My rambings on natural disasters, terrorism and

[Onyx]

I feel rich.

I have a private bathroom with a bathtub I can fill up to the brim with hot clean water. I have clean water to drink and food to eat. So many things I take for granted every day. I have been living in heaven and not appreciating any of it.

With that said, I can't help but think how unprepared I personally am if something like this were to happen here. I really don't keep much cash on hand. I usually wait till my tank is nearly empty before I fill up. I don't have any water stored (got out of the habit when I moved here from Florida).

Money - water - and weapons.

I want to buy a couple of guns and a big box of bullets, get them registered, CCW permits, and learn how to use them well. Even with money and a place to go, some were carjacked and killed in the aftermath. I've never even fired a gun, and a few years ago (pre-911) I was mildly anti-gun and would never have considered owning one.

I feel like a different person and definitely feel like I'm living in a different world.

[The_Dark]

We have a shot gun and a high power rifled in the house. Plus my persanel hand gun. Everyone over the age of 12 knows how to use the rifle and shot gun. I taught my wife to shoot the pistol. The kids have never even seen it and the keys to the lock box never leave me pocket.

We keep water and canned food in the garage and plenty of candles around the house. WE are prepareed as we can get on our salerys.

[Head Wreck]

a while back i noticed how relaxed people are over silly things

hardly anone carries even a first aid kit over here. and i got quizzed by my friends a month back on how come i have a sleeping bag, water, a few energy bars, a goretex jacket and a few amber strobes in my boot of the car (trunk)

it seems that people dont even think about what happens if they break down in the styx even with a long wait

the centre cap of my steering wheel has £20 hidden under it for emergancy petroll and on long journeys i usually put in a spare can of diesel

it just makes me think. what would happen to us if something shitty happned

[Scary Guy]

I tend to cary a lot on me, and it's best to always be prepared kind of like you would for a combination of a camping trip and DefCon (not the alert system but the LA convention).

Bomb shelters are also a vastly underused necessity these days I think. Better to be prepared than to be dead you know.

It also pisses me off that the US wasn't prepared for this disaster in general. Should have been prepared for a few of the past ones better as well.

Remember when the power went out up here 2 years ago (I think it's been that long now). I was right where I am now at 4 PM and everything went out. I tried to figure out what happened and when I did, I was the only one who thought to shut off the main breakers downstairs and unplug everything ontop of that, pull out the candles for the night, find batteries and a radio, get a weapon (just in case). My parents got the generator though which was good. After that happened they said they were going to decentralize the power grid. I wonder just how much progress has been made on that exactly.

[Amerist]

I'm my Clan's Healer so I generally have quite a bit of random support stuff on or around me.

I have four different first-aid kits, my paramedic drop-bag (with more stuff in it than I am actually permitted to have,) several suture kits, two and a half field-surgical kits, three flashlights, two pairs of pliers (for piercing and fishhooks--don't ask,) and my astounding variety of bandaids -- the street rats on Mill love me because I actually found little black bandaids with skulls on them, large bandaids with unicorns on them, and even glittery bandaids. Sad to say it but my pretty bandaid collection was grossly depleted during a rash of small cuts and bruises incidents that I am reasonably suspicious of.

For the annals of random food and water in the house there's always generally a nice collection of soup in cans, but not water, unless I'm visiting Arizona in which case there is generally several days worth bottled hiding in the closet. It is a desert, after all, and we rarely forget that.

Weapons... Not really. Of course, people tend to get extremely nervous when a member of my caste happens to be carrying a weapon other than a scalpel or a bronze knife. Also, we're rarely alone. A great deal of my warriors are gun and steel nuts, so while rarely being alone, my company is rarely lacking for firepower...which, I might add, is actually why my caste has to be so well equipped with bandages...

The final most important approach to disasters that I spend most of my time doing happens to be communication. I spend part of my week keeping the lines open, making sure that everyone is aware of everyone else's phone numbers, places of work, and every few months I update several different points of contact. This has been made a lot easier with the prevalence of cellphones, because now I don't have to worry about making someone in another state a point-of-contact for reporting in. Of course, in the event of a huge disaster there will probably be no cellphone towers--but in the end only one person with a cell needs to be contacted in order to get news through the entire network.

Having several people in the group to do networking on a regular basis can make a massive difference. For both the disasters and the mundane. When someone ends up going to the hospital, someone becomes really sick, or just in general a tightly knit community tends to want to know how its own are doing and can help reduce a lot of stress if there is a reliable setup for moving that information. Plus, people lose cellphone address books, they forget each others phone numbers, and lose track pretty easily. Keeping these networks up-to-date can prevent gigantic stress and dismay when they're badly needed in the event of an emergency or a catastrophe.

[Onyx]

I'm my Clan's Healer so I generally have quite a bit of random support stuff on or around me.

