, I finally join the ETS gang.

My son breaks his arm at school. Is this what I have been sensing?

I continued to put the finishing touches on my kits, then I hear about some interesting seismic and volcanic happenings in my neck of the woods?

http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/050913_slip.html

http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/ap_050906_sisters_bulge.html

Maybe this? I dunno.

I am feeling better about my state of preparedness, but had to have my wife shave the back of my neck to get that hair down. I still have a strange sense that something is about to happen. (Maybe I’m just nutz).

I am curious about others experience or opinions regarding a so called “Spidie Sense”, intuition, animal instinct, premonitions, etc. regarding future disasters or emergencies.

TR