Syrian Refugees

Without getting into the politics of the situation, could you become a refugee? Yes every one of us could find ourselves in a situation where we are faced with having to leave our home, maybe our city, state and country we call home. The ‘why’ of having to leave is too broad of a question and would take pages to even start to address. Natural or man made situations could force all of us to think about or have to become refugees.

Where would you go? If you left your house right now where would you go; your sister’s house or the home of another family member? How far away do they live? Is their home under the same conditions which forced you to leave your home? How would you get there? What would you bring? How would you transport your family and your stuff?

What if the state you live in is involved with the issue? Can you still go to the first home you thought of? Where would you go if you could not go there? What if the country you live in is involved? Where would you go? Some of these people leaving Syria have moved across SEVEN different countries! Where would you be if you had to move seven different countries?

For those of us in the U.S. moving seven countries by a land route……… Let's find a map. Would put us in Columbia? What do most of us in the U.S. know about Columbia, let alone the other countries we would have to pass through? Heck most of us do not speak enough Spanish to communicate with folks along the way!!

What would you do when you got there? Do you have a skillset which allows you to find work? Would you have to live in a refugee camp? If you made it to another country would you be forced to live on the charity of others? Would the new country you're in be charitable?

A big part of planning for emergencies is mental. Taking a situation you are not involved with and working through the “what would I do in this situation?” is part of preparing mentally. Take a moment and think about the situation. What would make you leave? What could happen which makes you leave, tomorrow you have to grab what you can and start out to a country seven countries away!

Who do you bring?
What do you pack?
How do you pack?
What skills do you have?

Using these moments to think about situations, when you are not under real pressure, helps to get over the mental block of “OH S&^%$”. Mental rehearsals are something used by all kinds of people, doctors, trial lawyers, astronauts, law enforcement, carpenters, ok just about everyone you can think of mentally rehearses a task before they do it. Emergency preparedness is no different, in fact the whole idea of preparedness is thinking through situations before you find yourself in the middle of them!!!

Following your mental exercise try and do just one or two things which could be used for any situation you might face. By a map of your area. What route would you use if your phone could not give you directions and your usual route is clogged with other people fleeing? Do you have gas in the car to make the trip to the first place you thought of? How often do you let the gas level drop below what you would need to get there? Do you have a passport to cross into another country with? If the bank was closed do you have cash to pay any "fees" at the border? Do you have a decent pair of shoes?

You can go as far with thinking about this situation as you want. The idea is to have an idea, the start of a plan. Having a destination gives you a goal, having skills and tools allows you to reach the goal.

As Always,

Stay Safe!!!