So the other day I Googled "Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina". I thought what better way to research prepardness than to see what people who have experienced a major event have learned. I found many documents prepared by FEMA and the likes that documented to downfalls and lack of co operation between agencies. (Many of you who have been at this longer than I may already know this.) One of my favourite topics/ items mentioned was that there were many many buses readily available but no drivers, so they sat idle as thousands struggled to get out. Keep in mind Katrina and Sandy were not a spontaneous event. Agencies had the time to plan.
The final result was the realization that I am making the right decisions to prep and continue to prep. I may rely on only a few to assist me if I ever need it. They in turn may rely on me.
Just think. If power went out at midnight, when would your local grocery store run out. What are you and your kids gonna eat in three, seven 14 days...?
PS. A quick thank you to those that contribute here on a regualr basis.
The Beav.
I have anecdotal stories about Katrina told to me by someone who was in the old quarter of New Orleans.
When the power went out, many people did not think to empty their refrigerators. The food began rotting right away, making the eventual cleanup much worse.
The old section of New Orleans was spared the flooding, but there were other threats. Because the streets were open, looters in vehicles were mobile. Gun ownership is common in NOLA, and residents instinctively banded together for mutual defence.
The tipping point was water and sewage. If these utilities are not present, urban survival is progressively difficult. The survivors left a few people behind to guard their properties, and most sought refuge far away from the FEMA camps.
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fail, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
-Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797
Gregory Copley, the Washington-based author of Uncivilization: Urban Politics in a Time of Chaos, talked to the Globe and Mail editorial board about his new book and the vulnerabilities of modern society.
Excerpt: Q: Should we be worried about the state of the world?
A: My book talks about the overwhelming urbanization and the electrical dependency of modern society. Modern man is now energy man. That makes us vulnerable. Look at the disruption of Sandy. Vast areas couldn’t be reached for several days. There was no power. Civilian infrastructure could not cope. But superstorms aren’t the biggest threat.
Q: What is?
A: Cyber attacks. Cyber warfare is more capable of a strategic victory than nuclear weapons. A cyber attack can selectively target large areas of the urban population which is very fragile and energy dependent.
You can lock down a loss of energy, water and fuel and do an enormous amount of damage and cause a huge loss of life over short period of time.
Q: You said all societies have natural cycles. What phase are we in?
A: I think we have already hit the apogee. Medical science and wealth have created longer and longer life spans. But now we have things like a sedentary lifestyle and its impact, as well as pandemic diseases such as diabetes that curtail life expectancy. Families have become smaller. Global population will eventually stop growing. That will lead to a decline in the value of urban real estate, which is a primary driver of capital investment. How will we reorganize our sense of identity and purpose?
Q: Are any countries still in the vibrant phase?
A: I think Canada is. It is like Rip Van Winkle awakening from a long and pleasant sleep, getting its identity together, energizing its natural resources and really moving forward with a sense of purpose. Canada is recovering its sense of national cohesion. If you don’t know where you’re going, every road will lead to disaster. China in the same mode. Both of these countries are now in their primacy.
When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fail, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
-Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797
Howdy Beaver and Co,
Here is a link to another thread on Katrina Leasons:
http://internationalpreppersnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1065
I hope link works.
Cheers,
Mountainman.