Theres always the question of what do you do about the unprepared during a crisis. Do you take upon yourself the expense of ‘extra’ preparations for those ‘poor unfortunates’? Read this article and see if you come to the same conclusion I did: they had their chance, theyre idiots, they deserve what they get.
As Hurricane Season Looms, States Aim to Scare
“The big shortfall is complacency with the community,” said RandallWebster, director of Horry County Emergency Management. “Our main theme is, take interest as an individual and make preparations.”
…..
In Nags Head, N.C., Jimmy Austin, a former commercial fisherman whonow operates his own seafood market, said he was unfazed by this year’spredictions, some of which suggest that the Carolinas will beespecially hard hit. He keeps his insurance current, Mr. Austin said,but sees no need for special precautions.
“I don’t pay these things a whole lot of mind,” said Mr. Austin, 69,a native of the Outer Banks. “Because they say so doesn’t mean it’sgoing to happen that way.”
In Galveston, Tex., Keith Patterson, a resident there for 30 years,dismissed the urgency of a hurricane survival kit on Thursday. No useworrying about a hurricane until it is near, he said.
“When one is coming, I’ll make preparations,” said Mr. Patterson,68, a retired purchasing clerk. “I’ll get what I have to get then.”
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“We got food, but I got none saved,” said Ms. Williams, 17, the single parent of a 2-year-old, who lives in public housing.
Ms. Williams said she would have to sacrifice buying diapers and baby clothes to afford a hurricane survival kit.
Amazing, isn’t it? I mean, seriously, how utterly clueless can a person be about these things especially after already getting their asses handed to them not once, but twice last year?
See you at the Guantanadome, idiots.
And they will most likely be the first ones to cry, “the governement didn’t help me.” Oh well, it will mean less people I have to pay social security tax on.
A fitting quote:
“you asked why humanity deserved to survive … maybe it doesn’t” — Battlestar Galactica
Sorry, Ranty.
they had their chance, theyre idiots, they deserve what they get.
I am pretty much of this mindset especially after having lived through the same thing 3 times. After the first bad recent storm in 2004, I was on the help everyone out bandwagon. Even when another storm hit 3 weeks later, I felt pretty bad for a lot of folks simply because we all barely had any resources to build back with.
Wilma last October? More that a year after all of that? PSHAW.
I did bond up with some neighbors because befriending them worked to our advantage on security. Outside of that I was pretty cold.
This year it is just plain idiotic not to be prepared for a hurricane. In my opinion if you can’t prepare for one, or you can’t afford to prepare for one, get the hell out and go live in Nebraska. No one here owes those people anything! Also the talk about “ahh, the hurricanes will hit Carolina this year, we are going to be fine” bullshit.
All I know is if/when another hurricane hits me in MY LIFETIME I will be 110% ready for it. Part of that was coming to grips with the possibility of evacuating my house, and that was a hard row to hoe on planning with being realistic.
You live here, you deal. Flat out. Nebraska has a much lower cost of living, no hurricanes and plenty of old folk homes.
Don’t even get me started on trailer houses. They should be outlawed in coastal regions.
Re: Sorry, Ranty.
I agree with most of what you said except for outlawing mobile homes. Let people live in huts if they want to.
It’s easy for me to think as you do right now, but I’m not sure I’d be that tough if one of my neighbors’ children was hungry.
Re: Sorry, Ranty.
That comes from the extreme home insurance increase we are all having I suppose. Maybe they should just make them un-insurable. I certainly won’t live near any… I saw many of them literally exploded and laying on top of other people’s otherwise undamaged property. That sucks.
It’s the carelessness, followed during an actual crisis by intense feelings of entitlement, that burns my toast. I am inclined to be generous myself, but if you’re begging from me, and you give me any attitude other than humility and gratitude, I’m going to tell you to get bent.
“States Aim to Scare”
How about:
“States Voice Some Cold Hard Truths”
(subtitle)”And Even Then They Understate the Case a Bit”
I agree
with your statements. more “darwin awards” be issued soon this year. too bad the dead ones won’t be around to understand the joke they are.meanwhile be refreshing my “evac kits” against the odds of not having to use such critical supplies. but as one knows, the gods and goddesses throw crooked dice into our lives now and then. Wildflower 06
I know the feeling. I don’t have any kids of my own, but I have several nieces & nephews (all kindergarten age or younger) and to there parents, preparedness is an anathema — despite living in earthquake central. As best as I can, I put extra aside, knowing that I’ll probably have to provide for them when TSHTF.
Hurricane Morons
I live about 15 miles from Mr. Patterson there up the coast. However, I am ready this year. BOB’s packed, crates full of ammo and food, waterproof case for the documents and videotapes of my house and possessions in case the insurance company gets choosy… I am going to unass this area in a hurry the next time one of these things is pointed at us.
Here’s a scary update though – it seems that the City of Houston and many surrounding townships are all putting up these concrete barricades near the exits on the major highways. The rumor is that these barricades will be moved to block off exits in the case of a hurricane so they can insure that everyone evacuates the same way and people do not use the backroads to escape. WTF? I thought the idea was to get out of the way of the hurricane, not guarantee an eight million strong parking lot on I-45. I have already pre-plotted my route and destination and I am not going anywhere near the major traffic arteries.
I need to move, except everywhere I want to live (out in the middle of nowhere) doesn’t have any jobs. I need to work this one out.
Crom
Re: Hurricane Morons
While I don’t dispute this possible reason for the barricades, another less beligerent use of them may be to close on ramps to the highway.
Part of the evacuation plans call for making ALL lanes one direcetion. If you’re going to do that you need to close the on ramps so that folks trying to go south don’t try to drive onto the southbound lanes only to find they have been converted to northbound.
Re: Hurricane Morons
Agreed eviltwin2, there is a plan to use both north and southbound lanes on the interstates to all be northbound in the event of an evacuation.
However, I am seeing these concrete barriers on other major thoroughfares, streets that are not part of the interstate system but serve as main traffic routes. It is possible that there is a perfectly benign reason for their presence such as the one you mentioned, it’s just that I am seeing the barriers in places that don’t correspond to the state’s announced evac plan. My concern is that they would use these to try and cut off those people who would prefer to avoid the mandatory routes.
During Hurricane Rita, which directly threatened Houston then jinked eastward – several townships announced mandatory evacuations, and they gave a deadline that if you were not out by a specific time then they would force you to use their evacuation methods, i.e. buses, no luggage, no weapons etc. and you would be forced to stay in govt. shelters, like the Guantanadome as our host referenced earlier.
Regardless, I have my own plans; a primary, secondary and SHTF bugout scenario mapped and plotted. And of course I can always hunker down, enforce light discipline to avoid roaming patrol cars and hope I don’t have to swim.
Crom