Health on the Shelf: National Preparedness Month

This entry is part of the series Health on the Shelf

When I was 13, I was at a softball game in late May playing out in left field. Suddenly, the game stopped and everyone looked towards the sky. Across the large field that stretched out in back of the school, a tornado appeared and it was marching straight for us. We all ran into the nearby school, which thankfully was open due to a dance recital. My sister, my teammates, and I headed towards the restrooms. My mom stayed in the hallway with the other adults and waved to us to keep going into the restrooms every time I looked back for her.

“It’s headed this way!” we heard from one of the adults in the hallway. And then a moment later another voice from the hallway announced, “It’s OK. It’s gone.”

While it had looked like it was headed straight for the school, the tornado had actually run a course parallel to the school. I was lucky that none of my family or friends were hurt that day.

While we are past the peak of Ohio’s tornado season (April – July), it is important to be prepared for a variety of unexpected circumstances. September is National Preparedness Month and reminds us of the steps we can take to protect ourselves and our families during these types of situations. The library has many titles available to learn about preparedness. Some helpful titles are listed below. Stop by the library and see more titles on display. For additional information, visit ready.gov. Keep an eye on the Library’s YouTube channel for a video about preparedness later this month.