Thanksgiving & Communication

In Canada, thanksgiving is almost upon us. And isn’t thanksgiving all about communication? Expressing ourselves? For some of us, the reasons to be thankful are so abundant that we skip the first obvious few—a roof over our heads, our safe communities, our families, food and clothing—and try to get more creative with our expressions of thanks.

But what if I reminded you that good communication could be the reason for keeping these basics intact?

In the event of an emergency, whether it’s an earthquake, a flood or a blizzard, time will be of the essence, and so the more you’ve done to prepare ahead of time, the better off you’ll be.

A huge part of this preparation lies in communication.

Before you even delve into the planning phase, find yourself a good radio—preferably with an alternative energy source—and make sure you know how to use it. Try our Weather Alert Flashlight Radio, for example. If you’re ever caught in a dangerous situation alone… Well, you won’t be alone!
Hold family or household meetings once every six months to make a plan, and then refresh your memories and update it. You may even want to convene more often than every six months, if circumstances within your home change.
Write down the plan. Post it somewhere easy to access. Print off copies for each family or household member, and put these in your emergency kits.
Don’t forget to talk about your plans to communicate during the event of an emergency. You want to prepare for every outcome. Knowing the natural disasters that are most common to your region is helpful. Take a look here for more information, if you aren’t sure.

The newness—and decay—of autumn is all around us. As we dig out our favorite toques and scarves and experience the fine counterpoint between the thanksgiving season and Halloween festivities, it’s up to us to create ongoing opportunities for ourselves to live—and to keep on living, even if the odds of nature turn against us.

Article contributed by Sophie Wooding – Avid gardener and cyclist in Victoria, BC and Content Writer for Frontier.io