The lesssons I have learned from the Hurricane Katrina disaster and tragedy

JEFFHEAD.COM ^ | September 5, 2005 | Jeff Head

[Jeff Head]

Over the last ten days I have, with the rest of America and the world, watched a horrific natural disaster and tragedy unfold. I say natural disaster because that is exactly what a hurricane is when it strikes humanity and destroys property and lives and leaves suffering in its wake, as hurricane Katrina did along the Gulf Coast last week. I say tragedy because I have sat transfixed as I have watched as governmental social programs long in place, contributed to the disaster, and as a number of unimaginable and crass mistakes made by those who could have and should have exhibited stronger leadership, failed to do so which also added significantly to the loss of life and to the human suffering.

As I considered this over this holiday weekend, I thought it imperative, if for no other reason than to get these issues of my chest, to write down the lessons I have learned as a result of this disaster and tragedy. Hopefully, there are those who will reads this and benefit from it, most notably my own children and grandchildren and their descendants.

So, here are the lessons, I pray they reverberate within the hearts and minds of those who read them, so that more and more people can avoid some of the circumstances which have led to what will probably be recorded as the worst natural disaster and tragedy in American history.

LESSON NUMBER ONE: When clear warnings of an imminent natural disaster are issued, heed them When the weather service or other agencies, private or public, tasked with making such warnings issue them, take the warnings seriously and move well out of the path of danger. Do not wait for governmental officials to issue a so-called "mandatory" evacuation. Use your own initiative and resource, whatever they may be, to move yourself and your loved ones out of danger. Irrespective of how many false alarms have been raised in the past, irrespective of how well your or neighbor's structures have survived in the past, act for yourself and move yourself and loved ones out of the path of the oncoming danger. Your very life and those of your loved ones could well depend on it...and to err on the side of caution is a good thing in such circumstances.

The specter of those who decided to stay, and who were partying in the path of this storm on live news coverage up to the time the storm began to come on shore, will remain etched in our memory for the rest of our lives. Such foolishness punctuates the need to remember and act upon this first lesson. It is a lesson wholly within each of our power.

LESSON NUMBER TWO: Be prepared. Start now, in whatever sustained way you can. Any preparation is better than none, decent preparation is better than just a little. Realize we live in a world where natural disaster, economic fallouts, upheaval, strife and war exist and can strike us with little warning, leaving our entire lives and livelihoods completely altered in the space of a few days. We should do what we each can, within our respective circumstances, to have food and water supplies set aside to sustain ourselves and loved ones for a period of several months if possible. If possible, have your own well on your property with a manual pump. Also, if possible, have your own septic system.

We should also all strive to have a 96-hour kit set aside for ourselves and each of our immediate families should we have to leave our homes in response to lesson number one above. Such a 96-hour kiy should contain all of the following:

1. Water (Including purification tablets)
2. Food (Including high energy and vitamins)
3. A good First Aid kit
4. Toiletries
5. Temporary shelter
6. Two or three changes of Clothing, including underwear and socks
7. Firearms
8. Ammunition
9. Spending cash, several hundred dollars, or whatever is possible
10. Reading material (The Holy Scriptures, a couple of Classics)

LESSON NUMBER THREE: The welfare state of any nation is a destroyer of human compassion and civilization. It teaches people to be (mistakenly) wholly reliant on government and indolent and therefore lacking in the necessary moral clarity when faced with a crisis. Far too many caught up in that life style either turn into a mob seeking only what they feel at the moment is good for themselves, even to the destruction of those around them, or, they are left without the means to effectively apply lessons one and two, leaving them defenseless and at the mercy of the danger itself, of incompetent officials, or at the mercy of the mobs that follow on the heels of such disasters in sections of cities that are largely populated by those dependent on such programs. Avoid such programs and such areas like the plague...because that is exactly what they turn into in such dire circumstances as we have witnessed over the last ten days, particularly in New Orleans.

Who will ever forget the site of so many woman, with their children, no men responsible for these families within sight, as they waded through brackish, polluted waters in search of safety? The social programs that were manipulated and changed in the 1960s under Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" have come home to roost and had their thin veneer dashed by these circumstances, revealing the ugly, festering sores just beneath the surface.

