The lesssons I have learned from the Hurricane Katrina disaster and tragedy

JEFFHEAD.COM ^ | September 5, 2005 | Jeff Head

[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.

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:

1. Water (Including purification tablets)
2. Food (Including high energy and vitamins)
3. A good First Aid kit
4. Toiletries
5. Temporary shelter
6. Two or three changes of Clothing, including underwear and socks
7. Firearms
8. Ammunition
9. Spending cash, several hundred dollars, or whatever is possible
10. Reading material (The Holy Scriptures, a couple of Classics)

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.

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.

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.

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

[cva66snipe]

This is the best advice and general description of this I have read yet. I would add one item to my list. A police scanner is far more valuable for gaining a fast grip on what is going on in any event from civil unrest to fire, weather, or any major event. They aren't that hard to learn and you can monitor all agencies.

For example a tornado watch is issued. When that happens in most communities a person can monitor the SKYWARN program. These are trained weather watchers who are HAM Radio operators and have direct immediate contact with NOAA. You can get up to 5 minutes heads up depending on how many are spotted.

You can in most places monitor fire, police, paramedics, State Emergency Management Agencies, Local Emergency Management, State Police, Coast Guard, Rail Roads, Utilities, and even some federal agencies including the military. A word of caution to everybody use them only as an observer. If you hear a call or report of something happening stay home. They don't need you to respond and add to the confusion. Showing up on scene with a radio makes you an ambassador of ill will very quickly.

Learn your local agencies frequencies, tower locations, and codes etc. If you live in an area that uses 154-159 MHZ systems these likely will still be working after most any disaster in some capacity and have good transmission range. The 450-460MHZ systems are a close second but require repeaters. Most repeaters have battery back ups and some have generators as well.

Agencies using the Trunking 800MHZ systems are the most likely to fail due to a computer dependency design. I think NO used the 800MHZ systems which would account for major communication failures. They should have passed out VHF radios as a back up. This was one of the harsh lessons NYC learned and they reverted back to a simple precinct assigned frequency repeater system.

You can even know what your local utility is doing during major outages. I can guesstimate if I'll have power in a few hours or a few days by hearing their damage reports. I can also know when they are fixing to restore the power :>} The more information anyone can acquire in a disaster the better equipped they are to make decisions.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Jeff and Newbees, I would increase the ration to 10 days, 10-12 Kcal, with a ~liter bottle with internal compound "bug cather/carbon" filters rated to <200 gallons via a straw. Camelbaks packs carry 3 liters (~7# water). I'd sure add iodine/chlorine water treatment tablets. Shake-rest-repeat to outgas the chem smell a little. The tiny LED torches and the (French) Petzl LED headlamps with flash mode are great.

I pack ~ 1x2 yard square of mosquito netting as a portable pie safe (and sleeping-facenet) to keep flies off my food and drink, given corpses' special spices which might well be added to lunch.

Folks, Leatherman "Crunch" multi-tool and 5-7" serrated combat/rescue knife (K-Bar-ish) goes with the handgun, Swiss Army "Hunter" model is a minimum: carry rat-shot for rats, squirrels, birds - snarling pack dogs get hollowpoints along with strangers who do not honor the FBI's 21'+ Rule or common sense to move along and don't come back. Carry a small magnifying glass for fire if not a magnesium striker and Fire Ribbon napalm in a tube...

Carry lots of Nitril (far stronger than latex) gloves, eat with them - as you should never eat with your hands, even if "washed" under hellish conditions.

550# paracute cord, 300-500 feet. "100mph" high quality duct tape. Lots of 30 and 55 gal. trash bags for everything, poncho - shade (fabric shower curtain is lighter than tarp) taped &/or corner knotting) etc., etc., etc.

Think multi-use and creatively. In a meltdown - locally, regionally, or nationally - plan on being paranoid, BUT survival may depend on forming up random tribes to watch your 6 day and night. I pack peppermint hard candies by the scores because it is calming to kids and adults alike. I take several # of good quality dogmeal with small Milk Bones because you may need a foundling as your night-watchman. You never know when you may need to take a dog for a wok.

