10:10 – Costco run and dinner with Mary and Paul yesterday. We had a small list and they had a big one, so for the first time ever we ended up waiting near the checkout lanes for them to finish instead of them waiting for us. Also for the first time ever, the guy who checks your cart against your receipt stopped Barbara and asked her what she had in the box. It was a box of 1,000 Thank-You/t-shirt bags, which we use by the thousands in packing kits. I was getting ready to shout “She has a big-screen TV in there!” but I figured Barbara would kill me if I did that.
On the way into Costco, I gave Mary and Paul each an Ultrafire Cree AA flashlight, which I give to everyone who matters to me. Other than perhaps a Swiss Army Knife, this is probably the most important small item you can carry in your pocket. It can save your life, literally, and relatively few people routinely carry a flashlight other than perhaps one of those pathetic little keyring lights.
At dinner, I did what I’d resolved to do: talk to them about why I’m a prepper. It wasn’t easy, as any prepper who’s done it knows. I value Paul and Mary as friends, and the last thing I want is for them to think I’ve lost it and gone far around the bend. But the threats are very real, very serious, and one or more of them is very likely to materialize over the next few years. In fact, something horrible could happen later today or next week, which is why I have a sense of urgency. It could be widespread rioting and looting or a pandemic or an EMP or a CME. I don’t know, so I try to prepare for anything. And when something does happen, I don’t want Barbara and me to be on our own, which means we need to be in a position to help family and friends.
The big issue is normalcy bias, which affects all of us. Wherever you are on the prepping continuum, from completely unprepared to a Doomsday Prepper, you think everyone who’s distant from you on that continuum is nuts. If you have only a few cans of food in your pantry, an extra case of bottled water, and a spare pack of batteries, you consider that normal and prudent. If you have a 10-year supply of food and water, you consider that normal and prudent. In either case, you think the other guy is nuts.
Normalcy bias operates within families as well. For example, Barbara has no problem with maintaining several months of food and other supplies and a good stock of defensive weapons and ammunition. She’s also as in favor of relocating away from the city as I am because she’s concerned about serious widespread rioting and looting. As she said yesterday, it could happen right here tomorrow. But she’s concerned that I’ll go too far or become “obsessed” with prepping, as she puts it. Ironically, Barbara’s place on the prepping continuum means that most people would consider her a nutcase prepper. She’s not nuts. Nor am I. Nor are those of our friends who are completely unprepared. It’s all a matter of normalcy bias.
I’ve been reading history for 50 years, so I’m very much aware that it can happen here. So is the federal government. Why else would they be buying hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition and burying them in hidden caches distributed in fields and forests all over the country? Why are they distributing MRAPs and other armored vehicles to small-town police forces and even college police departments? The feds are expecting bad things to happen.
The feds are also aware that they’ll be completely unable to deal with any widespread disaster. Consider Katrina. We had a relatively minor emergency that was confined to a small part of the country with the rest of the country unaffected and able to help. We had plenty of warning. And what happened? The federal response was completely useless. Many people were without power for weeks or even months. Many went for a long time without even food or safe drinking water. The emergency communications system failed completely, leaving federal responders to depend on ham radio operators for all comms. And thousands of people ended up being housed long term in trailers and sports stadiums, which were hell holes. And all that from a minor emergency. Imagine what would happen in a major long-term emergency like a pandemic or a grid-down situation that affected most or all of the country, or indeed the world. We’d be on our own, with just what resources we, our families, and our friends could bring to bear. That would concern me even if I knew for a fact that the probability of such an event was only 1% over the next decade. But I think the probability is considerably higher than that, and that opinion is shared by an awful lot of very bright, well-informed people.
Many went for a long time without even food or safe drinking water
I think a lot of that had to do with the people involved themselves. The majority of those people were totally dependent on government handouts. They depending on the government for everything. They had little ambition to do anything on their own beyond stealing what was not theirs.