One example, in the 60s, a longer term program that provided governmental relief for children of widows who had been legitimately married, but whose husband had died, was altered to allow any illegitimate children to be included. It wasn't long before more and more desperate woman found that by having four or five children out of wedlock, they could sustain themselves on governmental programs. Men, normally raised to understand that one of their primary roles was to provide for children, found that that role could be supplanted by the government...and so a horrific seed was sown that has resulted in the destruction of the traditional family in a growing segment of American society. It impacted particularly the black family to begin with, but has since spread throughout society...and this is just one example of a myriad of such programs that have had the effect of creating huge segments of society dependent on government for their livelihood, and beholden to politicians whose careers are made by promising more and more of the same. The result is that individuals, families, and entire communities become corrupted...and the outcome is horrific when pitted against circumstances such as Katrina where the foundational building blocks of society such as hard work, strong families, commitment, individualism, creativity and moral strength are indispensable.

LESSON NUMBER FOUR: Large inner cities are breeding grounds for the welfare state. The resulting drugs, indolence, gangs, and other traits make these areas a dangerous place to be at almost any time, but especially during any crisis. Avoid them like the plague, at the mortal threat to your very life.

The site of utter lawlessness, looting, murder, rape and pillaging in the wake of hurricane Katrina has horrified and shocked us all. Much of it is a result of the seeds sown in lesson number three above.

LESSON NUMBER FIVE: Local, liberal politicians are not prepared or equipped to provide help to citizens in a major natural disaster. After their initial (late) warnings, their decisions and indecision resulting from their ideology (which ideology produced the welfare state in the first place), are more apt to significantly worsen the crisis than to provide relief...and this includes planning in advance of such a crisis.

While I am sure there are many civic leaders who will remain unsung heroes in this (such as the numerous initial Coast Guard rescue flights and those who made and coordinated them, I was struck by two examples of this lesson in this particular crisis.

One was the Mayor of New Orleans, at a late date (within 12-18 hours of the storm actually striking, calling for a "mandatory" evacuation. In essence, he told everyone who could get out on their own to do so...and then proceeded to gather large segments of the poor and welfare dependent, at ground zero in the direct path of the storm with little or no food, water or relief for them. The horrific reality was that the mayor could have gotten those people out of there, even at that late date. He had hundreds of school buses that were slated, in normal circumstances, to carry many more children all over New Orleans the next day...and yet they were not utilized but left in their parking lots to weather the storm Instead, he gathered tens of thousands of the most at risk citizens at the Superdome and the Convention Center, or left them in hospitals and rest homes, which later lost all power and water, and were surrounded by flood waters. Left in those circumstances, horrors unparalleled occurred. The pictures of those busses, covered in water the next day, stands at a punctuation and a witness to this lesson number five.

Another example was the governor of Louisiana. When it became apparent how terrible the decision had been to leave the people in the Superdome, she flew there with part of her staff to see for herself how bad the circumstances were. In a later news briefing she described a man holding a small baby who was seriously ill and how that child and many others like it were left in the Superdome and in need of immediate assistance. I could not help but ask myself while she was talking, "Governor, how did you get out?", and, "If you could get out, that sick child could have gotten out". Indeed, the helicopter or whatever transportation the governor used could have been utilized to carry many sick children out of those circumstances. A strong, moral and inspiring leader would have kept themselves and staff at the Superdome themselves, with their security people, and then used their transportation to take out all of the most seriously ill to the safety of the State Capitol from where she later gave the news conference, I was appalled that such a leader could not be found amongst the highest officials of the city or the state. Perhaps there were...but not in the instances I cite here. In addition, the Governor had it within her power, from the beginning to send the Louisiana National Guard into New Orleans as early as Monday to stop the looting. That she did not, and days later complained about the President not reacting fast enough was a classic example of a lack of leadership lashing out at other leadership to fix blame in my opinion. It not on was a disservice to those citizens in New Orleans, it may well have been fatal for a good number of them.

LESSON NUMBER SIX: Federal government programs cannot logistically react quickly enough to provide the level of assistance necessary in the first 72-96 hours. While they may eventually get the needed relief to the survivors (particularly in the hands of a moral, conservative leader), that relief may come too late of good planning and preparation on the part of the people themselves and local leaders is not already in place. In order to ensure the maximum chance for survival, see lessons one and two above and make sure you abide them...better for you and yours to err on the side of caution, than to be caught in such a circumstance.

If people (and particularly my own children, grandchildren and descendants) understand and apply these lessons, they will be in a much better position to preserve the life and liberty of themselves and their loved ones. Having done so, they will also therefore be in a position to help, aid, and provide relief to their fellow citizens in the crisis, as opposed to simply becoming another victim unable to help anyone, even themselves.

