Although this woman’s son was used to situations where he may be on his own for a while, this tended to only be for a few hours, and occasionally. The December snowstorm that impacted much of the northeast ended up changing this scenario drastically. With road closures and the considerable chaos that resulted from the extent of the storm, this mother was trapped at work and was unable to reach her son for well over 36 hours. The important lesson from this scenario is that once the snow and ice had been cleared and the mother was reunited with her son, she found that he was well fed and in a good physical state, albeit he was also emotionally relieved to have his mother near again. When the son was asked about his perseverance under the crisis, he had stated that he knew there were enough long-term food storage kits in the home to tide him over for several days, and that he was already familiar with the ease of preparation for these emergency rations. He knew that he could take care of himself, and his concern was more for his mother.
The positive outcome of the emergency situation has roots in the practices that were instilled in this son before the crisis ever happened. In this manner, emergency preparedness can also be seen as a perspective that fosters the ability to problem solve and know how to utilize resources. Since the main destruction of a crisis can often come from the fact that it is unexpected, raising awareness trough responsibility can also help in overcoming the fears of the unknown situation.