Florida Today Article

"It focuses on encouraging personal responsibility through education as well as money to strengthen public infrastructure and personal residences."

""We need to focus on the people who can't be prepared for 72 hours," Bush said. "The folks that are driving around in Mercedes to get free ice and free water, I'm not going to worry about them so much."

...Seems like this is a little late...

Well, better late than never. I wonder if we'll hit Z again this year?

And I liked the comment about Mercedes. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The state was already about 80% there the last 2 seasons. His plan is to remove the last 20% which was expected Federal Government help.

My personal opinion is that Florida is in the same class as California in emergency prepardness. The state hasn't royally screwed up since we got punched in the gut during Andrew. Now, if it looks like a hurricane will hit, tolls drop on outbound directions 3 - 5 days in advance.

"Bush's budget proposal is silent on what some lawmakers say is Florida's greatest hurricane challenge -- widespread and extended power outages like those that paralyzed South Florida following Hurricane Wilma."

Do people in FL (including lawmakers & media) REALLY expect FL to EVER get into a position where a hurricane hits and all they have to do is flip a switch and everything will instantly be back to normal?

That's insane, even for American whiners.

There are very few people in FL (or anywhere else) that aren't capable of buying & storing a week's worth of water, food and batteries. We've become a nation of helpless, whining complainers that expect to sit back on their bent lounge chairs and have the government come and wipe our noses and butts. PATHETIC!

What might be a real eye-opener is for FL (& all the other states) to openly state that they AREN'T going to provide shelter, food, water and ice to anyone but the aged, injured and infirm, and then DO IT!

Providing supplies for people who are capable of taking care of themselves for a few days is a waste of effort and money.

Cynical Sue

If you take that tack, then you have to start wondering if anyone who chooses to live in a huricane prone area isn't thinking too clearly about the eventuality no matter how well they're prepared for a disaster with stored water and Emergency/Survival kits...

If someone is prepared, and they loose their supplies as a wall of water crashes through their homes...

Not only that, but how many people expect the gub'ment to give them money to rebuild no matter how many times their home has been destroyed? Not to mention what we've seen from the insurance industry after the latest hurricane season for those who were prepared for that eventuality...

I personally don't know where to draw the line in my mind and can only do my best to have compassion for everyone because we're all ill prepared for one thing or another. It's the shell we don't hear that's going to blow our little worlds to pieces.

For me it's not so easy an issue, but still I can understand your cynicism.

While I agree with the sentiment, there are far too many people who don't "see the light" until it's too late. I don't want my tax money distributed to idiots who don't care when they've been told what to do, but if it means fewer lives lost, I suppose some politicians will jump to spend my money. To bad they don't spend more wisely and save even more lives.

One other thing, it's not unreasonable to expect state and federal governments (or provincial, county, etc. for those not in the States) to have a plan to "flip a switch" to get everything back to normal. There's a LOT that can be done to get things back to at least survivable conditions. Waterproof buried electrical cable, backup grid components that can be activated to bring on power, emergency-use-only fuel pipelines to critical infrastructure and shelters, mobile electrical generation trailers, prophylactic building codes and construction standards, stocking and equiping emergency shelters and hospitals (food, meds, water, light, sanitation), encouraging more volunteerism for emergency preparedness and first aid, mobile deployment of water filtration/sanitation facilities, the list goes on (but will be ignored by most governments)....

All of these things cost some money, but they are multiple use and really sensible. Why is it unreasonable to expect some of the profits the utilities take to go back into their infrastructure and emergency preparedness plans? Why shouldn't people who can't make it out not have "something" they can fall back on should their own preparations be destroyed or inadequate for the time they need? Government is supposed to take care of infrastructure and make sure corporations who take their profits from said infrastructure put back into it for the good of all.

I ask you this: What if YOU were in the hospital on a ventilator after an accident, expecting a full recovery, and a hurricane/ND hits the hospital? Maybe they have enough diesel to run their generators for a week and plenty of O2. Don't you think it's reasonable for you, the patient, to expect that the government have plans to refuel that hospital (and any others stricken) within an agreed upon time period? Even if the hospital stretches with 2 weeks of diesel (very unlikely), and they only keep critical equipment active, if there are no plans or capabilities to get fuel, that person who would/should have lived won't stand a chance after that timeperiod.

We are woefully unprepared as a society. But along with our own personal and family preparedness, we need to encourage local and federal politicians to spend our money in smart ways. The sad truth is that much disaster could be avoided and we could get back on our feet pretty quickly - power is a large part of this. Insurance companies should also be the ones we encourage since they have the money and a PAC to get some of this done.