Finally, on a final note: These are lessons we as a society simply MUST learn and apply quickly. The lessons of the impact this disaster and tragedy has had on our society is not something that is being felt, noticed, and learned from here alone. Our enemies are also watching. It is imperative that we learn the lessons and apply them before any such enemies can take advantage of them

[Two-Bits]

Just think what 9/11 would have been like if it local government has not responded and waited for the federal government to come in.

[the irate magistrate]

AG, Did you get any of that bad weather over your way?

[Born Conservative]

The specter of those who decided to stay, and who were partying in the path of this storm on live news coverage up to the time the storm began to come on shore, will remain etched in our memory for the rest of our lives.

Check this out. I posted this on 8/28/05:

 

Bourbon Street is still hopping at 9pm local time considering there's a Cat 5 Hurricane on the way...

[radiohead]

You have some good items I hadn't thought of for my bag. I gotta ask about the napalm tho! Why do you have it and where do you get it? I can't wait to tell my son, "To hell w/more ammo, we gotta get some napalm!"

My Norwegian friend, who thinks the government is supposed to handled everything, finally made a bugout bag the other day. I think it dawned on her that she needed to take care of herself first and not wait on the government to save her.

[radiohead]

Required reading for all Americans.

[nascardaughter]

No. The President of the United States does not have to get permission from state governors to call in the National Guard or to coordinate response efforts during a national emergency.

Please see, for example the Department of Homeland Security's National Response Plan, which states:

HSPD-5 further designates the Secretary of Homeland Security as the "principal Federal official" for domestic incident management.
In this role, the Secretary is also responsible for coordinating Federal resources utilized in response to or recovery from terrorist attacks, major disasters, or other emergencies if and when any of the following four conditions applies:
(1) a Federal department or agency acting under its own authority has requested DHS assistance;
(2) the resources of State and local authorities are overwhelmed and Federal assistance has been requested;
(3) more than one Federal department or agency has become substantially involved in responding to the incident; or
(4) the Secretary has been directed to assume incident management responsibilities by the President.

It so happens that the state did ask for federal assistance when they invoked the Stafford Act prior to the storm, but even if they hadn't, the president is free to direct DHS to assume responsibility with no state input whatsoever under condition 4.

Please also see President Bush's declaration of a state of emergency from Aug. 28th, which states:

President Bush has declared a state of emergency for the Gulf Coast state of Louisiana, as it braces for the expected onslaught of Hurricane Katrina, set to make landfall on Monday.
Saturday's emergency declaration authorizes federal officials to coordinate all disaster relief efforts

Please see also from the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which was activated by both the governor's and the president's declaration of a state of emergency:

5143. COORDINATING OFFICERS {Sec. 302}

Appointment of Federal coordinating officer

Immediately upon his declaration of a major disaster or emergency, the President shall appoint a Federal coordinating officer to operate in the affected area.

Functions of Federal coordinating officer

In order to effectuate the purposes of this Act, the Federal coordinating officer, within the affected area, shall--
make an initial appraisal of the types of relief most urgently needed;
establish such field offices as he deems necessary and as are authorized by the President;
coordinate the administration of relief, including activities of the State and local governments, the American National Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Mennonite Disaster Service, and other relief or disaster assistance organizations, which agree to operate under his advice or direction, except that nothing contained in this Act shall limit or in any way affect the responsibilities of the American National Red Cross under the Act of January 5, 1905, as amended (33 Stat. 599) [36 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq.]; and;
take such other action, consistent with authority delegated to him by the President, and consistent with the provisions of this Act, as he may deem necessary to assist local citizens and public officials in promptly obtaining assistance to which they are entitled.;

[the irate magistrate]

This begs comment:

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[KC_for_Freedom]

I agree with others who have posted that the local and state officials must make the first call. In many cases the Governors do quickly ask for full federal support. (It does not cost their state anything). But in the case of Louisana it is becoming clear (even from Mayor Nagin) that Governor Blanco delayed her request for a federal take over of the hurricane response.

When a question of "who is in charge" is raised at this time, then leaders have to review what they want to do unilaterialy and how best to respond. In this case Bush clearly deferred to the Governor for a time. Both the governors of Mississippi and Alabama immediately fell in witht he Federal government. This raises the spector that the holdout, Blanco a democrat, was making a political statement with her state. (She clearly thought that her guy, a former FEMA employee would do a better job than Bush.) I personally think this was a mistake but I also believe state governments should have a role and I would not like to see the federal government come in without first receiving a request. Once they do receive a request, I DO want them to be ready to roll.

We are dealing with huge bureauracies in both levels and we know that this creates logistic problems. What we end up seeing is that the military is really the most capable responder but again we don't want the military to move in without being requested either do we?

