Living in Hurricane Alley
This is likely to piss a few people off.,but it’s what’s on my mind these days.With the catastrophe down along the Gulf Coast states recently, I’ve been pondering what went wrong....
Other than corrupt government officials, going back decades, I can’t help but lay some of the blame on an “entitlement” mentality. This is not directed at individuals, so much as the mindset that creeps in after generations of public assistance. It is not their fault. I feel it is the fault of pork barrel politics that make it too easy to allow others to “take care of you”. After generations have grown used to being “taken care of” it must be hard to break out of that mindset during an emergency.
Before you start bitching, .I am very proud of all the people who pitched in and helped others. And there were lots of them. But there were just as many who did little or nothing to help themselves or others.
Perhaps I have a different spin on it because I have lived with Hurricanes my entire life. And never once did I see or hear anyone say they were waiting for FEMA or the local government to come before they started recovery. Ever. You live on the coastline.......you have to deal with and prepare for the risks, such as massive storms barreling in off the Atlantic Ocean. We just went through Ophelia, and luckily it was only a Cat 1, but a Cat 1 is still is a mighty storm. It’s been almost a week and people are still cleaning up the debris and repairing structures and homes. You don’t hear much about it on the news because it’s not “news-worthy” these days......no looting, no stabbings, rapes or murders. It’s just not juicy enough. But living here I see the damage and I know the cost to some is as great as the cost to many of those down in New Orleans. But I see a big difference in “attitude” . Everyone pitches in. We get things done ourselves.
During Floyd, nearly the entire interior of the state was under water...not just one town........but 1/3 of the state.......FEMA came in after a week or so..........you didn’t hear the kind of bitching you’re hearing now.........because we’re not waiting for anyone to come “take care of us”.
I could go on for hours, but it boils down to this..if you’re going to live along the coast, .and you DON’T take precautions and plan ahead.(This includes what to do with relatives who may be in the Hospital or Nursing Home) then you are willingly taking your life into your own hands. I am overwhelmed by the losses suffered in New Orleans, because I know firsthand it didn’t have to be that way.
posted by Esmaralda @ 6:50 PM
1 Comments:
I think it is very true what you are saying.
Over here we are safe from Hurricanes and I believe that if by some incident or effect of global warming we would be hit by something similar, the damage would be devastating.
The recent flooding we had in the alpine region also hit some (especially in Switzerland) rather unexpectedly. Although mudslids and flooding was rather usual in mountain areas before rivers and streams got canalised.
The effect is that over a long period of time nothing happens and people don't see a need to prepare.
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