The main problem is that the unprepared government TAKES control, even if they can't handle it. Then they cry for the military, which takes time. Then the government bureaucrats whine that it isn't their fault, the military moved too slowly, the Red Cross wasn't ready, ad nauseum.

I'm not saying that they have to be prepared to handle everyone in the affected area, because many people will leave ahead of the problem, and have places to go even if something happens with no warning. But when different state/local government agencies aren't even capable of COMMUNICATING with each other, that's just plain stupid.

Sue

I had a sense of deja vue reading this thread and thought "Wasn't a large Texas city hit with a tornado some years ago? Was it Waco?"

Sure enough, a quick google and I found that in 1953 Waco was hammered by an F5, the tenth deadliest tornado in US history - over 100 fatalities, 600 structures destroyed, over 1000 damaged, along with 2000 vehicles. Total damage was 350 million in today's dollars.

Reading what was readily available online, aid was apparently effective and prompt. At least there was no discussion of emergency fumbling in what I could find. If Texans could do well in 1953, why can they not do so in the 21st century?

In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit that I think Dallas is a disaster area, even without the assistance of a tornado. I spent many (way too many) of my teen years there and happiness was Big D in my rear view mirror. As the saying goes, "There is no there, there."

More recently was the Wichita Falls F4 in 1979. It didn't kill nearly as many, but it sure as heck remodeled the place.

From more of a higher altitude perspective, the Federal/Regional/State/County/Municipal level, much has been done since 9/11 and Katrina, going back to at least OKA City and WTC bombing #1 in 1993. The public sector is a much harder target, response and rescue much better organized. However "recovery" and "return to normal", we have come to learn, is where the problems start to multiply exponentially.

The bigger issue is the Private sector still contains 85% of Americas infrastructure- we still buy our energy from the private sector, still obtain our food from the private sector, still get our healthcare (at least for now) from the private sector. And the private sector simply is not prepared for, or organized around the task of making America "whole" again. If a house or neighborhood is severely impacted (Tornado) , we can overwhelm an area with resources, and have plenty of back up to back fill essential services. Something happens regionally (flooding, wildfire), and resources start to stretch. When things start impacting whole places (The Bay Area, LA Basin, Gulf Coast) a thousand mini emergency plans by those who are prepared need to swing into action, and another thousand "Help me! Save Me!" efforts must be activated to respond to the unprepared.

I am involved in business continuity planning, and our core message is that employees with a "culture of preparedness" at home return to work much more reliably than those who suffer from disaster denial. We are going to NEED private sector help in many key industries easy to identify- transportation, healthcare, etc. From another position, companies that have failed to prepare and are so consumed with "reacting" to disaster than "preacting" to disaster, will most assuredly suffer from loss of revenue and possibly lose their business, as 40% do after major disasters, according to the Red Cross. Loss of jobs due to businesses not reopening impacts families, communities and regions for years to come. The "new Normal" most likely won't be nearly as robust as the pre disaster condition for many many years.

David Flora
www.preaction.com