I'm hoping I don't have to rely on the government, but I find it sort of silly to say people are idiots if they find themselves having to do so. You simply never know when you find yourself, your family or your friend being that idiot, so why not make sure the government makes at least minimal preparations? It doesn't mean YOU have to stop being prepared and give over your safety to the state!

Rant On:
Last week I attended the Maryland State Swift/Flood Water summit, in part sponsored by the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). I t has been recognized since hurricane Floyd that the state is ill prepared to handle such events and despite legislation to have a state wide plan and associated resources and despite being hit by Hurricane Isabelle, we still lack a plan that is truly effective.

Currently FEMA does not have a strong plan of action for swift/flood water response, although Katrina was a major wake up call, progress is slow at best. Other then CA, TX and NC, most states are well behind the times in planning, resource development and training. Most flash flooding events are local in nature, so regional and state emergency management agencies leave planning up to local municipalities. Flooding, especially due to hurricanes are defiantly regional in nature and often impact several state EMAs and few are truly prepared.

Funding for equipment, training and supplies especially since 9/11 have gone towards terrorism response. While it is true, the potential for devastation from a terrorist act could be enormous, daily more people more are affected and have lost both property and lives due to flooding. However, both the public and the politicians, unless floods directly affect them, continue to ignore the problem. Building continues, resulting in loss of ground water absorption and most localities continue to look to home building as tax revenue generators. Whether you believe in Global Warming and if so, regardless if it manmade or the result of natural forces, costal communities over the next 20+ years are in greater danger from flooding then ever before.

Unfortunately, it is going to take several more disasters of epic proportion before the matter is adequately addressed.

Rant Off-
Pete

clapsssssssssssssssssssssssss! from across the room you are so right coming from a person been there done that,

Massacre, if you would reread my post a bit more thoroughly, you will see that I am not against helping those who need it. I am talking about the able-bodied people who have all the toys there are, and still expect someone else to provide for them. These people are a drain on all available resources, and will CONTINUE to be a drain, until someone puts their foot down and says "NO!"

Sue

Well said, ParamedicPete.

One of the tough parts is that we heavily depend on some of these coastal communities for a number of reasons.

It seems like it's all about band aids and never a cure, never lesser (albeit heavy) spending in preparation and always heavier tolls after the damage is done.

Hi Susan,

I didn't come away from your post thinking you were against helping those in need. I think I understood what you were saying. While I agree in principle (why should I be paying for those who can pay for themselves, yet choose not to?), I still think my post makes my point. The people who have money shouldn't drain resources and should have their own survival setup, etc. I just don't know how you say "no" to them. When you setup a survival center and stock it you can't really turn any peaceful person away unless you simply don't have capacity (even then, I'm not sure about the morality). Obviously the fools who could have saved themselves are going to be no better off than the poor soul who couldn't afford anything and will most certainly be reconsidering their preparedness situation if they survive.

The problem is that you still need to build up the infrastructure. And I was trying to point out that although it may seem unreasonable, that the better prepared government is, and the more able they are to "turn on a switch" as you put it and get things back up, truly the better off we are. I don't see it as a whingy American thing and I'm not talking about from a convenience standpoint. I mean simply that society at large, prepared, unprepared, rich, poor - it doesn't matter - the less time we have to stay in survival mode, fewer people die and the faster things get fixed and the local economy recovers.

If you are just saying that there are people who are idiots and refuse to do anything and drain resources, I agree. But how do you 1) "say no" to them and 2) turn them away from a survival situation? You really can't do either and they will probably only learn from experience since they are usually the people who refuse to listen to good sense.

I certainly wasn't flaming and I'm willing to listen to any ideas you have on the subject, to be sure. But just saying those people suck and something needs to be done specifically about "problem people" really doesn't accomplish anything. It's true, and certainly it sucks, and I'll fight to the death your right to say it. I'd just like to see your frustration put to good use. That's why I suggested the volunteerism and political activism. While you may not be able to shut these people down - you can make such situations as a whole as good as possible for EVERYONE, and hopefully the losers with all the toys will learn and perhaps not suck resources from those who truly need it anymore. And even those who are prepared may fall into the group of those in need (that was my other minor point). One other issue that I thought of responding to this is that some folks who pay taxes for things like this might feel a sense of entitlement... like "I pay taxes, therefore, I'll use the facilities my government provides." Those folks will probably find out faster than the other fool just how much they get for their tax dollars. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

agreed... nice post - And I wish our governmental bodies didn't define the phrase "Penny Wise and Pound Foolish". Replacing an aging dam is a pittance compared to billions in lost property and worse, lost lives. Of course, if governmental bodies were subject to loss lawsuits (however limited) then maybe that would change. But our poor legal system is already overtaxed and abused... we need a new method of repercussions for those who fail at the job of governing. Any ideas? <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

