FEMA/Dennis = 3 day disater???

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I wonder if the people, including FEMA and RC workers, in North Carolina beach areas, still think that 3 days preparation is sufficient. I posted this on TB2000, but here it is again:

I think the American mind has been numbed to the point of extinction. As an example, look to Cape Hatteras Island where the 500 or 5000 people are now isolated and civil workers are rsking life and limb to get food, water, etc., to them. One woman interviewed on TV said that she "woke up late and it was too late to evacuate". I can't exactly imagine going to bed with a hurricane looming in my front yard. And if I did, I sure as heck would have been up before daylight! I really don't feel sorry for those people. They REFUSED TO EVACUATE and they obviously are not prepared. I think that they probably depict most American's thought processes. If you aren't prepared when you have had 10 days of warnings re hurricane Dennis, or you live in earthquake prone areas, or flood areas, why would you prepare for something as nebulous as a computer glitch? Especially when you don't own a computer. (that seems to be lots of people's logic). I don't think I am going to be as compassionate as I thought I would be with regards to my DWGI neighbors.

Taz....who thinks the people on Hatteras should sit there and figure out for themselves how to collect rain water for their thirst. They are getting what they deserve. THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT BEFORE AND STILL DON'T GET IT!!

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), September 03, 1999.

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), September 03, 1999

Answers

Taz,

I agree with you on this. It is so frustrating, I went to the board meeting of our local water district last night, spent 3 hours, fought hard for the purchase of a generator to supply water for the 1000 households (and may have won!). About half of the board members were happy to just wait for "them" to bring water in trucks to the community. Anyhow, grumble, grumble, grumble.

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), September 03, 1999.


Maybe it's time for Darwin's Ghost to demonstrate theory in practice?

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 03, 1999.

Please, Taz. No more. My tolerance tank is on "E". I can't stand any more mud dumb American stories. I can't feed all these people. I'm sure my own family won't leave for the shelter I am preparing until it is too late. That's if my own governemt doesn't decide to raid my pantry first. Oh Evil Hoarder Me. Imagine planning to stock pile food in case there is an emergency so I can feed people. And just because I paid for it I get the notion that I should be able to pick the people that get fed with it. Somebody should do something. Stop me before I cause real harm with my arsenal of beans and rice!

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), September 03, 1999.

Sorry folks.

Rant mode off.

Keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.net), September 03, 1999.


In seeing the way Dennis behaved, it made me wonder whether this is what Y2K is going to be like. Dennis appeared to be a big problem as it started sweeping up the Eastern seaboard. Some people on the Carolina coast saw trouble ahead and got out of Dodge, some people stocked up with some food and water and prepared to ride it out, and some others stayed put and didn't do much of anything in preparation, scoffing at yet another hurricane. They'd seen hurricanes come and go before without affecting them too much, and they thought this one would do the same.

So what happened? Dennis dumped a lot of rain and blew some sand around, but it didn't cause too much damage, and then it headed out to sea. The scoffers felt vindicated: "Just like we expected--it came, it went, it didn't do much of anything." They'd heard the hype about all the problems, they'd stared the problem in the face, and they'd beaten it. Then, just when it looked like the people who moved inland and the people who had stayed but stocked up on supplies (just in case) were all wrong and everybody starts to relax, Dennis does a 180 and heads back toward the Outer Banks. Still no landfall, but lots more rain, lots more wind, lots more erosion--and Hatteras Island is cut in two. The electricity goes off, the water is out, the people in Buxton can't leave because the only road off the island is out--and they have to start relying on the National Guard and the military to bail them out.

There's another hurricane coming, folks. What are you going to do?

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), September 03, 1999.



Taz:

I understand your feelings. Add to that the certainty that the more you help people, the more they will resent you for it.......

Time to harden our hearts some, folks.

-- Jon Williamson (jwilliamson003@sprintmail.com), September 03, 1999.


Taz: I understand your feelings. Add to that the certainty that the more you help people, the more they will resent you for it.......

You got that right. Its like loaning a friend or relative money! Suddenly its your fault that they are having problems and can't pay it back! There is a saying that goes something like this: "YOUR failure to prepare NOW, does not constitue MY emergency LATER".

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), September 03, 1999.


Taz,Joyce here. I live near Newbern, and I can tell you only 1 in 500 are even aware of a problem. They are in a complete state of denial. The ones that I have talked to think i'm off the deep end. They think the good times are here forever. You can't help someone who hasn't the faith to help themselves. The most popular answer is, FEMA or the NG. will help. The next answer is, If there were a problem don't you think the Government would tell us?. As for the rice, I have found the precooked type will not get bugs like plain rice will. Have you tried vacuum canning yet?. Good luck, Joyce.

-- Cross And Crescent Relief Agency,inc. (relief@coastalnet.com), September 05, 1999.

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