[hosepipe]

[ Governmental agencies and ideologies and those in favor of "big government", particularly as they create conditions like the "Welfare State" which they termed the "Great Society" only prove and punctuate this point. ]

The only missed on FR usually is George Bush not only exacerbates THIS problem but is taking the LEAD to commit it..

I say commit it because it IS A CRIME.. All while appearing to be fighting it.. Bush is completing Lyndon Johnsons "Great Society"(i.e. the drug bill).. all while under the RNC radar.. and I'm not amused.. not amused at all..

A bush basher.> ME? <.. OK... its an easy job but somebody "here" has got to do it.. Bush is pulling off what the democrats couldn't do themselves, so far.. And most of the republicans see it as some Svengalian stragegery of Rove's.. makeing excuses for in your face socialism.. and stealing the democrats thunder..

I'm wondering IF there ARE any real republicans left..
Because what Bush does and is doing is a Coup D'etat of traditional republican platform objectives.. i.e. "the federal government is not A problem, the federal government "IS" the problem".. All blessed by the republican party generally.. even HERE on FR.. those outrageous activitys are muted..

Amazing that the democrat party and the republican party are UNITE'ED on one thing only... being PRO-illegal alien.. The illegal aliens seem to be this countrys answer(both parties) to murdering our next generation by abortion.. A very liberal answer, and be advised that "IS" why the illegal aliens are being ignored.. They are an answer to government inspired and funded abortion.. Both of which will be the death of this republic and the birth of the American Democracy.. well on its way if the Coup D'etat has not already happened.. Do I even have to say changeing our form of gov't is treasonous.. and Bush is a LEAD conspirator..

Sorry Jeff, but the KING is nekkid..

p.s. Roberts is a RINO.. and the democrats know it.. watch them.. faux posturing will be their only response.. from their angle Roberts will be a WIN.. and replacing O'Connor with another RINO will be a win,win scenario.. Which makes George Bush a ringer, a poseur..

[nascardaughter]

Lousiana declared a state of emergency on August 26. The Washington Post reported this incorrectly in an article that they have since corrected. You can find the corrected article at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301680.html

And you can find the actual declaration on the governor of Louisiana's website at:

http://gov.louisiana.gov/2005%20%20proclamations/48pro2005-Emergency-HurricaneKatrina.pdf

[Alamo-Girl]

I'm up here in Illinois and thus did not get any of the bad weather. Thanks for asking!

[Eva]

FEMA is not the National Guard and the Govenor's staff reported that their was a power struggle and the govenor refuses to allow FEMA to take control and order a mandatory evacuation. The rules require that the state invoke it's own emergency plan first, and that the fed's come in second. I have read it elsewhere several times in the official documents. The state of LA has been the administrators, the whole time, they asked for assistance in the clean up only, on Saturday. Then, later this week, the govenor called in additional Nat'l Guard troops and amphibious vehicles and asked the Guard to take over police duties at that time. That is when the President sent in Lt Gen. Honore. I don't care what your small section of the federal plans say.

[the irate magistrate]

The heathins were 'dancing around the golden calf'.

Sound familiar?

[megimoo]

Mabee a cast iron #12 frying pan with a 1 ft handle would work up close
but for real safty learn to use a 44 bulldog !

[Brad’s Gramma]

It's really emergency gasoline...

GASOLINE? Heck, Gramps has it on his wheat bran every morning! No WONDER he's....never mind.

Bumpin' the thread! :)

[Brad’s Gramma]

With all due respect, that is REALLY bad advice. You have a bunch of thugs, roaming your neighborhood and you want to hit 'em with a BB gun?

They're going to get SO angry it's for SURE they're going to come after you.

No. No. NO!

[the irate magistrate]

Jeff,

Please respond to this.

Thanks,

Mike

***************

Jeff –

I enjoyed your article about Hurricane Katrina. I edit JeffersonReview.com and would like to put your article in next week’s issue if that is alright with you. Please let me know. Thanks.

Resa

Theresa Fritz Camoriano

Camoriano and Associates

8225 Shelbyville Rd.

Louisville KY 40222 U.S.A.

http://www.inventky.com

resa@inventky.com

[megimoo]

Jimmie can screw up anything .
Jimmy carter has a way of screwing up the U.S.A !

[Brad’s Gramma]

She is a part of society that the government has taken care of from the moment she was born.

Bingo! I'm PRAYING that this will be a golden opportunity for some of the younger people who are REFUGEES!! to finally pull themselves out of this lifestyle.

[Jeff Head]

I believe that is probably a very good presumption in the vast majority of the cases.