Consider what happens in cities in the tornado belt when a major storm hits. There is no where near the problems that were associated with Katrina. The people in those areas are not so dependent on the government and have some ambition and don’t steal from their neighbors.
The large city centers are going to be the real problem. People in housing projects and the ghettos. I would lean toward Darwin winning in those situations. Urban house cleaning as it were.
“… relatively few people routinely carry a flashlight other than perhaps one of those pathetic little keyring lights.”
This brings to mind EDC, or Everyday Carry; wot’s in YOUR wallet?
I’ve got: a Leatherman Micra tool, “space” pen, Fenix flashlight, Leatherman tactical folder knife, key ring with house and mailbox keys, wallet with credit card knife and lockpick set, bandanna, cell phone, and .357 snubby alternating with S&W M&P 9mm Shield with spare mag. All but the phone and weapon are in my pockets.
At the moment, I have two Ultrafire Cree flashlights, a Victorinox Swiss Army Pioneer Pocket Knife, a fueled Zippo standard lighter, a fueled Zippo butane lighter, a small standard/Phillips screwdriver, keys, wallet with credit cards and cash and space blanket, four USB flash drives ranging from 16 to 128 GB with redundant copies of my day-to-day and archived work as well as copies of important documents, and a cell phone on a belt pouch.
I seldom leave the home for more than walking Colin down the block and back, so I don’t routinely carry a gun. I do have something serious–.45 ACP, 5.56, 12-gauge–within easy reach throughout the house. When I am in Barbara’s or my vehicle, we always have something in the .357 Mag or .44 Special class with 50 spare rounds and a Marlin Model 60 .22 autoloading rifle with 100 rounds. Not to mention 100+ pounds of emergency gear, including food, water, firemaking stuff, blankets, spare clothing/boots, water purification, FRS/GMRS and ham radios, etc. etc.
I agree with Ray, except that a tornado is a very small and very localized emergency. The inner-city underclass will be the short-term problem. After that, anyone who’s not prepared for the long term becomes the problem.
I agree with Ray
Holy Shit Batman, the sky is going to fall any minute.
Within my pockets I carry my keys with a small AAA flashlight that is, naturally, above the average penlight; my wallet with some credit cards, my cell phone; and a larger AA flashlight that is, naturally, above the average light and some lint. Personal important document are stored in a safe deposit box, account numbers and other important files are store in the cloud and on my iPhone and iPad and also with my son in Nashville. In my vehicle I have a space blanket, first aid kit, a few important tools, a really bright 4C light and a bright CR123 flashlight.
” housed long term in trailers and sports stadiums, which were hell holes.”
The short term sports stadium (in LA) certainly was, but in Houston they spent a great deal of time, money, and effort to ensure that their long(-ish) term housing at the Astrodome was safe, hygienic, and as comfortable as could be. They specifically didn’t want it to be TOO comfortable, and STILL had problems getting people to leave. Ditto with FEMA trailers. People stayed in them LONG after they should have moved on. Some FEMA trailers came up for sale recently in a surplus auction, and they sold well. Google FEMA trailer for sale, and you can see the current re-sellers and the reasonable pricing. There was nothing inherently bad about the trailers and for many of the refugees they were a significant step up in quality of accommodation from their destroyed homes.
In every case, it is the PEOPLE who are the problem.
Houston’s policy (Harris County) during previous weather events, and presumably current policy is– “There are no shelters. You have lots of time to prepare. Get your shit in order or get out of town.” In reality, there are sheltering areas available for those with special needs or circumstances, but you must call to find out where they are.
Houston went to considerable effort to help the Katrina refugees; much more effort than expended on their own taxpayers. And Houston residents are STILL paying the cost in money and in social factors. A huge number of un-educated, violent, and territorial people were assimilated into local schools and communities to the detriment of the original residents.
/end snit
nick
for many of the refugees they were a significant step up in quality of accommodation from their destroyed homes
for many of the refugees they were a significant step up in quality of accommodation from their regular homes
Fixed it for you.