Weapons... Not really. Of course, people tend to get extremely nervous when a member of my caste happens to be carrying a weapon other than a scalpel or a bronze knife. Also, we're rarely alone. A great deal of my warriors are gun and steel nuts, so while rarely being alone, my company is rarely lacking for firepower...which, I might add, is actually why my caste has to be so well equipped with bandages...

I'm a bit confused by your post. Clan? Warriors? Caste?

[Amerist]

I'm a bit confused by your post.  Clan?  Warriors?  Caste?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My Clan, the people who are members of my family, extended family, and a solid group of my friends who I keep together as something of a community. Anyone who has a firm place in my life to the point that I'll pay attention to them and generally try to make sure that they're ok I'll tend to refer to as clan, although not specifically true the people who are in my actual Clan usually humor me on not making a distinction.

My caste, anyone else who does the things that I do: like puts people back together again, treats injuries, advises the sick, sits around and makes people more comfortable when they're ill... caste is kind of also another way of saying that what one does as a career somehow seemed destined for them, even if they don't follow a modern career of it anymore. It's more of an archetypical distinction, rather common as a term in my culture.

Warriors, a random distinction that I have for people who have taken their talents and skills into physical knowledge, self-defense, fighting, guns; includes soldiers, police officers, a lot of jocks that I happen to like, and for one my soulmate (my world's favorite warrior.) I also have a tendency to say "my warriors" which refers to a cluster of friends of mine in Arizona who where ECS geeks (like the SCA but more metal; less anachronism) who were badly in need of someone to take care of them. Aside from being into swords, armor, guns, and all various things mediaeval they are most incarnately what someone from a Fantasy background might call a warrior (and I still love them for it.) Of course, they've grown up a lot since then so I leave them for half the year, and nowadays I'll refer to almost any friend of mine who is a warrior-type who I look after as one of "mine."

[The_Dark]

On being prepared.. New Orleans was prepared.. they had a Comprehensive Plan in the case of a hurricane...

http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26

Using information developed as part of the Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Task Force and other research, the City of New Orleans has established a maximum acceptable hurricane evacuation time standard for a Category 3 storm event of 72 hours. This is based on clearance time or is the time required to clear all vehicles evacuating in response to a hurricane situation from area roadways. Clearance time begins when the first evacuating vehicle enters the road network and ends when the last evacuating vehicle reaches its destination.

Clearance time also includes the time required by evacuees to secure their homes and prepare to leave (mobilization time); the time spent by evacuees traveling along the road network (travel time); and the time spent by evacuees waiting along the road network due to traffic congestion (delay time). Clearance time does not refer to the time a single vehicle spends traveling on the road network. Evacuation notices or orders will be issued during three stages prior to gale force winds making landfall.

> Precautionary Evacuation Notice: 72 hours or less

> Special Needs Evacuation Order: 8-12 hours after Precautionary Evacuation Notice issued

> General Evacuation Notice: 48 hours or less

Odd, I don't reembmer seeing any of that happen...

Principle traffic control is provided by the New Orleans Police Department. The movement of evacuating vehicles during a hurricane evacuation requires specific traffic control efforts to insure the maximum roadway capacity and to expedite safe escape from hurricane hazards.

1. Bridge closures will be announced as necessary.

2. NOPD officers will be stationed at critical intersections and roadway segments

3. All available tow trucks shall be positioned along key roadway segments, and disabled vehicles will be removed from traffic lanes. No repairs will be done to vehicles along the evacuation routes.

4. Manual direction of traffic will be supplemented by physical barriers that are adequately weighted and which are placed to channel traffic and prevent unnecessary turning and merging conflicts.

5. The movement of mobile homes and campers along evacuation routes will be banned after a hurricane warning is issued. A disabled mobile home could block the only escape route available. Such vehicles are difficult to handle late in an evacuation due to sporadic wind conditions.

6. Boat owners must be made aware of time requirements for moving or securing vessels. Optimally, industrial and recreational vessels should be moved to safe harbor during or before a hurricane watch.

7. Emergency Response to Accidents/Breakdowns - The intensity of traffic during a hurricane evacuation will always be accompanied by a certain number of traffic accidents and breakdowns. Although roadway shoulders are available for vehicles in distress, the movement of such vehicles to these areas is often difficult and disruptive. It is recommended that at least two traffic control personnel be positioned at each key roadway link/intersection so that one can assist disabled vehicles as needed. Two vehicles should also be positioned at each critical link to facilitate the removal of immobilized vehicles, however, as resources (two vehicles) are available.

8. Safe evacuation is predicated upon the movement of vehicles over critically low points on evacuation routes prior to the occurrence of flooding. Route blockages can happen prior to the arrival of a hurricane. Those roadways that historically experience flooding due to rainfall alone should be monitored for vehicle distress and help.

Wait a sec.. none of that happened either....