I once worked with a fellow that had a theory "Stupidity should hurt, people would learn much faster" and I have to say, I agree whole heartedly. If folks were left to their own resources more often, they might manage them much better. I know that there are many times when the right thing to do is to jump in and help, if a person falls in the water, you don't let them drown. However, if the same person rebuilds in a flood plain, or in an area prone to mudslides, year after year, sooner or later, you have to say, enough is enough. As to how one determines the needy from the not so needy, your guess is as good as mine, but N.O. was a catastrophy waiting to happen for decades. As for the folks in Fl., it's my understanding that building codes and insurance breaks for beefing up construction are encouraging better building, hence better preparedness, good for them. There is no simple answer, here in Il. we have tornados, Ca. has 'quakes, but who ever you are, where ever you are, you deal with it one way or another, and in most cases, it's without the Fed.s stepping in to bail you out. This rant's getting a little long in the tooth, so to sum up, I guess the feeling that some of us have is, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, and for those who won't or can't, well... the gene pool needs more chlorine.

By the way, I am by no means trying to speak for anybody but myself, but I can't help but think that I'm not the only person that thinks along these lines, and if it's not all touchy-feely politically correct, tough... well, you get the idea.

Troy

First of all, I believe strongly in personal responsibility and the ethical requirement, that people be held accountable for their actions. I feel strongly that people should be self-reliant and should be prepared to handle much/most of life’s emergencies as possible. However, many natural disasters are on a scale that overwhelms not only an individual’s resources, but also often local and regional resources.

Most of us are not an island onto ourselves, our culture, economy and a whole host of other factors, requires us to be part of a community, be it local, regional or global. I guess I am one of those that believe, at least to some degree, we are our brother’s keeper.

Yes, I (the collective "I") may be dumb enough to want to build in an area prone to flooding, mudslides, etc., but it is the government (generally local municipalities) through zoning regulations and building codes that allows and/or even encourages building, growth and inadequate building design in disaster prone areas. Therefore the government must in part be held accountable for the result. Regional approaches to zoning and building code development/enforcement are critical if we truly want to prevent devastation from disasters.

Also, I as an adult am able to make poor decisions, resulting being ill prepared to handle emergencies and yes, perhaps I should reap what I have sown. Children however are at the mercy of the poor decision making of their parents and others (school systems, etc.), I believe at the very least, we as a society own them the benefit of the doubt and be in a position to assist them.

Just my 2 cents for what it is worth.
Pete

Well, my Illinois brother, I agree. I just hope that stupidity doesn't kill along with hurt - or you turn a lesson to learn into a Darwin Award. I know I've been stupid many times, and have always been thankful that someone somewhere had a safety net so I could learn and move on. In many of those cases I was simply not informed, not rich enough, or not incented in any way to care. It's not that I'm not agreeing in my previous posts about people being idiots... LOL

I'm just saying that complaining about it doesn't really get us anywhere. And I'm a HUGE complainer - so I speak from experience about how much it has accomplished. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Speaking of Tornado's, that Utica one last year (or was it 2 years now?) was nasty, and just shows you how even those who thought they were being safe and careful wound up dead because an old building couldn't stand up to the wind. I say that thinking about my own 125 year old "basement" <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Like many of us, it rankles me when people do not act in their own best interest.
That being said, I believe we (the imperial 'we") do have an ill defined duty to the society we are part of and take advantage of.
I'm a volunteer firefighter and EMT. When the pager goes off at 0 dark:30, in the middle of a snow storm, we respond with trained professionalism. We may find an MVA, caused by an obviously drunk driver crossing the centerline into an on-coming vehicle. That driver is treated with the same care and respect as those in the other vehicle. Treatment and transport is based on the immediate need only.
Afterword, we may grumble to ourselves about the guy who caused it, but the priority is to respond NOW.
It is the only way a modern society can function!

"There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action."

That twister passed about 60 ft (according to the neighbor) over the top of my parents' house, they didn't have major damage, but were without power for a few days, no problem, I took them out my generator to power up the neccesseties, but we were all part of the recovery/clean-up effort. You bring up a perfect example of what I said about picking up by the bootstraps. Allthough there was a lot of talk about Federal funds, most went to the village for the fire/police/town hall, individual families got most of their help from insurance companies and friends&neighbors.

Troy

P.S. It was two years ago, and some of the rebuilding still isn't done, other areas are still counting in months and complaining about it taking too long... go figure <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />