[EAS] Preparedness and Survival Generalities

[Rod Zeigler]

While I agree that there is a difference between urban and rural 
preparedness outlooks, I do not believe that there should be. Yes, in 
all cities and towns of any size people band together, and form 
government for the good of all. This includes utilities and other 
things. However, it seems that those in the urban areas have slowly been 
giving up their individual responsibility to that government (small g 
for a reason). I saw this in all of its glory in the derecho that hit 
the Washington, D.C. area about 5 years ago in July. No electricity, yet 
people were pulling up to gas pumps, putting the nozzle in the filler 
port, and then pounding on the door because the pump was dark. Oh, and 
the door had a CLOSED, NO POWER sign on it. A major golf tournament was 
going on in the area and watching the continuous coverage on TV from 
that venue I saw one chainsaw and a dozen people standing around with 
trees blown over in the background. It stayed that way for a few hours 
too. The saddest sight was some poor guy trying to cut up a tree that 
had fallen across his driveway, blocking his car in. He was going at the 
limbs with a steak knife.
Have we really gotten to the point, at least in the urban areas, that 
people just expect government to save them from everything? Granted 
great political hay can be made when emergency operations go wrong, but 
I seem to remember a hurricane heading for the coast (Sandy, maybe?) and 
the emergency management people said that if you do not evacuate by a 
certain time, no help would be coming, even if you called 911.
Maybe we need more of that. If you do not heed the warnings given, or 
get out of a known dangerous area, then you have no one but yourself to 
blame.
One thing the reporting in Texas keeps reiterating is how the people 
themselves are doing great rescue work with their own boats and 
vehicles, just like the Cajun Navy did in Louisiana a year or so ago. We 
need to engender that spirit elsewhere.
Those that know me even a little bit know I preach the gospel of 
individual preparedness every chance I get. I now see why there are 
estimates of 90% mortality given when discussing an EMP event. We, as a 
nation, have gotten too soft and dependent on government and technology.

Rod

-- 
R. V. Zeigler, Dir. of Eng.
Nebraska Rural Radio Assn.
KRVN-KTIC-KNEB-KAMI