Hi,

I don't know if there are any boingboing readers here, but I just read this fantastic account from someone who documented their experiences during Hurricane Wilma. In my opinion he did all the right things, but clearly he still didn't feel comfortable about his level of preparedness.

http://www.boingboing.net/wilma.html

It's a long read, but worth it!

A

I have NOT read the diary YET, but as for "n my opinion he did all the right things, but clearly he still didn't feel comfortable about his level of preparedness."

I'm probably more prepared than most (as are all of us) - but am I comfortable with MY level of prep? NO - and I probably will not be until I've breathed my last - and hopefully after that, "THE BOSS" will be taking care of me

Thats an interesting read.
Ive never sat through a Hurricane or Cyclone, so I guess my anxiety levels would be up too regardless of how prepared I was.

I really liked the fact that he chastised people for driving around looking at the devastation wasting gas, when he did the exact same thing.

Okay, I'm missing something here. Why go to all the trouble and aggravation of driving around searching for gas, just so you can run your generator? Seems like a major PITA, where the benefit just doesn't outweigh the cost.

Good story. Thanks!

That's normal human behavior. We are all guilty of this from time to time. Somehow, it's stupid or wrong when others do something, yet we rarely take notice when we do the same.

"driving around looking at the devastation wasting gas"

I'll be reading the diary after breakfast to put this statement in context.

My thoughts on "driving around" after a crisis:

When normal communications are down or limited, getting a feel for the lay of the land can be vital to your survival.

Knowing what roads and bridges are out. Where is help available? Where, "not" to go. Etc... If "Bug Out" becomes necessary, what is the best route?

I plan on doing passive recon (Radio, TV, 2m ham, scanner) during the initial phase of a crisis. If the need warrants, I will do some limited "armed recon" in my Urban Assault Vehicle (Toyota FJ60 LandCruiser). I would not consider this a waste of fuel.

Any "recon" whether on foot, bicycle, motorcycle or auto needs to be done intelligently. Know where you are going. Know the culture of the local area (are these folks more likely to slit your throat for your car stereo, or are they more likely to lend a hand in a crisis). I can say my tactics would be very different in So. Cal (my old home), compared to the Puget Sound area.

Somtimes doing something is the best thing to do. Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do. Know the risks. Manage the risks.

TR (Topping off his tanks)

Pizzaman - I was not commenting on whether the driving around was good or bad, only that he thougth it was ok for him to do, but not for others. Just pointing out the double standard that is so prevalent among people who consider themsleves superior to others based on their station in life.

In the article, it stated that his "lab" used expensive chemicals that had to be refrigerated. Assuming that it wasn't a meth lab, this sounds legit.

As far as some of his other comments, he seems to not have a clue. He apparantly thinks that Florida should have never been developed due to hurricanes. But here are some facts:
1) Hurricanes hit Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and the Carolinas too. Florida has a few more, but we do not have all of them. Florida also tends to have better building codes because of this.
2) California has earthquakes. Kansas has tornadoes. The north has ice storms and blizzards. Washington has volcanos. Washington DC has democrats. Every place has something. Your only option is to leave the planet.

He also had a gripe with the pricing structure of the phone company. This is stupid. Capitalism works great where you have a choice. In order ot have a choice true of phone companies, you would need multiple sets of lines running around. There is also no choice in sewage, water, or electricity. The infrastructure is too expensive to install duplicates of everything. So it is much better to have a monopoly, and regulate it so that they do not abuse their monopoly power.

Just my $0.02

You missed one point about why so many hurricanes hit Florida. Florida has so much more coast line and you can get hit from either the east or the west. If you would just give the panhandle to Alabama, Florida would not have as many hurricanes.

On the other hand, when was the last time there was a blizzard in Florida?