Posted on 09/05/2005 8:21:34 PM PDT by Jeff Head
Over the last ten days I have, with the rest of America and the world, watched a horrific natural disaster and tragedy unfold. I say natural disaster because that is exactly what a hurricane is when it strikes humanity and destroys property and lives and leaves suffering in its wake, as hurricane Katrina did along the Gulf Coast last week. I say tragedy because I have sat transfixed as I have watched as governmental social programs long in place, contributed to the disaster, and as a number of unimaginable and crass mistakes made by those who could have and should have exhibited stronger leadership, failed to do so which also added significantly to the loss of life and to the human suffering.
As I considered this over this holiday weekend, I thought it imperative, if for no other reason than to get these issues of my chest, to write down the lessons I have learned as a result of this disaster and tragedy. Hopefully, there are those who will reads this and benefit from it, most notably my own children and grandchildren and their descendants.
So, here are the lessons, I pray they reverberate within the hearts and minds of those who read them, so that more and more people can avoid some of the circumstances which have led to what will probably be recorded as the worst natural disaster and tragedy in American history.
LESSON NUMBER ONE: When clear warnings of an imminent natural disaster are issued, heed them When the weather service or other agencies, private or public, tasked with making such warnings issue them, take the warnings seriously and move well out of the path of danger. Do not wait for governmental officials to issue a so-called "mandatory" evacuation. Use your own initiative and resource, whatever they may be, to move yourself and your loved ones out of danger. Irrespective of how many false alarms have been raised in the past, irrespective of how well your or neighbor's structures have survived in the past, act for yourself and move yourself and loved ones out of the path of the oncoming danger. Your very life and those of your loved ones could well depend on it...and to err on the side of caution is a good thing in such circumstances.If people (and particularly my own children, grandchildren and descendants) understand and apply these lessons, they will be in a much better position to preserve the life and liberty of themselves and their loved ones. Having done so, they will also therefore be in a position to help, aid, and provide relief to their fellow citizens in the crisis, as opposed to simply becoming another victim unable to help anyone, even themselves.
The specter of those who decided to stay, and who were partying in the path of this storm on live news coverage up to the time the storm began to come on shore, will remain etched in our memory for the rest of our lives. Such foolishness punctuates the need to remember and act upon this first lesson. It is a lesson wholly within each of our power.
LESSON NUMBER TWO: Be prepared. Start now, in whatever sustained way you can. Any preparation is better than none, decent preparation is better than just a little. Realize we live in a world where natural disaster, economic fallouts, upheaval, strife and war exist and can strike us with little warning, leaving our entire lives and livelihoods completely altered in the space of a few days. We should do what we each can, within our respective circumstances, to have food and water supplies set aside to sustain ourselves and loved ones for a period of several months if possible. If possible, have your own well on your property with a manual pump. Also, if possible, have your own septic system.
We should also all strive to have a 96-hour kit set aside for ourselves and each of our immediate families should we have to leave our homes in response to lesson number one above. Such a 96-hour kiy should contain all of the following:LESSON NUMBER THREE: The welfare state of any nation is a destroyer of human compassion and civilization. It teaches people to be (mistakenly) wholly reliant on government and indolent and therefore lacking in the necessary moral clarity when faced with a crisis. Far too many caught up in that life style either turn into a mob seeking only what they feel at the moment is good for themselves, even to the destruction of those around them, or, they are left without the means to effectively apply lessons one and two, leaving them defenseless and at the mercy of the danger itself, of incompetent officials, or at the mercy of the mobs that follow on the heels of such disasters in sections of cities that are largely populated by those dependent on such programs. Avoid such programs and such areas like the plague...because that is exactly what they turn into in such dire circumstances as we have witnessed over the last ten days, particularly in New Orleans.
- Water (Including purification tablets)
- Food (Including high energy and vitamins)
- A good First Aid kit
- Toiletries
- Temporary shelter
- Two or three changes of Clothing, including underwear and socks
- Firearms
- Ammunition
- Spending cash, several hundred dollars, or whatever is possible
- Reading material (The Holy Scriptures, a couple of Classics)
Who will ever forget the site of so many woman, with their children, no men responsible for these families within sight, as they waded through brackish, polluted waters in search of safety? The social programs that were manipulated and changed in the 1960s under Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" have come home to roost and had their thin veneer dashed by these circumstances, revealing the ugly, festering sores just beneath the surface.