My mother in-law worked a shelter in San Antonio where some of the Katrina refugees were sent. The old Kelly AFB. She made sandwiches for the people. Many of them refused the sandwiches because they said “I won’t eat baloney sandwiches, do you have some steak?”. All welfare recipients. My mother in-law now refuses to help anyone that has been receiving government assistance as their expectations are too high.
Note to self: carry a pocket torch…
I have a stash of these: http://www.dx.com/p/12273 US$4 AAA lights, and I give them to all and sundry, but I am sorry to see today that DX no longer sells them. I suppose they have been replaced with a more recent (than 2008) model – I must check…
I fly fairly frequently, which means that I no longer carrry all kinds of useful, but forbidden, items in my wallet or otherwise on my person. DX SKU 150407 is one such.
EDC,
Normal daily load out is:
Keychain (with small key shaped tool.)
Wallet, including hidden emergency cash, separate from normal spending cash.
SW Shield 9mm
Spare mag in Gerber multitool pouch (stealthy)
kleenex
Pelican LED light, model 1920
Benchmade Griptillion, tanto point
Cold steel “bird and trout knife” on neck chain
phone
cash on “give me your money” clip
eye drops
if out with the kids,
add either altoids tin daily survival kit or altoids tin daily medical kit (survival has a leatherman micra and gerber STL 2.0, and screwdriver bit set as well as the other stuff, med version is airport friendly)
depending on destination, add a small ‘mechanics’ bag, with ham radio, bottle of water, energy bars
The vehicles add another layer of stuff, depending on the vehicle. All include small GHB, water, several first aid kits of various capability, fire extinguishers, blankets, MREs or energy bars, phone chargers, etc.
RBT, even with the bio-weapon, you should still carry. See the news for a recent story of a dog walker shot and killed for his wallet. He may be fierce and intimidating, but he isn’t bullet proof. There is a disturbing recent trend of armed robbers walking up, shooting the victim, and then demanding the money.
In the words of Colion Noir, “I carry every day because I don’t want to spend the last 20 seconds of my life wishing I had.”
nick
Whenever I go out, I always take my attorney. Before you snicker, you should meet her 😉
I fly fairly frequently, which means that I no longer carrry all kinds of useful, but forbidden, items in my wallet or otherwise on my person. DX SKU 150407 is one such.
I usually carry three flashlights when I fly. One of them is considerably more intimidating than the one you linked. I have never been questioned about any of my lights.
I do sometimes get additional screening because of the multiple device chargers, extra batteries and the associated wires and cables for my cameras, phone and tablet. Flashlight is in the bag and never gets a second look. Cameras and my hangs get swabbed for explosive residue. I suppose they think all the wires could be part of a bomb. But all my bomb making material was lost in a shallow river.
RBT, even with the bio-weapon, you should still carry. See the news for a recent story of a dog walker shot and killed for his wallet. He may be fierce and intimidating, but he isn’t bullet proof. There is a disturbing recent trend of armed robbers walking up, shooting the victim, and then demanding the money.
I don’t carry my wallet when walking my dog.
I would not live inside Beltway 8 / the Tollway of Houston. That place is a madhouse. I am trying to get my son to sell his home off 610 and move back out here.
I do hear coyote packs hunting outside my neighborhood if I am walking after 10 pm. That is unnerving. I should carry a small revolver but do not have a CHL yet.
The federal response was completely useless.
Nope, that’s a myth. It was exactly in line with what FEMA promises: We’ll show up in a few days to a week, as soon as we can get the roads clear. It took 5 days or so for a cousin in Mississippi to get in touch with family because she lived a few miles outside of Biloxi and it took that long for the roads to be cleared. The major roads into NOLA from the North and West all pass over long bridges that had to be inspected to see if they could handle 18 wheelers.
