About four p.m the power went out. It would stay out for the next eight hours and my wife and I would have to cope. As emergencies go, it was a small one. It did succeed in pointing our our lack of preparedness.

High winds due to a cold front coming into Rochester caused the outage. For the first three hours or so, it was just inconvenient but at nightfall it became a little more serious. We did not have enough emergency light sources. There were two battery powered “lanterns” and one working flashlight in the house. There was enough light to navigate to the restroom and the telephone, but only just enough.

The house was warm enough, luckily. The cats’ food cans opened with pull tabs so they could be fed. The two people in the house were less fortunate. Other than some snacks, all the food required a microwave to prepare. Plus, we did not want to open the freezer or the refrigerator and allow the food inside more of a chance to warm.

Being prepared for an emergency is vital. Most state and national agencies advise you to plan for a three day wait for outside help in a large disaster. The recent tsunami in Japan showed us quite clearly that sometimes you may be on your own for days.

After the events of September 11, the U.S. government created a website to help all of us prepare for emergencies. Ready.gov is a one-stop source for all kinds of information on the topic. The Centers for Disease Control also have a website that provides equally valuable information.

The advice from the experts? Put together an emergency kit. Make an emergency plan. Keep informed of what is going on in your community.

We are going to make a few changes. The obvious one is to buy more flashlights and battery lanterns, as well as batteries and bulbs. Since my wife and I both have medically related dietary issues, we are going to put together a stock of foods that do not need cooking, have a long shelf life and that meet our dietary needs.

I am also going to put together a “sump kit”. Since our sump pump will not work in a blackout, it has been necessary on occasion to bail the sump to prevent our basement from becoming flooded. Rather than scurry around in a blackout to find what I need, I am going to gather it all up and keep it right at the sump.

Our telephone worked, but only because I had bought one phone that did not need power to operate. The cordless phones were useless. And, my cellphone barely had a charge. Keeping that charged is now a part of our plan.

Are you prepared for the next emergency, minor or major? The resources are available for free from the Federal Government. You just need to take the time and put some thought into the effort to prepare.

For those who have not been paying attention, the government of the United States makes a great deal of information available about the War on Terror. Free, gratis, you could print it in your paper…

No one does, of course. But, they could.

Here are some sites for War on Terror information:

• Multi National Force – Iraq: A dozen or more press releases nearly every day. Documents fighting, rebuilding, and all of the many doings in Iraq. Feature stories, photos, too.
• Combined Joint Task Force – 82: The American site for the war in Afghanistan. Much improved in the last year. Feature stories, news releases, and lots of photos. Not all troops are under US control, so also look at the NATO site.
• International Security Assistance Force: The NATO side of the Afghan war. Not as well maintained or current. Still, news and pics that you will not see anywhere else.
• United States Central Command: Covers Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries in the region. Some repetition from in-country sites but also info and pictures from other nations and other military activities.
• Task Force Marne: Currently in Iraq with responsibility for MND-C region. Loads of news and pics from that area.
• 82nd Airborne: News and pics from the paras deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Not as current as most sites but still worth the visit.
• Department of Homeland Security: Some worthwhile info amongst all the FEMA reporting. Lots of FAQ’s and fact sheets for various providers and for businesses and citizens.
• Centers for Disease Control: Emergency Preparedness & Response. Everything you want to know about disasters and acts of terror.
• Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS): The primary site for locating pictures, video and stories from all over the world that are produced by our military.
• United States Northern Command: These folks directly guard us, the United States.

There are lots more sites with a tremendous amount of information available. The Federal Government and the military have increased both the quality and quantity of the data they provide on the net a hundredfold in the last five years. You are getting your tax dollars worth in that respect.