[governsleastgovernsbest]

Very well put.

On the local TV talk show I host, I interviewed last week the head of our county's emergency response department.

He said that the rule of thumb is that in a widespread diaster citizens should be prepared to take care of themselves for the first 72 hours, and should not expect rescue before then.

[Rockingham]

That's about the size of it. I was visiting family in Orlando last year and stayed through Hurricane Charley. We escaped structural damage but were without electricity for five days, telephone for ten, and cable for six weeks. Even with running water, abundant supplies, and a pantry full of food, without electric power, we were bored to tears and utterly miserable in the heat of summer.

Mercifully, despite the massive tree fall and loss of power in the area, there were restaurants, stores, gas stations, malls, and movie theaters within a mile that never lost power. The night after the storm hit, my brother and I ate at Hooters and saw a movie.

The first free ice, water, and tarp distribution did not start until more than two days after the storm. Much essential tree clearing to make neighborhood streets passable was begun in the first daylight hours after the storm by guys with chainsaws, with boys dragging branches and women and girls passing out refreshments and cooking meals on barbeques. The extent of cheerful, productive energy and self-organization was remarkable.

Except for the levee breaches, New Orleans would probably have coped reasonably well. When I went to college there, I was shocked at first to learn of how vulnerable the city was, with the canal levees and pumping system seen as the weak points. Everyone knew the danger, and I am staggered to see how unprepared the city was. Then again, considering how New Orleans is, I know better than to be surprised.