The Internet is a great source of information… accurate or otherwise. I follow a couple of news outlets around town (including our own GPB Facebook page). This afternoon on my lunch break, I checked to see if my friends and family had commented on how utterly adorable my son is while playing in the snow (they had not), when I noticed a terrifying image and description to match which declares, “7 inches of snow in Atlanta next weekend?”

That bewildered question mark gave me no solace. Because it’s real. Which is to say, it’s a real possibility on one of the computer models at this time. Meteorologists at Atlanta’s WSBTV do a really good job explaining that this is just a model and that we should not start panicking. For example, it may all be rain. For the record, I don’t know that 7 inches of any form of precipitation in a given day or weekend is safe.

We are not prepared for flooding, I can assure you – should we have an inflatable raft? Maybe. Even after this past week’s snow-turned-ice, we are not prepared for yet more snow. I don’t even own a coat! I layered on a t-shirt, long-sleeved t-shirt, hoodie, jacket, then my husband’s “light” jacket over that in order to play in the snow with our kid, also in layers of pants and shirts and his “heavy coat,” which wouldn’t get us very far north of Georgia in the winter.

However, that can be changed:

Planning for Emergencies

The CDC’s Emergency Preparedness is a great – if not obvious – place to start.

•Water (1 gallon per person per day)
•Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
•Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
•Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
•Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
•Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
•Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
•First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)

While references to Atlanta’s resemblance to Walking Dead (check out Patrick’s blog if you missed the reference) during Tuesday’s shutdown are (not-yet) very funny to us, there’s something to be said for preparing for a zombie apocalypse.

I don’t always take my own advice in the blogs, but this time it really is different. I’m putting a blanket in the car and will be diligent about keeping a water bottle with me, flashlight, and maybe even spare clothes. At home, I’m going to add some supplies from CDC’s recommended list there to our spare blankets and water. And, you can believe that I’ll be buying boots for the kid and a real coat for me this weekend.

Even if there is no snow next weekend, I don’t want to feel unprepared again. If I manage to overlook something, though, it’s nice to know I’m in a city of good Samaritans who will have my back.