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Journal pudge's Journal: Katrina 18

Journal by pudge

I still don't get why so many people are upset at the Katrina response.

Sure, people were uncomfortable for a few days in the Superdome. But what matters most? They were safe and dry, and after a few days, they were taken care of. And in the meantime, thousands of lives were saved by federal, state, and local officials away from the Superdome.

Obviously, the response was not perfect. The Superdome evacuation could have happened sooner, or better management and supply of the facility could have been executed. But I don't see how this merits a condemnation of the entire enterprise.

Further, and more disturbing, I see an effort among most people in and out of government to encourage the government to take steps to, next time, make sure that all the millions of people affected by potential disasters are taken care of by the government. This could not be more wrong-headed.

People must plan to take care of themselves. That's the real lesson of Katrina. People need to have medicines, diapers, bottled water, food, and so on stocked up in case of emergency. This is not an option, this is an obligation to your family, at the very least, and to the rest of society who will be providing those things to you if you didn't plan ahead to provide them to yourself.

Maybe that's why I don't see the response as negatively as so many other people did. I don't see it as the government's obligation to provide these basic needs for several days to people who could have planned ahead to provide them for themselves. Obviously, no matter how you plan, you might end up in a situation where it does no good: maybe you were away from home when the disaster struck, maybe you had no means to transport your provisions when you evacuated, and so on. But that surely does not account for the lack of provisions among the overwhelming majority of people in the Superdome.

It's not that I don't feel sorry for them; I do. It's not that I think we should not have helped them, and helped them sooner; I do. But I don't blame government for them being in that predicament in the first place.

This discussion was created by pudge (3605) for no Foes, but now has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

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  • you have managed to escape the brainwashing effects of the socialist education centers (i.e. government schools). Please report back to 1st for re-education!

    Seriously, government officials, particular leftist types, work hard to make sure everyone feels it IS the governments job to take care of every aspect of their lives. Socialism is alive and well in the US, and pushed hardest of all down our throats by our politicians.

    All the hysterical screaming by non-politician commies about how were about to desce
  • People need to have medicines, diapers, bottled water, food, and so on stocked up in case of emergency.

    Living in the Seattle area we need to try to be prepared for earthquakes and volcanos going boom. With that in mind:

    Food for three months. Months. Check.
    Fire makin' stuff. Check.
    Water purification tablets. Check.
    Stream 1/8 mile away and river 1 mile away. Check.
    Sleeping bag, tent, air mattress. Check.
    Flashlights and batteries. Check.
    Faraday flashlight. Check.
    Fire Extinguisher. Check.
    Walkie Ta
    • Food for three months. Months. Check.

      I honestly can't see how that is necessary. I am planning for two weeks. Water too.

      Fire makin' stuff. Check.

      Indeed.

      Water purification tablets. Check.

      I don't have those, but I should.

      Stream 1/8 mile away and river 1 mile away. Check.

      Check. :-)

      Sleeping bag, tent, air mattress. Check.

      SUV. Check. :)

      Flashlights and batteries. Check.
      Faraday flashlight. Check.
      Fire Extinguisher. Check.
      Walkie Talkies. Check.
      Rifle, handguns, and ammunition. Check.

      Also, check, except no rifle.
    • Sigh. Try again.

      Food for three months. Months. Check.

      I honestly can't see how that is necessary. I am planning for two weeks. Water too.

      Fire makin' stuff. Check.

      Indeed.

      Water purification tablets. Check.

      I don't have those, but I should.

      Stream 1/8 mile away and river 1 mile away. Check.

      Check. :-)

      Sleeping bag, tent, air mattress. Check.

      SUV. Check. :)

      Flashlights and batteries. Check.
      Faraday flashlight. Check.
      Fire Extinguisher. Check.
      Walkie Talkies. Check.
      Rifle, handguns, and ammunition. Check.

