The images of devastation out of Moore, Oklahoma this week catch at the heart. Children pulled out of a collapsed school. Entire neighbourhoods flattened. A barren, empty space where a daycare used to be.
It is impossible to truly imagine the fear, worry and chaos of such a situation. While there is some relief that the reported death toll has decreased - 24 reported deaths as of press time, down from 51 - each of those numbers still represents a person who will be mourned by their loved ones and their community.
Students have mentioned how teachers hurried them to the safest places in the building and protected them as the two schools were hit by the mile-wide tornado.
Though they had only 16 minutes' warning, it is encouraging to hear that those in charge were prepared and did everything they possibly could to keep the children safe.
This can serve as an important reminder to us all - including those of us who live in earthquake country.
As unpredictable as these disasters can be, if we prepare in advance, lives can be saved. Families, students and coworkers will all be safer if we think on these unpleasant possibilities and prepare plans to get us through.
B.C. Emergency Preparedness Week passed earlier this month without much fanfare, as the provincial election was set for the following week.
But perhaps now we can take a moment to consider how ready we are for an earthquake, a fire or any of the other potential threats to our safety.
There are many resources to help us plan - in Burnaby, the city offers workshops and planning guides. For more information, go to www.burnaby.ca/ City-Services/Public-Safety/EmergencyProgram/Emergency-Preparedness.
We cannot plan for every eventuality, but we can strive to make ourselves, and our loved ones as safe as possible.
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