Article about doomsday shelters & preparedness

**pollypurebred39** · 03-24-2011, 04:48 PM

I guess I'm a pessimist Imagine, I don't believe for second that our government is prepared for a long term emergency. Heck, if they learned so much from Katrina like they said, how come it's not rebuilt and all the people back in their homes? Just not buying our government's competency on anything now a days.

**cmoy** · 03-24-2011, 05:31 PM

Why would anyone in their right mind even question the foresight and ability to take care of one's family?

If he does have a family, is his plan to shout "Every man for himself", when a tragedy, large or small, befalls his "safe", little world of "self"?

carol

**imagine** · 03-24-2011, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by pollypurebred39

I guess I'm a pessimist Imagine, I don't believe for second that our government is prepared for a long term emergency. Heck, if they learned so much from Katrina like they said, how come it's not rebuilt and all the people back in their homes? Just not buying our government's competency on anything now a days.

I believe emergency response and rebuilding are separate issues.

**pollypurebred39** · 03-24-2011, 07:55 PM

Perhaps, but how much could they have possibly learned when they clearly have not recovered from the last disaster? It seems to me the two go hand in hand. They fixed the problem by relocating people. Imagine if it had been on a major scale, covering the entire states? Where would they relocate us?

**Russ** · 03-24-2011, 08:12 PM

When Katrina happened, I don't believe ANYONE was prepared for the magnitude of that disaster. IIRC, even the Red Cross was not prepared for the sheer amount of donations it received. Don't misunderstand me though.. people *knew* that hurricane was coming.

Whether the government could/would "take care" of us is secondary (to me) because I will do everything in my power to help myself should the need arise. During the days after Katrina there were many videos and interviews of people saying they were "waiting" for help.

So it's obvious there are different kinds of people.. doers, people who depend on others, and those in between. It's up to the individual to decide in which group they belong.

**pollypurebred39** · 03-24-2011, 08:15 PM

Not waiting on anyone to help us.

**imagine** · 03-25-2011, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by pollypurebred39

Perhaps, but how much could they have possibly learned when they clearly have not recovered from the last disaster? It seems to me the two go hand in hand. They fixed the problem by relocating people. Imagine if it had been on a major scale, covering the entire states? Where would they relocate us?

I still think that they did learn a lot of things from Katrina like the radio report said. I also am a firm believer that every event is a learning experience. Where everyone including government reviews and learns and improves.

The radio program only mentioned two things.1) The change in policy that FEMA no longer has to wait until after a emergency or disaster is declared. They can start getting ready to prepare and head that way just on the thought that their will be a problem. You see before Katrina they had to sit on their hands and wait for the government to vote and declare something an emergency. You can already see this improvement in responses now to natural disasters. 2) the review of disaster plans

The USA is big, physically big in size. Japan is roughly the size of California. I believe that if something was going to happen to the whole united state then it is something akin in to, if not Armageddon.

Have you ever seen the tv should The Colony? In the conclusion, the man who had been a prepare for every contingency survivalist, commented that he learned there are somethings you just can't prepare for so he planned on spending more time with his family living now and building his family instead of rigidly preparing them for all the what ifs

I believe there has to be a balance between living now and preparing for the future, especially a future you don't know will happen full of what ifs.

edited for grammar mistakes

**monkeywrangler71** · 03-25-2011, 09:13 AM

I don't believe the point of the article was to never be prepared for anything, it was to not get carried away preparing for unlikely events just because they happen to be in the news right now. He's talking about the recency effect - which is the tendency to place the most importance on the thing you last heard, even when other things are actually more important. People need to be preparing for the most likely emergency in their area, not the one getting the most recent coverage in the media.

**Russ** · 03-25-2011, 09:38 AM

Agreed MW.
As with anything, some people will take things to the extreme.

There was a recent story here on the radio about a woman who, due to recent increases in gas prices, decided to stockpile... GASOLINE IN HER BASEMENT! news article

Fortunately, nobody was home when her space heater ignited the fumes and blew the house into about 5 megabajillion toothpicks.

**jas** · 03-25-2011, 10:30 AM

For me and the area I live in my concerns are hurricanes and the economy. I don't think either of them is an over reacting concern. I have been through a lot of hurricanes, 3 in a few months span one year. The economy is shaky at best. If gas goes up, like they say it will, so will everything else.

