In just the past decade or so, the pace and scale of disasters we have witnessed has really seemed to have ramped up. Events we have never seen or which only happen once every century or two seem to be coming with more frequency. Many of these mega disasters are beyond any ability to effectively cope with, so you just try to do the best you can, but we remember them because we saw the minute-by-minute coverage on CNN and wondered where the cavalry was.

For the more "normal" stuff, I agree. I think organized emergency response and relief has worked remarkably well for us.