As my primary bugout bag, I like a large "whitewater" pack/bag that is nearly 100% water-proof because one never knows when water may not save your life. I have put together now 5 slightly varied purposed/seasons bags with 2 medical kits small and large for when things are bloody bad And ONE ALONE IS THE MEDIC. Pack 2-4 weeks+ worth of critical meds - IF PACKING FOR A FAMILY, DON'T PUT ALL YOUR MEDS IN ONE pack - if one is lost.

My 7 somewhat redundant bags with at the ready fail-safe tools fill a Suburban. I can travel heavy, Toyota Corolla medium or pedestian lite - and INJURED EVAC VERY LITE.

I have thought through what it would be like to leave my home within 30 seconds to 3 minutes to never return.

Always have enough to share something. My 2 cents tonight.

[Jeff Head]

You are weclome AG!

[Jeff Head]

In the human condition, we are going to make mistakes. We are not perfect planners or perfect in our execution of even the best plans. In addition, nature itself will surprise us.

Even if everyone were prepared as I indicate there would still be some mistakes made. The secret is to avoid the truly large ones if at all possible and to learn from them. The very method we document history and hope that leaders bring that documentation with them is through the method I described above. I expect that method will be ongoing until Armegeddon, after which time, our Savior will be on the earth. We will survive Armegeddon precisely because of His appearance IMHO.

[Jeff Head]

Adversaries?

I do not believe that admitting that we, as individuals, can and should learn from our mistakes is contrary to the general ideology on FR.

As I stated, we are imperfect humans, each one of us. The solution is to remedy that on an individual basis, using the very foundational moral principles upon which our liberty os based...not depend on government to do it for us.

[Jeff Head]

Although its just common sense.. thats becoming increasingly less common..

Amen my friend...amen. Governmental agencies and ideologies and those in favor of "big governemtn", particulalry as they create conditions like the "Welfare State" which they termed the "Great Society" only prove and punctuate this point.

[Jeff Head]

Hipefully, within the first aid kit, the necessary items are included. Probably should have a seperate listing of the types of things to include in the first aid kit too.

[Jeff Head]

You are welcome my friend. Hope all ios well there in N. Bluegrass. Pass on my regards to the Colonel and the boys at the dump.

[Jeff Head]

I believe if similar conditions occurred in any other major metroplitan area contianing a large inner city, welfare oriented segment of society, regardless of race, the results would be similar.

The ingredients are a major catastrophie with any kind of general breakdown of infrastructure, basic services and law enforcement for an extended period...say 3-4 days with no immediate end in sight.

[Gritty]

Excellent observations, each one of them right on target!

[Jeff Head]

Dealing with subjects who haven't prepared themselves and who want what you got is going to be a serious issue.

That's why it is critical for law abiding, moral citizens to stay armed. When governmental law enforcement is absent...you have to enforce the very basics yourself...such as, not stealing from others. Unarmed, you become defenseless.

The 2nd amendment is a good anti-dote for the interim until basic services can be restored, and in fact thereafter as well...to keep the governmental part in check as well (which is what it was intended for).

[Jeff Head]

Agreed!

Earlier Squantos also mentioned communications and I indicated in a response that this was a very basic ingredient and necessity I had left out. It should mst definitely be a part of the 96 hour kit as number eleven to include an AM radio (Squantos highly recommends XM), a portable scanner, and perhaps a couple of 2-ways.

Thank you my friend for the great input.

[Jeff Head]

Great input! Excellent advise on both specific items and the logistics of packing and carrying those items.

Never can get enough good advise. It is then up to us each to apply it to our individual circumstances and situation.

[Jeff Head]

Thank you. I hope others, particularly my own, will benefit from it.

[Muzzle_em]

Get a gun and...
take a gun safety course before loading it or doing anything with it.
Then, find someone who knows guns WELL and have them teach you how to shoot.
Find a firing range and go practice regularly.
If you have kids in your home, keep your gun WELL out of reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

[Musket]

Good stuff. Thanks.

[serpentineshel]

Great post. Well stated.

This is a really comprehensive list of what to have ready in the event of a disaster. I found it when looking for "disaster preparedness kit":

http://www.equipped.com/earthqk.htm

[Jeff Head]

Thanks for that link. Great stuff. The more info the better.

[Jeff Head]

You are welcome.

[MileHi]

bumping a great thread