#47646 - 08/30/05 11:55 PM
Learning from Katrina...
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
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What lessons can we learn from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?
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#47647 - 08/31/05 01:03 AM
Re: Learning from Katrina...
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Geezer
Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
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Don't live in a place that's lower than sea level.
If you can get out, GO! Dead bodies can't defend anything from looters.
If you have property insurance and no flood insurance, make sure your house burns down right away.
If you're poor, your government really doesn't care if you live or die, so don't depend on them.
Sue <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
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#47648 - 08/31/05 01:09 AM
Re: Learning from Katrina...
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Enthusiast
Registered: 06/01/05
Posts: 375
Loc: Ohio
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False bravado isn't worth squat, should you survive and have to stand on the roof and beg to be rescued because you were too stupid to leave when you were ordered to.
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#47649 - 08/31/05 01:11 AM
Re: Learning from Katrina...
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Enthusiast
Registered: 06/01/05
Posts: 375
Loc: Ohio
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that is, if you are still breathing, have a roof to get to, and can stand on it......
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#47650 - 08/31/05 01:16 AM
Re: Learning from Katrina...
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Old Hand
Registered: 11/02/03
Posts: 740
Loc: Florida
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These will sound harsh. They're not meant to be. Keep in mind, I live in Florida. - If you live in a wood frame house in a hurricane prone area, you're betting It Won't Happen To You. You'll eventually lose that bet.
- If you live in a hurricane prone region and at a location close enough and low enough to be flooded by a normal storm surge, you're betting it Won't Happen To You. You'll eventually lose that bet.
- If you live behind dams, and brag that your city has the world's largest sump pump because without it you'd flood in normal conditions, well, you're dumb. That's not sustainable. Move.
- If you're going to ignore the above, and continue to live in a high risk area, at least be sensible about evacutating. You'll have to evacuate early and often. Yes, there will be a high false alarm rate. But you can't know which time will be The One, and evacuation is your only option since you can't shelter in place.
- If you're too old or too poor to rebuild, move or evacuate, at least try to prepare. It doesn't take fancy equipment to store water in old pop bottles and a little extra food.
- If you're too stubborn to rebuild, move, evacuate or prepare, you're probably not going to make it. Evolution in action.
- If you're reading this, good. You've come to the right place. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
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#47652 - 08/31/05 02:19 AM
How about this?
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 2203
Loc: Bucks County PA
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Published December 2000: Louisiana's marshlands, the only buffer for hurricanes that come out of the Gulf, are slipping into the ocean at an alarming rate. New search indicates that just one major hurricane could put New Orleans under water. Whole article: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BJK/is_15_11/ai_68642805#continue
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#47655 - 08/31/05 02:54 AM
Re: Learning from Katrina...
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Member
Registered: 03/19/03
Posts: 185
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Let's try another direction, too: This is definitely causing me to review my kits and plans here, making sure they are as realistic as possible. This isn't news to me, nor to most of us, but priorities seem to be: - Evacuating via vehicle (with sheltering in place, evacuating on foot, evacuating via other transport as alternative possibilities), when given advance notice of a disaster
- Recovery from a disaster with no advance notice (an earthquake, a terrorist attack), starting with immediate safety and exit from danger if possible (pry bars, lights, masks, etc.), then medical treatment, then getting out of the area (to home, to an evacuation point)
- Knowing which of the above are likely in your particular area, and how the scenarios differ
- Good relationships with neighbors, friends and relatives, including plans to help each other out when evacuations are necessary
- Plans for dealing with long-term economic ramifications (savings, people you can count on, reserves of goods and items of value)
- Training of value to yourself, your family, your community (CERT, Ham skills, First Aid (e.g., I have a WFR certificate), backed up with practice
That's just a start. As most of us know, wilderness survival skills are not an exact match with everyday real-world survival skills; some of the kits we carry may need a rethinking. I think we can all get a lot from discussing what is going on here - including moving beyond the "get out of Dodge stuff" (while the precarious nature of New Orleans is an extreme example, frankly most major urban areas have some kind of natural disaster that can strike...and none are completely immune from man-made disasters such as urban unrest or terrorist actions). How will you all adjust your thinking? How might this evolve as this story plays out? - Steve
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