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