The situation at the Superdome in NOLA was bad, but not as bad as the rumors had it. None of the murders, mass rapes, etc. that were reported at the time. The situation in NOLA was a perfect storm of a major hurricane, inadequate levees in some areas (corruption), a mayor that refused to use the large number of city and school buses available to evacuate people (incompetence), a governor that didn’t urge people to evacuate, a police force that was poorly led and unprepared (incompetence/corruption), and lots and lots of downed trees.
It was no myth. I’ve talked to several people who went through it. I believe what they told me. None of them mentioned anything about murders, rapes, etc., but all of them mentioned being crammed in with a bunch of low-lifes, long lines to use the bathroom, etc. etc.
“I don’t carry my wallet when walking my dog.”
That doesn’t matter. They shoot first, then ask.
At least 2 recent cases in the Heights area (historic area, few minutes N of downtown Houston, home prices from $140k to $1million, undergoing re-development but a few really sketchy areas, and near 2 ‘historically black’ neighborhoods.)
Guy in nothing but jogging shorts, armed robbery from a passing vehicle, said “I don’t have anything, where would I put it?” Didn’t matter.
In another recent case, the victim was cutting his grass, shot first in the stomach, then robbed. Never even had a chance to hand over his wallet, if he’d had it.
Hence daily carry, and a money clip to surrender.
nick
I cannot believe the number of levees in NOLA that constantly have water on one side without a backup levee. That is just crazy in my mind.
a governor that didn’t urge people to evacuate
Worse yet, the governor told FEMA to stay out of NOLA so FEMA lost critical time getting setup. FEMA cannot show up unless invited by the governor.
and lots and lots of downed trees
When hurricane Ike came through my neighborhood in 2008, we had at least 100 downed trees in the community of 5,000 homes. Maybe 200. Over a dozen of them were across roads. Several of my neighbors went out and cut the downed trees with chain saws so vehicles could get through. My neighborhood was blocked in by about a foot of leaves in low end of the street which required a four wheel drive vehicle to get through them. The neighbors and my family spent several hours bagging the leaves into over 100 large garbage bags.
RBT, I’ve got to object to your characterization of Katrina as a minor problem too.
It was a MAJOR problem all along the Gulf Coast, especially in areas outside of NOLA. You just didn’t hear about it because it doesn’t fit the narrative. Communities and towns were literally wiped off the map, but simply got on with the business of recovering and rebuilding. White rural people lose everything they have? To bad redneck, god hates trailer parks anyway. Brown urban people not promptly taken care of by .gov? OMFG!!!!!111!!!!! News at 11!
Recovery is still ongoing in some areas (clearing downed oil platforms for example), and they are still dealing with the social aftermath in Houston, esp wrt gang violence, school performance, and crime. NOLA is notionally better off without many of the FSA who left, but still hasn’t recovered, see the recent news about seized property auctions.
WRT FEMA competence: Like any .gov agency you have time servers, political hacks, politicians, and politically minded functionaries. With that in mind, there are two halves to FEMA, the political half which is useless, and the lower half, which is very effective at some things. The actual ‘boots on the ground’ folks are trying very hard to give citizens what we need to survive.
Some examples.
The CERT program. This is specifically designed to fill the gap between the disaster and organized outside help arriving. They are EXPLICIT that there will not be outside help for the first 72 hours, minimum. How could there be? Where is it coming from? The logistics of disaster response are quite complicated, and take time.
Partnership with NGOs and ‘faith based’ communities. Salvation Army, Red Cross, churches, etc. are all organized and supported in various ways by FEMA or one of its partners.
ICS, NICS. The widespread adoption of the Incident Command System, and the National Incident Command System has gone a long way toward organizing and supporting disaster response. It has given a common base of training to EVERYONE involved in emergency management and response and provides a framework for organizing that response. Is it the best or only framework? I don’t know, but it is A framework and starting point so you’re not just winging it.
FEMA camps. If they exist, they are exactly what you need in the event of pandemic or widespread epidemic. Stacks of cheap, airtight coffins? Hell yes. Pre-positioned gear? Where else will help come from?
