The chicken-wing special at Applebee’s might have saved Rachel Swann’s life.
She arrived home tired one fateful evening and just didn’t feel like cooking.
The weather had been funky with popup storms that entire Wednesday in February 2016, and a text alert arrived noting a Tornado Watch in Essex County.
Weather watches, alerts and warnings are fairly common, she thought, so the family wasn’t concerned.
Once they were seated, a powerful storm rolled through. Thunder cracked, lightning flashed and rain poured, but again that’s not uncommon in Virginia. The family had committed to not looking at phones during meals, so they didn’t see the urgent text messages from neighbors.
As the Swanns ate, the restaurant manager approached their table.
“Don’t you live on Mount Landing Road?” the manager asked. “A tornado just went through there.”
Still, the family remained skeptical. After all, even reports of tornados aren’t terribly uncommon.
A neighbor finally reached Kevin Swann with a sentence that would change their lives. “Dude, your whole house is gone!”
Rachel, her husband, Kevin, and their two kids, Hannah and Mason, rushed back to their neighborhood. Where their family home stood less than an hour earlier, only the foundation remained.
“We pretty much lost 95 percent of everything we owned,” Rachel said.
Like a scene from a movie, emergency lights flashed from all directions. Massive trees were down. Power lines lay on the ground. And cell phone service was out.
Family and friends couldn’t reach them to check on their well-being, and the Swanns had no plans in advance on safe spaces to meet in the event of a disaster.
While their close-knit community came through with clothing, food and other support, the family was stunned: grateful to be alive but in shock.
“Never in a million years did we think something like this could happen,” Rachel said.
“You just never know,” she said. “Mother Nature doesn’t care how you feel or whether you’re prepared. We got the warnings and the alerts, but who would think that could actually happen?”
As we enter peak Hurricane season, there is no better time to take action and prepare your family and your home for the potential of a major storm, extended power outages and catastrophic damage.
September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, and Rachel has advice for friends, neighbors, family and anyone else she can reach.
“If the worst never comes, that’s good. But you have to prepare for the worst.”
What You Can Do Now
Create a family emergency plan. Some things to keep in mind:
- Discuss what to do in case of an emergency.
- Where will your family go?
- Do you have a meeting spot?
- Where will your pets go? Do they have food?
- Do you have prescriptions, medications and other critical items?
What Else to Consider
- Keep cash on hand. ATMs and other electronic payment options may not be working a er a storm.
- Store one gallon of water per person, per day, with enough to last for three days.
- Purchase a first-aid kit — or update the one you have. Some items may be expired.
- Stoves, ovens and other cooking devices may not be working. So keep nonperishable canned food in stock. And don’t forget a can opener.
- Flashlights with working batteries may be needed.
Find a complete list of how to prepare here.
