On preparedness

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

A local radio station just took a call from a woman in Potrero, which is a rural community in east san diego county.  They were initially threatened by fire today, and told to evacuate,  but the fire basically missed them.  They are pretty safe right now, but cut off from evac and supply routes.  This woman called, demanding that someone come and help them.  They have no water, no gas for their generators, no batteries for their radios, etc, and the police won't let them travel to acquire goods. 
It doesn't seem to even have crossed this woman's mind that perhaps she should have such items on hand at all times.  Makes me happy that I've taken the time to do the basics.  I've got food, water, batteries, ammo, guns, ways to make fire, and basic first aid kits. 

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Another woman called from Poway, she should've been gone hours and hours ago.  She has no power, so her phones don't work, and she has no batteries for a radio.
Batteries and corded phones people.  It's not that damn hard.

[Firethorn]

Another woman called from Poway, she should've been gone hours and hours ago.  She has no power, so her phones don't work, and she has no batteries for a radio.
Batteries and corded phones people.  It's not that damn hard.

Don't forget the water.  I try to keep at least ten gallons on hand.

[Chris]

You know, in addition to my supplies, I also have a hot water heater full of water.  Wonder if that thought ever crossed their minds.  Nah, probably not.

[Manedwolf]

This woman called, demanding that someone come and help them. 

After the last hurricane in S. Florida, people were standing outside perfectly intact McMansions, moaning that their A/C was off and it was "inhuman", and when was the government going to deliver their bottled water and MREs? These same people had a new SUV in the driveway, and it was at least a $600k house in that area...but they had no emergency supplies. That's what the government was supposed to be for, right? To show up and feed you instantly?

Tens of millions of urban and suburban useless people have become baby birds with open mouths. That disgusts me.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

These people aren't even urban! They live in the sticks on SD county.

[Perd Hapley]

The baby bird attitude makes sense, in an odd way.  As much as we pay in taxes, and as much gov. bennies as everybody else is getting, we durn well ought to get our piece of the pie when we have some bad luck.   

[El Tejon]

dasmi, they may live out in the sticks but they have the socialist, urban, baby-bird syndrome.

For decades Californian politicians have been collectively saying "depend on us".  Repeat the lie and it becomes truth.

[Thor]

This woman called, demanding that someone come and help them. 

After the last hurricane in S. Florida, people were standing outside perfectly intact McMansions, moaning that their A/C was off and it was "inhuman", and when was the government going to deliver their bottled water and MREs? These same people had a new SUV in the driveway, and it was at least a $600k house in that area...but they had no emergency supplies. That's what the government was supposed to be for, right? To show up and feed you instantly?

Tens of millions of urban and suburban useless people have become baby birds with open mouths. That disgusts me.

My wife doesn't appreciate me stockpiling supplies. She seems to think it's useless. Of course, we've not had any natural disasters that have forced us to use those supplies. So, she just thinks I'm overreactive and a packrat. 

[charby]

This woman called, demanding that someone come and help them. 

After the last hurricane in S. Florida, people were standing outside perfectly intact McMansions, moaning that their A/C was off and it was "inhuman", and when was the government going to deliver their bottled water and MREs? These same people had a new SUV in the driveway, and it was at least a $600k house in that area...but they had no emergency supplies. That's what the government was supposed to be for, right? To show up and feed you instantly?

Tens of millions of urban and suburban useless people have become baby birds with open mouths. That disgusts me.

My wife doesn't appreciate me stockpiling supplies. She seems to think it's useless. Of course, we've not had any natural disasters that have forced us to use those supplies. So, she just thinks I'm overreactive and a packrat. 

Sometime just pull the main breaker to the house and pretend you just heard on the radio the power outage is supposed to last 4-5 days, then see how she reacts.

-C

[thebaldguy]

This woman called, demanding that someone come and help them. 

After the last hurricane in S. Florida, people were standing outside perfectly intact McMansions, moaning that their A/C was off and it was "inhuman", and when was the government going to deliver their bottled water and MREs? These same people had a new SUV in the driveway, and it was at least a $600k house in that area...but they had no emergency supplies. That's what the government was supposed to be for, right? To show up and feed you instantly?

Tens of millions of urban and suburban useless people have become baby birds with open mouths. That disgusts me.

My wife doesn't appreciate me stockpiling supplies. She seems to think it's useless. Of course, we've not had any natural disasters that have forced us to use those supplies. So, she just thinks I'm overreactive and a packrat. 

My girlfriend is the same way. She questioned my need for a generator until the power went out.

[Perd Hapley]

My girlfriend is the same way. She questioned my need for a generator until the power went out.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, no one around here thinks that way anymore.  Last year, we had two widespread, week-long blackouts.  One in triple-digit temperatures, one as a result of an ice-storm with very cold weather.  Generators were flying off the shelves, so nobody questions the need for them, anymore. 

[Len Budney]

The baby bird attitude makes sense, in an odd way.  As much as we pay in taxes, and as much gov. bennies as everybody else is getting, we durn well ought to get our piece of the pie when we have some bad luck.   

True dat. When they take our money, they promise all sorts of lovely things... so when, oh, say, frickin' wildfires are sweeping through your neighborhood, you'd sorta think it's a good time for some of that wonderful government service, wouldn't you?

--Len.

[French G.]

I've got food, water, batteries, ammo, guns, ways to make fire, and basic first aid kits. 

Do you really need more ways to make fire out there right now? Save that for mudslide season whydoncha?!