A. Mayor

* Initiate the evacuation.

* Retain overall control of all evacuation procedures via EOC operations.

* Authorize return to evacuated areas.

B. Office of Emergency Preparedness

* Activate EOC and notify all support agencies to this plan.

* Coordinate with State OEP on elements of evacuation.

* Assist in directing the transportation of evacuees to staging areas.

* Assist ESF-8, Health and Medical, in the evacuation of persons with special needs, nursing home, and hospital patients in accordance with established procedures.

* Coordinate the release of all public information through ESF-14, Public Information.

* Use EAS, television, cable and other public broadcast means as needed and in accordance with established procedure.

* Request additional law enforcement/traffic control (State Police, La. National Guard) from State OEP.

C. New Orleans Police Department

* Ensure orderly traffic flow.

* Assist in removing disabled vehicles from roadways as needed.

* Direct the management of transportation of seriously injured persons to hospitals as needed.

* Direct evacuees to proper shelters and/or staging areas once they have departed the threatened area.

* Release all public information through the ESF-14, Public Information.

D. Regional Transit Authority

* Supply transportation as needed in accordance with the current Standard Operating Procedures.

* Place special vehicles on alert to be utilized if needed.

* Position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses.

* If warranted by scope of evacuation, implement additional service.

I'm beging to see a pattern....

A. Shelter Demand

Shelter demand is currently under review by the Shelter Coordinator. Approximately 100,000 Citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation. Shelter assessment is an ongoing project of the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Shelter Coordinator.

The following schools have been inspected and approved as Hurricane Evacuation Shelters for the City of New Orleans: Laurel Elementary School

Walter S. Cohen High School

Medard Nelson Elementary School

Sarah T. Reed High School

Southern University Multi Purpose Center

Southern University New Science Building

O. Perry Walker High School

Albert Wicker Elementary School

Why were they sent by the mayor to the Superdome and civic center?

Now on further reading.. Nola had, between public tranport and school systems, 600, count them.. 600 buses for evacuation of people without the means to leave themselves... Not one of them was used....

WHY?

[Jarodaka]

On being prepared.. New Orleans was prepared.. they had a Comprehensive Plan in the case of a hurricane...

Odd, I don't reembmer seeing any of that happen...

Wait a sec.. none of that happened either....

I'm beging to see a pattern....

Read this. No, really, READ IT. She explains what was actually happening while the hurricane was approaching and how NOLA was evacuated.

Why were they sent by the mayor to the Superdome and civic center?

Here's the part of NOLA's evacuation plan you left out:

It should not be assumed that all of the approved shelters listed above will be opened in the event of a hurricane or other major tropical storm. The names and locations of open shelters will be announced when an evacuation order is issued. This list is not for public information and should not be duplicated and distributed. In the event that shelters are opened, people who go to their nearest listed location may find, for one reason or another, that the facility is not open as a shelter, forcing them to seek an alternate location. It is also possible that people anticipating the opening of shelters may arrive before shelters are set-up and ready to receive them. For these and other reasons, shelters which are to be used will not be identified until they are ready to open and not until an evacuation order, related public announcement is made.

Last Resort Refuges and Super Shelters are described in specific SOPs covering their applications.

I would guess that, combined with the link I provided above, the shelters listed could not withstand above a level 3 hurricane. Seeing as how Katrina was at 5 when the evacuation was happening, they redirected people to the Convention Center and Superdome. Combine this with the 'nobody saw it coming' *cough* knowledge that the levees themselves would fail if anything above category 3 would hit, getting people to higher ground was undoubtedly a high priority as well. Therefore, I'd also hazard a guess that the list of shelters were not on very high ground.

Now on further reading.. Nola had, between public tranport and school systems, 600, count them.. 600 buses for evacuation of people without the means to leave themselves... Not one of them was used....

WHY?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

See the above thingy I linked to. For those too lazy to RTFA, she's saying that Nagin greatly improved the evacuation process and, given the corrupt bureacracy he inherited -- not unlike, say, inheriting a bad economy -- actually did quite well.

[The_Dark]

but it doesn't say why the buses were left sitting where they were. Or why it was reported that everyone but 20,000 people were evacuated from the city.

[Homicidalheathen]

My parents have a well and house next to a woods. However I think in times of need the animals would all be hunted out within 2 weeks...oh and they have weapons.

That black out scared me and made me want to move to the country and become self sufficiant but then I would have to live that way now and I am not ready too. So I will take my chances.....

I always have allot of bottled water and canned food in the house and candles. My parents have a Kerosine heater....not enough to keep ya comfortable but enough to keep you from freezing to death....it is a good idea. Its a big one too.....not like that camping one. It's almost a mini furnace. OH and there regular house furnace...is oil and they have it delivered.....it used to be coal but they had that one taken out. There is even still a hole in the wall where the coal used to go.