US National Weather Service issues poignant warning

The US National Weather service issued this poignant and well worded warning today, including the following words;

IF YOU ARE RELUCTANT [to evacuate], THINK 
ABOUT YOUR LOVED ONES, THINK ABOUT THE 
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS WHO WILL BE UNABLE TO 
REACH YOU WHEN YOU MAKE THE PANICKED PHONE 
CALL TO BE RESCUED, THINK ABOUT THE 
RESCUE/RECOVERY TEAMS WHO WILL RESCUE YOU IF 
YOU ARE INJURED OR RECOVER YOUR REMAINS IF YOU
DO NOT SURVIVE.

You might think that you’re tough, and you can make it through a natural disaster, but these words capture for me what it means to be a SAR person; when someone decides to ignore a warning or an evacuation order, people like me are the ones who feel compelled to rescue them. So we take on certain risks doing so. We’re trained and capable, but wouldn’t it be so much better if you just obeyed the orders?

Read the whole release; wording like this should be included with every storm warning.

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