One example, in the 60s, a longer term program that provided governmental relief for children of widows who had been legitimately married, but whose husband had died, was altered to allow any illegitimate children to be included. It wasn't long before more and more desperate woman found that by having four or five children out of wedlock, they could sustain themselves on governmental programs. Men, normally raised to understand that one of their primary roles was to provide for children, found that that role could be supplanted by the government...and so a horrific seed was sown that has resulted in the destruction of the traditional family in a growing segment of American society. It impacted particularly the black family to begin with, but has since spread throughout society...and this is just one example of a myriad of such programs that have had the effect of creating huge segments of society dependent on government for their livelihood, and beholden to politicians whose careers are made by promising more and more of the same. The result is that individuals, families, and entire communities become corrupted...and the outcome is horrific when pitted against circumstances such as Katrina where the foundational building blocks of society such as hard work, strong families, commitment, individualism, creativity and moral strength are indispensable.
LESSON NUMBER FOUR: Large inner cities are breeding grounds for the welfare state. The resulting drugs, indolence, gangs, and other traits make these areas a dangerous place to be at almost any time, but especially during any crisis. Avoid them like the plague, at the mortal threat to your very life.
The site of utter lawlessness, looting, murder, rape and pillaging in the wake of hurricane Katrina has horrified and shocked us all. Much of it is a result of the seeds sown in lesson number three above.
LESSON NUMBER FIVE: Local, liberal politicians are not prepared or equipped to provide help to citizens in a major natural disaster. After their initial (late) warnings, their decisions and indecision resulting from their ideology (which ideology produced the welfare state in the first place), are more apt to significantly worsen the crisis than to provide relief...and this includes planning in advance of such a crisis.
While I am sure there are many civic leaders who will remain unsung heroes in this (such as the numerous initial Coast Guard rescue flights and those who made and coordinated them, I was struck by two examples of this lesson in this particular crisis.
One was the Mayor of New Orleans, at a late date (within 12-18 hours of the storm actually striking, calling for a "mandatory" evacuation. In essence, he told everyone who could get out on their own to do so...and then proceeded to gather large segments of the poor and welfare dependent, at ground zero in the direct path of the storm with little or no food, water or relief for them. The horrific reality was that the mayor could have gotten those people out of there, even at that late date. He had hundreds of school buses that were slated, in normal circumstances, to carry many more children all over New Orleans the next day...and yet they were not utilized but left in their parking lots to weather the storm Instead, he gathered tens of thousands of the most at risk citizens at the Superdome and the Convention Center, or left them in hospitals and rest homes, which later lost all power and water, and were surrounded by flood waters. Left in those circumstances, horrors unparalleled occurred. The pictures of those busses, covered in water the next day, stands at a punctuation and a witness to this lesson number five.
Another example was the governor of Louisiana. When it became apparent how terrible the decision had been to leave the people in the Superdome, she flew there with part of her staff to see for herself how bad the circumstances were. In a later news briefing she described a man holding a small baby who was seriously ill and how that child and many others like it were left in the Superdome and in need of immediate assistance. I could not help but ask myself while she was talking, "Governor, how did you get out?", and, "If you could get out, that sick child could have gotten out". Indeed, the helicopter or whatever transportation the governor used could have been utilized to carry many sick children out of those circumstances. A strong, moral and inspiring leader would have kept themselves and staff at the Superdome themselves, with their security people, and then used their transportation to take out all of the most seriously ill to the safety of the State Capitol from where she later gave the news conference, I was appalled that such a leader could not be found amongst the highest officials of the city or the state. Perhaps there were...but not in the instances I cite here. In addition, the Governor had it within her power, from the beginning to send the Louisiana National Guard into New Orleans as early as Monday to stop the looting. That she did not, and days later complained about the President not reacting fast enough was a classic example of a lack of leadership lashing out at other leadership to fix blame in my opinion. It not on was a disservice to those citizens in New Orleans, it may well have been fatal for a good number of them.
LESSON NUMBER SIX: Federal government programs cannot logistically react quickly enough to provide the level of assistance necessary in the first 72-96 hours. While they may eventually get the needed relief to the survivors (particularly in the hands of a moral, conservative leader), that relief may come too late of good planning and preparation on the part of the people themselves and local leaders is not already in place. In order to ensure the maximum chance for survival, see lessons one and two above and make sure you abide them...better for you and yours to err on the side of caution, than to be caught in such a circumstance.
Finally, on a final note: These are lessons we as a society simply MUST learn and apply quickly. The lessons of the impact this disaster and tragedy has had on our society is not something that is being felt, noticed, and learned from here alone. Our enemies are also watching. It is imperative that we learn the lessons and apply them before any such enemies can take advantage of them
Thanks bro...absolutely a must have. Some form of comm. Thanks for so tastefully reminding me. I will add a number 11 to my list on my site. We have portable AM radios in our kits and I am very remiss for leaving that out. 2-way radios are good too.
Thanks. Had to get it off my chest and down on "cyber paper".
