Neighbor News
Get Ready for the Unexpected With a Disaster Go Bag
Don't think you need an emergency kit? Think again, says family who needed one.
On December 11, 2021, a ferocious tornado cut a 128-mile swath of terror and heartache across Kentucky and leveled the city of Mayfield. The devastation caused by 190 mph winds was a grim reminder that natural disasters can strike without warning.
As disaster chaos traumatizes more and more populous areas, the question arises: "What can I do to protect myself and my loved ones?"
A few weeks ago, Mike and Ginger Gonslaves, of Draffenville, Kentucky, addressed just that question unaware that their family would soon face a life-threatening event.
Draffenville, located about 30 miles northwest of Mayfield, was directly in the path of the twister and was also ravaged by the storm.
It wasn't the first time Draffenville felt the fury of nature. In 2009 an ice storm crippled the city making life miserable for its 4,349 residents. That storm taught the Gonslaves some important lessons.
“As young parents at the time, we were caught completely unprepared when the ice storm hit us. We were without heat, water, gas, and had only a little food for two days,” Mike recollected during an interview earlier this fall.
“We realized we needed to be more prepared,” Ginger added.
The Gonsalves, who are Jehovah’s Witnesses, credited tips from the organization’s website, www.jw.org, that helped them better prepare for disaster. About a month ago Mike, Ginger and their daughters sat at a table in the comfort of their backyard and assembled "go bags" for emergency use. Using a list of suggested emergency items from jw.org, flashlights, bottled water, a first aid kit, season appropriate clothes, and ready-to-eat meals and other item were stored in backpacks for each family member.
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“The Bible tells us that time and unexpected events overtake us all,” Mike explained at the time. “Even though we have not personally had to use our supplies in recent years, preparing go bags with my family has helped us mentally prepare as well, so we all have peace of mind knowing what action we need to take in the event of a disaster... But we hope we never need to use them.”
Those words proved providential. On December 11, 2021, the Gonslaves’ house was demolished by the tornado. Fortunately, the entire family survived, and the preparedness mindset and comfort they’ve received from authorities and fellow Jehovah's Witnesses has helped them cope with the trauma they experienced.
Preparing in advance with a disaster-ready kit has helped families nationwide through extreme and abnormal weather events, which experts warn are on the rise.
“Having a personal preparedness plan increases your chances of staying safe,” according to a training program from Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness.
"Life is precious, so we encourage all to heed the Bible’s advice to take practical steps to protect ourselves from danger,” said Robert Hendriks III, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States.
Disaster-preparedness suggestions and tips for putting together a go bag are available from FEMA at ready.gov and from Jehovah’s Witnesses at https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/awake-no5-2017-october/disaster-....