from the AP:

The governor [Bush] added, however, that people seeking relief should have done more to prepare for the storm.



"People had ample time to prepare. It isn't that hard to get 72 hours worth of food and water," said Bush, repeating the advice that officials had given days before Wilma hit.

Hundreds of people lined up outside one home-supply store, desperate for cleanup and other supplies. A few fast-food restaurants open in Miami had two-hour waits. There was even a shortage of cash: Many banks were not open and many ATMs were not working.

Storm-savvy Floridians resorted to their ingenuity. At one Wal-Mart, 30 people sat on the sidewalk while they used the store's outside electrical outlets to recharge their cell phones.

At one gas station, a man went car-to-car selling fuel from a 10-gallon plastic tank. The price was $20 for about a gallon, and people happily paid.




from this story if you want to read the whole thing:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051026/D8DG06NOR.html

it would seem from this story that people are depending more on the government than even doing a little preparation themselves -- and this in a state that should know better

you'll love this line:
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"This is like the Third World," said Claudia Shaw, who spent several hours in a gas line. "We live in a state where we suffer from these storms every year. Where is the planning?"
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she really should take her own advice. Where's the planning indeed.

No sympathy here. NONE.

Sorry, I'm ANGRY. It's one thing to NEED help because you just CAN'T help yourself - it's another to lay there whining "oh poor me" when you should have gotten off your fat A$$ and prepared yourself for what may come.

I woudn't even sell morons like this gas. I'd rather give it away to a person who did what they could and tried to prepare and it wasn't enough than the person who did nothing at all.

P!$$ES me off, this stuff.

I suspect that many Americans have to learn the hard way that they need to depend only on themselves. But this is from FL, right? FL the hurricane magnet? How many times do people have to go through this kind of problem before they learn? Not enough, so far, I guess. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Sue

you are sooo right!

way too many Linda Ronstadt wannabes singing "Poor Poor Pitiful Me"

I would have to agree with all of you, but it is not just in FL. It seems to be everywhere. People want "Cradle to Grave Care" but don't want to pay for it or take the initiative to prepare themselves.

And exercise personal responsibility?? Please... <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

For the good ?ol days, when ?survival of the fittest? and ?natural selection? dealt efficiently with such folks. Were he alive today, Mr. Darwin might be confused. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I don't believe he would be confused at all. Natural Selection is a long term process. You're looking at a small blip in the human societal evolutionary timeline. Entire nations, empires, and subcultures have de-selected themselves over long periods. We are not immune.

Don't forget that Florida is also a magnet for large numbers of transplants, mainly retirees from large urban areas of the northeast. There is no reason to think that some of these people have ever learned anything about self-reliance, let alone hurricane prep.

Regards, Vince