Simple, go to a class. Many ranges have classes for novices and novice ladies even. Taught by other ladies who know how ya feel or fear.
Simple rules, ..... Never ever point at anyone or thing you don't intend to kill or destroy. Never put yer finger on the trigger unless your ready to fire. And all guns are always considered loaded regardless of others suggestion otherwise until you check and the cylinder is open on the revolver or the magazine is removed from the automatic with the slide locked to the rear.
See yer first very basic lesson was easy and at the class you'll really have fun punching holes in paper and meet some really nice folks along the way !
Give it a try and let me know how ya did ......please !
I would add that folks should keep a "get home bag" in their vehicle, consisting of whatever they need to get home should their vehicle break down or the roads become impassible. Of course, what the pack contains will vary widely depending on individual circustances, but your list is a good starting point.
Acquiring all the stuff necessary for self-sufficiency is a challenging (and expensive) task. I've found that it's helped me to make lists as this reduces the chances of overlooking something.
well done, I have bookmarked this to review later.
I can't say enough good about the varied programming on the XM Sat Radio. It has all the news TV channels and BBC, ABC radio, NPR etc etc etc ....loads of talk radio too. The primary channel for a situation like NOLA is 247 as in 24 and 7..... They were there with FACTS and whne opinion started they switched around to FNC or CNN or MSNBC etc etc on that one channel on the radio. They did well !
I have one in each vehicle, a boom box adapter in my home office and a small portable w/ earbuds for walking or on the lake.
Trust me on this.....get ya one !
Amen...great idea that "Get Home" bag. We normally keep our vehicles stocked with first-aid, blankets, self defense, etc...but a specific collection like that is a great idea.
OK you two....we have a big ole swimming pool in the backyard.
I want to know if you can advise us as to what kind of filtration system to get to use that water. I KNOW they're out there...but don't know what kind to get.
I agree with all you have said, but number six needs a little clarification.
The federal gov't is not supposed to be the first responder. As a matter of fact, FEMA is not allowed to come in until after the state and local emergency plan has been implemented. In this case the local and state plans were never implemented and FEMA's request that they be allowed to direct the efforts were turned down.
Been over to Bremerton, WA this weekend visiting my daughter, her hubby and grandkids.. Got some great USN pics. My son-in-law is active Navy out of Bangor/Kitsap and he showed me around a bit.
Get ya an XM girl ! It's something you'll like. BTW if ya sign up for the XM ya also get it free streaming on the internet. A WAN connection on my laptop lets me freep and listen when I get stuck roadtripping with the girl friday.....kewl tewls !
Yes SIR!
:)
I'll start Googling in a few minutes...
This didnt even surprise me. Where does this guy live?
>>>The site of utter lawlessness, looting, murder, rape and pillaging in the wake of hurricane Katrina has horrified and shocked us all.
That is my only point. People have to be prepared to help themselves, and their local and state governments have to be as prepared as possible.
In the end...even if all the government entities work, there are going to be times when people have to get by on their own for a period of time...and, IMHO, the longer individuals are prepared to do that, the better.
Alright...look forward to your thoughts and comments.
Those are great tours ain't they.....:o)
I remember when we used to take our friends or families to work and show em what we did while I was active duty.....had to use sandpaper to get the grins off their mugs !
Lots of fun....
Lesson Number 7: Eliminate those individuals from authority who would rather examine every disaster after the fact to better know what to do before the next one hits. "But William Parrish, who formerly held a number of Homeland Security senior positions, said now is not the time to point fingers.
"Every time we have a disaster we have to look at it and see what we can learn from it. This one is going to be studied and studied and studied," said Parrish, now a professor of homeland security and emergency planning at Virginia Commonwealth University."
Lesson Number 8: Put people into authority that automatically know what needs to be done before a disaster strikes.
Lesson Number 9: Now absolutely IS the right time to start pointing fingers !
I've done my fair share of stints oin large cities. Was born on a ranch in Texas, but later lived in DFW, LA, the Bay area, Cincinnati, etc. But now live in a small own in Idaho for those very reasons.
...oh well, there's always "next time"!
A Katydin Pocket filter and a Miox Pen from MSR.......will filter the entire pool. I have used the katydin pocket filter and their "expedition" grade filter all over the world and have filtered some really skanky water that was drinking pure after pumping through those filters. The MIOX from MSR is very small and cheap and will be a good secondary one to add or a primary if ya wish as they are both very good filters or treatments.
Or ya can take yer tea kettle, rip out some copper water line and curl it around the baseball bat ya keep and coil it to "distill" dirty water to clean by boiling it and letting the steam condense in the copper coil attached to the kettle.
Ya know ...just how ya make moonshine Gramma !....errrr uhhhh medicine !
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