Written material, training material, studies, and surveys. Most people are too busy running their lives/work/city/agency/etc to do any disaster planning. FEMA at least makes them consider it, and build the ‘binder’ with the plan in it. If the plans are bogus, that’s not FEMAs fault. The enormous wealth of material online is a resource anyone can take advantage of. (Safe room construction? Detailed plans available free.)
The CDC has the same dual nature. The actual workers are putting up billboards throughout the midwest urging businesses to develop continuity plans, putting up tons of useful planning guides, and monitoring disease. The political hacks are busy on tv, lying and obfuscating. Spend some time on the CDC site. There is an unbelievable amount of material there. And it becomes REALLY clear that they expect a MAJOR disease outbreak SOON.
Anyway, I’ve got no love for politicians of any sort, or the politically minded time servers that infest .gov agencies, but the agencies themselves can do good work DESPITE their ‘leadership.’
nick
And don’t forget that people’s perception of FEMA is controlled and manipulated by the same media that HATES self sufficiency or competence of any kind.
An example, remember the kerfuffle about the recommendation that people stock up on plastic sheeting and duct tape, and how ‘utterly ridiculous’ that was? In fact, it is EXACTLY what you need to shelter in place during an NBC event, straight from the manual.
https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/27403?id=6137
Whether it is ENOUGH is a valid question, but not to the point.
(And besides, those are prepper staples.)
nick
Katrina was minor in the sense that it affected only a very limited part of the country, leaving the vast majority undamaged and able to provide resources. Contrast that with, say, widespread rioting/looting/burning, let alone a deadly pandemic, or grid-down because of a nuclear EMP, or (please, no) a Carrington-class event.
I don’t doubt that most of the people on the ground are doing their best. My point is that in a major emergency their best is a drop in the bucket.
“their best is a drop in the bucket.”
yes, and they are likely to stay home and take care of their own in a widespread emergency. Which is why we prep 🙂
nick
Specifically re: the chaos / disaster of Katrina. Read Douglas Brinkley’s The Great Deluge. It’s enough to make one lose one’s faith in government. 😉
“When I am in Barbara’s or my vehicle…”
I warn’t gonna get into vehicles; but your list reminds me I should have a lighter. Damn. Forgot that. And one of my fire-making tools. And the USB sticks.
“I won’t eat baloney sandwiches, do you have some steak?”
The buggers must not have been that hungry; a baloney sammich with a little mayo and mustard on whatever bread after not eating for a while? Hell yeah. Ungrateful sons of bitches. Let them eat cake.
“In the words of Colion Noir, “I carry every day because I don’t want to spend the last 20 seconds of my life wishing I had.”
Indeed. Straight to the ears of Dr. Bob and Mr. Lynn. Mr. Noir does a good job with his Tube vids, too. I subscribed to them.
“Before you snicker, you should meet her ;-)”
Pics, or you don’t have one.
“I don’t carry my wallet when walking my dog.”
I hate to tell you this, son, but the buggers nowadays are likely to get pissed because you don’t have yer wallet and blow you up anyway. Screw the CHL for now, until you get it; you got two-legged and four-legged threats down there during yer daily jaunts.
“White rural people lose everything they have? To bad redneck, god hates trailer parks anyway.”
The lowest of the low, scum of the earth, Beyond the Pale, bottom of the totem pole, etc, etc. That is how the regime, media, academia, et. al. have demonized these folks for decades. And that’s how it would be during a dystopian catastrophe; they’d be on their own, and the cities would get pretty much all the attention and assistance. Saw it here and saw it in SEA over forty years ago. And about the only time that State authorities show up is to loot and punish anyway.
“Katrina was minor in the sense that it affected only a very limited part of the country, leaving the vast majority undamaged and able to provide resources. Contrast that with, say, widespread rioting/looting/burning, let alone a deadly pandemic…”
Contrast it with the urban riots during the 1960s or our own War Between the States a hundred years before that.
