Every year we read stories of people who refused to follow the warnings of experts about various dangerous situations. One of the worst cases of disregarding a warning occurred on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during Hurricane Camille in 1969. At an apartment building swept away by the storm some residents reportedly were holding a “hurricane party.”

Yesterday and today, we have been under winter storm warnings here in Pearl River County. Hopefully, nobody will be killed or badly injured from ignoring the warnings of the professionals in the emergency management business, but certainly some will have disregarded the warnings.

If they get away with it, they are more likely to repeat their folly in the future and at some point may suffer the consequences. Until they do, they will consider themselves invincible or just too lucky to lose.

The best way to remain safe during situations such as we are facing with this winter weather and the hurricanes that are more common in this area is to pay attention to the warnings and preparing for the worst while praying for the best.

Staying at home should be the safest thing to do as we try to get through the extremely unusual weather for us. Getting out on the roads could be an invitation to disaster as freezing rain and snow were the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Many children probably will enjoy the weather, especially with a couple of days off from school and perhaps some snow to play in by building snowmen and having snowball fights. Perhaps snowbound adults should take a hint from their children and enjoy a day off from work to play with the kids. Most importantly, stay safe and stay warm.