Like the proverbial man who dodged a bullet, Bladen County got lucky when unwelcome guest Tropical Storm Ernesto passed our way, taking advantage of our meteorological hospitality by dumping copious amounts of rain on us, but refusing to swell our riverbanks enough to cause any serious flooding.

About the only thing affected by Ernesto was the cancellation of a few high school athletic events and a late start to the public schools and Bladen Community College the day after the deluge.

Now would be a good time for all the county agencies to get together and have a disaster preparedness drill. Even though this area has been incredibly fortunate over the years as far as damage from hurricanes goes, the next Big One could be right over the Atlantic horizon. A hurricane such as Katrina or Hugo or the infamous Hazel, which ravaged this neck of the woods way back in 1954, could cause serious damage and conceivably claim some lives in low lying Bladen County.

So we’re calling for a county-wide preparedness drill, coupled with cooperation from each municipality, to better prepare us for the Big One. Maybe even something could be worked out to combine the drill with the local National Guard and a federal agency or two.

Better safe than soaked.