These Tube channels look pretty good for STEM education:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-best-channels-stem-education-youtube/
None of them mentioned anything about murders, rapes, etc., but all of them mentioned being crammed in with a bunch of low-lifes, long lines to use the bathroom, etc. etc.
Sounds like standard government housing. PRCs will be a step down from this.
Houston got a real nasty taste of this for hurricane Ike but just a taste. Nothing like Katrina. If you did not have have something you needed before Ike then you did not get it for a week or so. Some people in the remote areas did not have electricity for six weeks and were blaming everybody in sight instead of searching for an alternate solution. Most people did not even bother to fill up all their vehicle gas tanks. The herd mentality is alive and well.
Fire making tool?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007BO9G1W
From
http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/stocking-stuffers-preppers-life/
Normal daily load out is:
Keychain (with small key shaped tool.)
Wallet, including hidden emergency cash, separate from normal spending cash.
SW Shield 9mm
Spare mag in Gerber multitool pouch (stealthy)
kleenex
Pelican LED light, model 1920
Benchmade Griptillion, tanto point
Cold steel “bird and trout knife” on neck chain
phone
cash on “give me your money” clip
eye drops
Good night! Where do you put all that stuff?
And I do have a gun in my office. And in my truck console. And several at the house. Just no guns on my person.
All that stuff can go in pockets or on a belt. Easily. I carry a similar load-out every single day.
If you gonna walk around coyotes and two-legged vermin you’d best have one on your person regardless of legal carry status; either that or don’t go out walking, esp. at night. By the way, the two-legged and four-legged critters are very dangerous when they’re moving around in packs, homes.
Keychain (with small key shaped tool.)
–right cargo pocket – not a massive janitor style ring.
Wallet, including hidden emergency cash, separate from normal spending cash.
–left cargo pocket
SW Shield 9mm
–IWB right kidney carry
Spare mag in Gerber multitool pouch (stealthy)
–on belt, left kidney
kleenex- just a couple of sheets
–rear left pocket (allergies and snotty kids)
Pelican LED light, model 1920
–usually clipped in corner of left rear pocket, sometimes in corner of left cargo pocket
Benchmade Griptillion, tanto point
–clip to right front pocket
Cold steel “bird and trout knife”
–on neck chain
phone
–left front pocket
cash on “give me your money” clip
–right front pocket
eye drops (allergies, history of eye problems)
–right cargo pocket
Good night! Where do you put all that stuff?
— not even heavy!
The altoids kit gets dropped in the right cargo pocket when taken.
I don’t even have anything in my right rear pocket! (learned long ago not to sit on a lump if I don’t want back problems.) And no kubaton. I do sometimes slip a thin notebook (like moleskine) in my left rear pocket, esp when working.
If I’m not wearing cargo pants or shorts, some of the stuff gets left behind, but not much. (usually I get my id, cash and a couple of cards and leave the wallet. Keys get locked in the car or left with valet.)
If I’m swimming, much of that stays in a small ‘man purse’ in my sight, and I switch to a gerber skeletonized knife, tucked in my waistband. ID cash and cards go in a buttoned flap pocket. Unless I’m on an airplane, I have at least one knife on me, and like flashlights, usually more than one more in easy reach.
It’s not really that much…(it is more than I carried before the CHL and kids.)
nick
It helps that I picked small or mid sized versions of the items. Carrying a bigger pistol, with bigger mags, a bigger knife, and bigger flashlight would be more unwieldy.
I also leave the big keyring in the truck and just carry the fob sometimes. I have keyless entry on the trucks and the house, which helps when wearing slacks.
nick
BTW, I’m always stunned that other parents don’t carry even the most basic first aid. I’m always whipping out bandaids, right at the scene of the boo boo….. (I guess it’s like the flash or knife. You don’t know what you are missing.)
I prefer not to carry much in my pockets, but everywhere I go outside of the house I have my backpack, which goes just about 20 pounds with the always-carry stuff, plus thermos of coffee and whatever else I load up for the day’s business. Food and drink, medical stuff, tools, weapons, paper and pen, cell phone, spare money, several flashlights, a flannel shirt which does double duty as a towel, and what-not.