I never feel prepared enough but my city neighbors didn't think I was taking the hurricane seriously enough as my day consisted of driving around hoping to find something to use a chainsaw or 1 ton truck on, watching the storm, reading a Playboy on my front porch whilst open carrying/watching my ribs parboil on a Coleman stove and later cook on the grille, having said ribs and a little bourbon and then retiring to reload a few thousand rounds by latern light. Seems I was supposed to be traumatized.

You learn something from every disaster. Mine was stay away from people. I stopped in a Wal-mart 200 miles inland and 5 days before the storm and people were already panicking. Just for fun as I already had everything I went to a Wal-mart in the hurricane's target of choice 12 hours before I got there. A rational being could have reasonably thought a cranky fellow on a pale horse had been sighted. Pandemonium. Other things I learned from observing others.

-Buy stuff that runs on AAA or C batteries. D and AA were wiped off the map.

-If one gas station in town works the line will be two miles long. They will have a pump for hand carried jugs with a bout 50 people clustered around, some probably smoking.  An aquaintance that bailed out of NO and Katrina recommends Diesel cars, gas was not had on the interstate.  This one had extra fuel in the trunk(firebomb!), stopped at truck stops to re-fuel, figuring the truckers were much less likely to steal the extra fuel than the mob on the roadway.

-Don't run a Ford out of gas, they eat the fuel pump. Oh wait, I learned that several years before the hurricane.

-Didja know that credit cards and ATMs don't work without electricity? The Einsteins in my town didn't seem to.

-When traffic lights don't work no one has read the law where it says treat them like a 4 way stop. I drove the 1 ton dually, law of gross tonnage, 7400 EVW! 

[Perd Hapley]

-Buy stuff that runs on AAA or C batteries. D and AA were wiped off the map.

That brings back memories.    



Len, I was only half-serious about what I said back there.  I don't really think that way, but it helps explain why so many people do. 

[Thor]

This woman called, demanding that someone come and help them. 

After the last hurricane in S. Florida, people were standing outside perfectly intact McMansions, moaning that their A/C was off and it was "inhuman", and when was the government going to deliver their bottled water and MREs? These same people had a new SUV in the driveway, and it was at least a $600k house in that area...but they had no emergency supplies. That's what the government was supposed to be for, right? To show up and feed you instantly?

Tens of millions of urban and suburban useless people have become baby birds with open mouths. That disgusts me.

My wife doesn't appreciate me stockpiling supplies. She seems to think it's useless. Of course, we've not had any natural disasters that have forced us to use those supplies. So, she just thinks I'm overreactive and a packrat. 

Sometime just pull the main breaker to the house and pretend you just heard on the radio the power outage is supposed to last 4-5 days, then see how she reacts.

-C

Unfortunately, my wife isn't that naive. I really wanted a natural gas genset that provided standby power in the event our power ever failed. She couldn't see the need for an $8K genset.  Oh well. I tried to remind her of when the tornado hit Monticello,MN area. They were without power for two weeks !! Fortunately, it was summer, so nobody froze to death.

[K Frame]

After Hurricane Katrina, I'm surprised that the phrase "We're from the government and we're here to help you" really carries any kind of snap...

I have to admit that my preparations aren't nearly as... prepared, as they should be.

[Matthew Carberry]

I figure I'll give it a day, day and a half and then I'm going full-on cannibal warlord.

Got my face paint, hair dye, football pads and leather banana hammocks all stockpiled. 

[K Frame]

"leather banana hammocks"

Anyone have suggestions for getting barf out of a keyboard?

[Thor]

"leather banana hammocks"

Anyone have suggestions for getting barf out of a keyboard?

Dishwasher

[Len Budney]

Len, I was only half-serious about what I said back there.  I don't really think that way, but it helps explain why so many people do. 

With you all the way. It's perfectly understandable that folks expect a little protection for their protection money.

--Len.

[K Frame]

A little protection/assistance and complete and total dependence are two different things.

Far too many people have come to rely on the government taking care of them lock, stock and barrel.

[Manedwolf]

I was thinking the same as someone mentioned up above, people in CA don't need to have "ways to make fire" in their disaster kits right now. They can just step outside and get some.

[Len Budney]

A little protection/assistance and complete and total dependence are two different things.

Agreed

Far too many people have come to rely on the government taking care of them lock, stock and barrel.

Also agreed.

But it isn't entirely their fault: government promises to take care of them lock, stock and barrel. From cradle to grave, there's nothing government doesn't promise to take care of--whether illness, or natural disaster, or unemployment, or even a dip in the stock market. Not only do they promise protection against everything: they also forcibly seize massive amounts of money for that ostensible purpose; and they also illegalize crucial self-help measures.

Keeping and bearing firearms is only the most obvious such restriction. Laws against "hoarding" and "price gouging" did considerable harm after Katrina. Public lands, especially in the west, represent a massive fire hazard which anyone other than government is forbidden, on pain of law, to do anything about. Publicly-funded firefighting drives free-market firefighting out of business, as with any private industry that competes with "free" government services. And so on.

I agree that people are infantilized, and that it's a horrible thing. But government infantilizes them on purpose, so the results are not exactly surprising.


--Len.

[Paddy]

If all land were privately owned without any oversight there would be no old growth forests or any other unmolested natural resources.  It would all be used to make quick buck now.

And for profit firefighting?  Oh yeah, that'll work..........