I have been in the process of making a bare bones must have list of things I want to have on hand. Not everything I buy in goods times. I mean the bare essentials to start with. Then I can fill in with the more would like to have items.

**MsMarieH** · 03-25-2011, 11:24 AM

jas, I think that's an excellent example. You would be crazy to live in Florida and NOT do some preparation for hurricanes. I, on the other hand, living in IL, am highly unlikely to get a hurricane. Now I certainly could get (and have gotten!) tornadoes, so that's one of the things I prepare for.

It's like people stocking up for armageddon and not having smoke alarms in their house.

**jas** · 03-25-2011, 11:34 AM

You know even in a hurricane situation I can bring food with me and HBA items. If I feel a hurricane is too big to stick around and ride the storm out at least I can lessen my burden on finances or whoever I have to stay with. I would imagine If I had to leave I would be heading for a shelter or hotel. That can get dicey since everyone else would be bugging out too. Shelters here don't provide anything but the shelter and that usually means a school hallway or gym floor.

**HappyMama** · 03-25-2011, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Russ

So it's obvious there are different kinds of people.. doers, people who depend on others, and those in between. It's up to the individual to decide in which group they belong.

Agree Russ, why is the story "The Ant and The Grasshopper" playing through my head right now. Love the people who always think someone else will take care of them, and spend their money on junk and fun, while others are being wise with every day provisions and being prepared. They love mocking, or being mean about everyday budget living or provisions for the future and are the first to expect the Gov., and community to anty up for them. Not that I don't think helping fellow man is very important, or Gov should help but a little thought process on their part would help. But, the Bible has warned of those who do that forever. Being prepared is wise in my opinion.

As for lessons in Katrina well seems like the area still is a mess, not rebuilt and crime high......so lessons learned ? I am sure there are many but just observing and having meetings about things doesn't cut in where lives are involved for me, I like action and promises kept as well.

**pollypurebred39** · 03-25-2011, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by imagine

I still think that they did learn a lot of things from Katrina like the radio report said. I also am a firm believer that every event is a learning experience. Where everyone including government reviews and learns and improves.

The radio program only mentioned two things.1) The change in policy that FEMA no longer has to wait until after a emergency or disaster is declared. They can start getting ready to prepare and head that way just on the thought that their will be a problem. You see before Katrina they had to sit on their hands and wait for the government to vote and declare something an emergency. You can already see this improvement in responses now to natural disasters. 2) the review of disaster plans

The USA is big, physically big in size. Japan is roughly the size of California. I believe that if something was going to happen to the whole united state then it is something akin in to, if not Armageddon.

Have you ever seen the tv should The Colony? In the conclusion, the man who had been a prepare for every contingency survivalist, commented that he learned there are somethings you just can't prepare for so he planned on spending more time with his family living now and building his family instead of rigidly preparing them for all the what ifs

I believe there has to be a balance between living now and preparing for the future, especially a future you don't know will happen full of what ifs.

edited for grammar mistakes

Well yes, every event should be a learning experience. I'm just not entirely sure our government has learned enough. In my opinion Katrina was a large scale disaster in a small area that was long running. Our government made the choice to relocate rather then fix the problem, in essence throwing away the problem. Do I think the entire U.S. would be effected by a natural disaster and we'd all have to be relocated? Hardly. It was an exaggeration on my part due to the frustration born from their incompetence.

No, never seen The Colony. Just not my cup of tea, more a Leave to Beaver type. I can never see myself being that person, the very idea is kind of silly to me. I think I come more from the perspective of a person who has been going through a hell of an economic downturn and will never feel secure with our governments ability to provide a healthy economy, and decent employment ever again. If you throw in their past inability to handle a true crisis and well, no...no confidence here.

I learn from my mistakes too, I learned to never trust the government to see that my house is financially healthy by secure employment. I can't very well expect them to see to it that we are secure if they can't manage to balance the deficit. Instead it grows and grows. I don't see responsibility or competence there. So to that end I prepare my home. I fill my storehouses and seek out ways to make our lives better and more secure. This life is very uncertain, and a disaster only needs to effect you to be a disaster. I'll keep doing what I'm doing and others can choose to do what they are doing. If someone wants to build a bunker who am I to judge?

**Keildra** · 03-27-2011, 02:07 AM

That guy is probably making fun of me because I'm trying to become self sufficient. Not really for natural disaster but for the impending economic crisis.