A storm is coming

I am very lucky to live in a meteorologically and geologically boring place of the world. We rarely have earthquakes, and if we do, they’re usually minor. There are no volcanos, we don’t get hurricanes, and I don’t even live close to a mountain, forest, river or ocean, so there’s no chance of avalanches, forest fires, floods or tsunamis. Accordingly, my “prepping” level is very modest. I do subscribe to the basic philosophy though. We do have a wood stove, so we wouldn’t freeze in case of a power outage in winter, we also have enough food and water to last us a couple of weeks. And a few other things, such as a battery powered radio, batteries, some lamps, etc. One thing we’re not prepared for is for any armageddon-style event. But I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that preparing for armageddon is basically impossible and/or would cost so much time and money that the opportunity cost for that time and money are too high.

Anyway, why am I rambling about this? I’m not sure. It’s probably because today’s strip reminded me of last summer, when we had a huge thunderstorm with torrent-like rainfall. It was so bad that the water got backed up our sewage pipe (which should not happen in the first place, because the rain drainage system is supposed to be separate, yet some people’s rain gutters are connected to the sewer) and we had water in our basement. I didn’t check if the Thai place would still deliver though. In any case, we had a backflow flap installed to our sewer pipe and got a small pump. Next time we’re prepared!

But who knows what will be the next disaster to strike? Recently there was a big gas explosion in Vienna that happened only 50m away from a friend of mine’s apartment. They had their windows blown out, or rather in, but were lucky to be unharmed. How do you prepare for a thing like that? Not at all, I say. The best strategy is to prepare to a reasonable level and then stop worrying an enjoy life.

I notice I’m still rambling. Gotta get back to work!