      Also, check,
      • The three months of food came from a friend of mine's survivalist dad who passed away. The actual quantity is probably about a year or two of food, only three months is at home right now. It is anticipated that some friends and most relatives will not be prepared and some of the food could be given away.
      • It's people like you who probably aren't planning on relying on Social Security, either. Don't you know the government is supposed to give us all beach-front property and an unlimited food supply after we retire?
  • $1000 in $20s
    Food bars (long shelf life - 2 months worth)
    Water tank (~2 weeks of water)
    Powdered milk (~1 month worth)
    Camping supplies (live in backyard if necessary)
    - tent/bags/etc
    - flashlights/lamps/etc
    - propane tanks/lamps/stove
    Solar generator/battery system
    - 2 12v marine batteries fully charged
    Candles up the wazzo
    Mountain bikes

    I don't think it's necessary to have more than about 2 weeks of any given supplies, but I estimate that my family could, if necessary last about 2-3
    • Don't be shy about fortifying that first aid kit, either.

      There are some articles on the Intertron regarding the first-aid supplies that some sailboat cruisers pack. They're not a Zip-lock full of bandaids and Neosporin. They include IVs and pharmacologicals that require a physician's prescription. As a matter of fact, the sailor's lesson can certainly be applied to most emergency situations. You're never quite so alone as when you're in the middle of the Atlantic and your sole crew-mate gets appendicitis.

  • A friend of mine responded to Katrina by noting that, ironically, September was "disaster preparedness month," and she spent the entire month filling her weblog with disaster preparedness tips [blogspot.com].

  • The impression I got from it is that the government response never-the-less failed to do what it had stated it was supposed to. You don't think it ever should have. Fine. But plenty of people are upset for good reason because the government response wasn't what it was supposed to have been.
    • The impression I got from it is that the government response never-the-less failed to do what it had stated it was supposed to. You don't think it ever should have. Fine. But plenty of people are upset for good reason because the government response wasn't what it was supposed to have been.

      Nope. You're missing the point. I even contradicted what you said I said.
      • You said
        I don't see it as the government's obligation to provide these basic needs for several days to people who could have planned ahead to provide them for themselves.

        People who are pissed think, correctly or not, that the government was supposed to have done more for those in the Superdome those first few days.
        • You said "I don't see it as the government's obligation to provide these basic needs for several days to people who could have planned ahead to provide them for themselves."

          Right. But I did NOT say "[I] don't think it ever should have [helped them]." In fact, I said: "It's not that I think we should not have helped them, and helped them sooner; I do."

          I am noting the fact that it is your responsibility to take care of yourself, and the government's duty to help people in an emergency, as it is able to do s
          • "It's not that I think we should not have helped them, and helped them sooner; I do."

            That must not have registered when I read it, my apologies.

            And my point is that what DID happen, or not, was adequate, no matter how you look at it. The people in the Superdome were safe and dry, and the federal government was busy saving thousands of people who were not. What I am saying is: have a little bit of perspective.

            Assuming people can agree the response was adequate, which many don't, but from that assumption, the
            • there's still the matter that the response could have and should have been better

              SO WHAT?

              That's the point. It was not as good as it could have been. This is ALWAYS the case. Welcome to government. What matters most is that we know the main areas that need improvement (mostly, better communication, but also better preparation in some other ways), and there was virtually no lasting damage caused by the mistakes and shortcomings of government.

              We should be pleased that tens of thousands of lives were saved

  • By done better they mean bigger checks (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Fubar ( 1615 ) on Monday May 01, 2006 @01:47PM (#15238666)
    I spent three weeks deployed along the Gulf Coast for the Red Cross. I was frequently stopped by people asking why it was taking so long to get their money. I would attempt to calmly explain that right now, we're focusing on making sure people have a dry place to stay and food to eat and that hundreds of thousands of people were calling the same 800 number looking for help. As an agency of volunteers, we were doing the best we could (and I left unsaid, I thought we were doing a damn good job). Besides, where are you going to spend the money, everything is closed?

    I would then be yelled at that people wanted the money that was *owed* to them.

    I encountered a number of people that would genuinely thankful for the work the volunteers from numerous organizations were doing, unfortunately they were far outnumbered by the number of people that just wanted their f'ing check.

    A friend of mine responded to a parish just outside New Orleans and said the local sheriff's response to the hurricane was to stick his head out the door after Katrina passed by and say, "Boy, I sure hope the feds get here soon." Planning needs to be local, with assistance from the feds where possible. But to expect FEMA to come riding in as a knight in shining armor is not only unrealistic, but completely delusional.

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