Reminder Alarms

I took my little day care kiddo to Rouge Park in Pickering, ON, this morning. It's a great little kids park on a beach that's a rock hunter's paradise. We arrived around 9:30am, but it was an overcast, super windy and only 8C, so I was second-guessing myself as we got our packs out of the car. And then the alarm system for the Pickering nuclear reactor went off. Yup, it did. I used to work in the neighbourhood, so I knew the sound. I didn't think to check before we left home this morning, but in case it wasn't system testing, we headed back to the car and headed straight for home.

A few minutes later the alarm stopped, and as I drove I received confirmed that they were in fact doing alarm testing today. Crisis averted. PHEW!! We switched gears a bit and went for a nature walk instead, but I've been totally preoccupied by it all day.

I have to admit, my mind was racing as I started that drive home. Why didn't I check if it was a testing day before we left home? What route should I take to get home? In what order should I pick up the kids? Should I go get my niece and nephew who live and go to school in Pickering? Where is my husband working today? Where are my daycare parents right now? Where did I put the KI pills? Why didn't I fill up the gas tank in the car today?!

I'm pretty confident in our preparations in terms of supplies, but we need a little more work on the logistics. Back to the planning board I go.

What would you do in a similar situation? About a 45 min drive from home, just on a three hour tour... How's your family emergency plan looking?

My mindset will be very different if I'm separated from the rest of my family. If I can reach my wife or one of the kids via phone, text or ham radio (and yes, the hams in our house are trained to start a listening watch if normal comms are disrupted), then I probably have to plan to return home as soon as possible, perhaps by way of the schools to collect the kids. If my family is reachable, we can figure things out from there.

If they're with me and it doesn't make sense to go home, our main emergency kits are always kept in each car. If we can't solve our problems with cash or credit cards we'll have water, shelter, and food for a day or three.

not to hijack the thread... but if you happen to be out of the country, be sure you are aware of important dates as they pertain to your host country... when I was stationed in Japan I was sightseeing in Fukuoka on May 1, 1971 when I noticed a parade coming down the street... red banners, bugles and commotion... moving to the street I watched as it approached, when a Japanese gentleman tugged at my shirt, and said it would be better if I went inside his store...it wasn't a Macy's May Day parade