Brain Tumors, Organ Failure, and Flooding

Brain tumors, organ failure, and flooding. What could these three things possibly have in common?

Well In addition to experiencing each one of these things in my life I am going to show you how mitigation plans have similar challenges.

At the age of 16 I was diagnosed with what was thought to be a small mass in my skull. At the time doctors didn't think much about it. Fast forward about 15 years the mass that was originally the size of a pea was now the size of a golfball. It took up portions of both of my optic nerves. You can see a photo of it below.

The doctors said we will leave it in as long as we can because when it is removed so is your vision. So they treated me with multiple medicines to help address headaches, vision problems, and sometimes balancing problems.

I remember when ever I had a bad experience with a medicine it would take 30 days to leave my system and 30 days for the new one to help. It was a balancing act as some of these medicines could have a negative impact on other parts of my body.

I am surprised after taking 3000mg of Ibuprofen everyday for a few years I have any organs left.

Its alot like the way they had to treat me when they found out I was pre diabetic and my pancreas was starting to shutdown. Thankfully that issue was caught in time where my organ recovered. It's a balancing act to make sure that you don't harm other things.

So what does this all have to do with flooding?

Minimizing flooding takes a similar approach. I remember living in Augusta Georgia during the great flood of 1989. My dad had to be rescued from his company car in the neighborhood.

Many communities have to take a similar approach to flooding as doctors have had to take to my tumor situation.

When developing areas community leaders want to protect residents from disasters.

Alabama is a place where challenges have been faced. The area from Tuscaloosa to Huntsville Alabama is known as tornado alley. So many homes are built with basements to help protect residents.

However these basements can also pose a major flood risk if they aren't careful. This is one reason why basements aren't dug as deep as they might be in other areas.

The same thing goes for cemeteries in areas like New Orleans.

Medical and disaster mitigation plans face similar challenges of making sure they are not hurting more than they are helping.

So the next time you face medical or disaster situation remember that. The approach could create more problems than the actual problem.

If you have questions about how to use flood mitigation to lower your flood premiums and flood risk make sure to visit our website.

If you are wondering about my tumor its still there and I still have my vision for now. Thankfully its not life threatening and some doctors have called it fibrous dysplasia.

Remember we have an educational background in flood mitigation. So we can help you understand your flood insurance, flood risk, and mitigating your property long term.