Submitted by Laura Levy, Pinewood Springs, CO

My Story: We all know about being prepared. When the rains kept falling in September 2013, there were several things I learned about really being prepared. Our community in Pinewood Springs lost our highways, power, phone lines and water system. We were cut off from the rest of the world for several days. My husband was stuck in Boulder and couldn’t get home so my 9 year old son and I were on our own until we could be evacuated. We only knew a few of our immediate neighbors in close proximity to our house. Over the initial days of the flood, we met as a neighborhood at either the fire house or the Colorado Cherry Company. It was a great way to help each other and get information about our situation.

Lessons I would share with the next generation…

I have a bad habit of letting my gas tank run really low before filling it. When the flooding started I had 1/4 tank in my car. It would have been so easy to fill it up in Lyons on my way home. We used the car to check on neighbors, four wheel up to a spot where we could get spotty cell service… to charge up our phones. And ultimately, we four wheeled out over a temporary road to evacuate our vehicle. Fortunately, my husband always keeps extra gas cans filled in our garage. We used that for the generator and for the car. Another lesson is to have an internet provider that doesn’t need power. With a generator and satellite internet, we were able to communicate with my family, husband and even the media over Facebook. It was our lifeline.

Another lesson is we are never really prepared. Sure, I had some candles and batteries for those occasional power outages.. but I’d never really spent any energy on a preparedness plan. Don’t make that mistake. Take the time to think about what you and your family would if you had a fire or flood. Do you have an evacuation plan? A corded phone if the power goes out? Can you shelter in place for days or weeks? What if your water system is compromised? Just think about all of these things so you have a plan in place and you’re ready. And if you live in the mountains… buy a generator. Even an inexpensive generator is enough to run a laptop to communicate or keep refrigerators cool.

If you live in a rural area, get to know the hiking trails in your community so you are aware of other alternate ways out of the neighborhood.

Most important lesson…. know your neighbors. Don’t wait for a disaster to get to introduce yourself to your neighbors. Sharing information and resources is so critical in an emergency. If you know each other and who has the generators, the extra refrigerators, the satellite internet in advance you won’t waste time establishing connections.

Laura Levy, Pinewood Springs, CO