Even preparedness freaks like me need to take a roman holiday, so for the last couple of weeks I have been trekking through Italy with three kids and a husband exploring, eating and drinking our way across this beautiful country. Perhaps if I lived in Como or Venice I never would have found my way to emergency preparedness, cause life there is so pleasant and innocent. But life happens here and there. On a steamy day in Venice we got caught in St Marco Square with thousands of others in a massive rainstorm huddled under the vaulted portico's waiting for it the storm to pass. Some darling  young couple stood out in the rain kissing passionately to the crowds delight. Ah, to be young and I was thinking stupid! This preparedness thing has ruined my sense of spontaneity and probably romance, I see a potential disaster in every scenario. The next morning our charming concierge, Mario came in search of us to make sure we were alright and informed us that there were blackouts, damages and trees down from some freak tornado like winds in some areas in Venice due to the storm.  Life happens.

Meeting new friends from Melbourne to Milano, I took the chance to discuss emergency preparedness in their neck of the world and was reassured that the need and interest to prepare  is universal and that similar to the United States, the action to prepare is equally stunted.

These last few weeks gave me the chance to step away, and see a more macro view of the emergency preparedness marketplace and was more cognizant of the extraordinary opportunity my company has ahead. Standing before Michelangelo’s David representing the biblical hero with his slingshot casually wrapped around his neck, I was awed by the work and the symbolism. This sculpture originally stood outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties.  I often think of my little effort in the David and Goliath sense, all these giant government agencies and little old me.

As we head into National Preparedness Month so proud to serve once again as Coalition Members in this important public service campaign we welcome the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with FEMA, Homeland Security and the 1600 other companies to have joined forces for this important national campaign.

Addio Italia. There is no place like home.