For years I wore a fisherman’s vest, with every pocket loaded with tools, first aid gear, keys, etc. I stopped mostly because it was too much of a pain to take everything out and dry it if I got caught in the rain. The backpack is water resistant, and it’s easy enough to invert a couple of plastic grocery bags (of which I normally carry half a dozen) over the pack’s contents.
“Before you snicker, you should meet her ;-)”
“Pics, or you don’t have one.”
The picture doesn’t do her justice; you really should meet her:
http://cdn-static.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeek/files/styles/article_main_half/public/0/00//she_hulk_lead.jpg?itok=SqMPRuGW
Click Bait! pics of hot lawyers!
nick
” you really should meet her”
Cool. Send her on up.
Green and White Unite!
Don’t think you’d want to pay for the air fare and hours!
Oh, I figured she’d cover all that once she heard about me.
More prepping resources:
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/03/no_author/grid-down/
Dave, you need to send a picture of yourself!
“The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast”
http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Deluge-Hurricane-Mississippi/dp/0061148490
I am so glad that I live and work 80 ft above sea level. A 32 ft storm surge is almost unplannable for. A half million homes flooded. Hurricane Ike had a 24 ft storm surge and flooded every structure that I know of on Galveston but nothing like the devastation of Katrina.
New Orleans will get hit again.
Not so much in my pockets; just a phone, wallet, tissues and small LED flashlight. However, I almost always carry a backpack that contains a large Swiss army knife, small toolkit, a first aid kit, extra batteries, and various computer-related cables and USB-sticks. I use the computer stuff a lot, the tools rarely, and so far have never needed the first aid stuff.
I ought to add a lighter or some wax-coated matches, and probably also a second flashlight.
Re Katrina: I think it was JEP that pointed out that local emergency response teams would make a lot more sense than FEMA. The people are already there, because they are local, and they know the lay of the land. His view was/is that having FEMA means that localities figure somebody else will do the work, so they neglect their own civil preparedness. Dunno how true that is: people might be lazy anyways, with or without FEMA.
New Orleans will get hit again.
Another term for ghetto renewal. Any town that builds below sea level deserves what it gets.
[snip] New Orleans will get hit again. [snip]
Yeah, New Orleans is a stupid place to build a huge city of 1 million +. It is a rational place to build a big port, at least until the river decides to finally take the Atchafalaya route.
The response to Katrina was a conspiracy by the Louisiana elite to offload thousands of underclass onto Texas. Worked like a charm too. 🙂
One critical thing to keep in mind while working in Louisiana, if the person you are talking to has the same name as the street, you probably shouldn’t complain about nepotism……….
nick
Yeah, New Orleans is a stupid place to build a huge city of 1 million +
2014 population: 384,320 (The population may have peaked at ~1M around 1960, but was only 450K at best in 2005.)
Any town that builds below sea level deserves what it gets.
“A recent study by Tulane and Xavier University notes that 51% of New Orleans is at or above sea level, with the more densely populated areas generally on higher ground. The average elevation of the city is currently between one and two feet (0.5 m) below sea level, with some portions of the city as high as 20 feet (6 m) at the base of the river levee in Uptown and others as low as 7 feet (2 m) below sea level in the farthest reaches of Eastern New Orleans.” (emphasis added) Personal note: My house was constructed pre-1965 on a portion of the natural levee and wasn’t flooded at all.
Much of the post-1965 new construction was in areas even then known to be flood-prone, and wouldn’t have occurred had it not been for the false confidence generated by the levees built by the Corps of Engineers.
Source of the previous “Fun facts about New Orleans”
The response to Katrina was a conspiracy by the Louisiana elite to offload thousands of underclass onto Texas.
We ship worldwide, and will be happy to send you as many as you want! 🙂
Why do stupid people continue to build in flood-prone areas? “flooding in the grand forks-east grand forks area”