I would respectfully disagree with your statement that there's safety in numbers, especially since the vast majority in a public shelter will be unarmed civilians, but that's just my experience. The Superdome incident is by far not a unique situation. But more to the point, it is indicative of the nonsensical planning and implementation of government agencies whose purpose is supposed to be to keep us safe, but in reality is only there to spend our money. But for the noble, sacrificial, heroic acts of individuals, the whole thing was a bloody sham. That any more than a handful perished is a serious indictment of the gross failure and incompetence of the leadership we put in place to do precisely those things that weren't done.

So you see, going to a public shelter run by people who have a purely political agenda is just asking to become a statistic.

I guess it is all just a matter of perspective. I've grown accustomed to not relying on the government to take care of me that much. Of course, the first rule is "don't live in a place known to be susceptible to such a catastrophe. Kinda like the folks who lived downstream of Spirit Lake and decided to stay at their homes when St. Helens went off; what were they thinking? Harry Truman was no hero, he was a fool.