I’m often asked which disaster scenario scares me the most. Well, the short answer is anything that disrupts the workings of our infrastructure on a national level. By infrastructure, I mean our ability to move freight, provide utilities and otherwise adequately meet the everyday needs of the American people. This could happen for any number of reasons, from a well-orchestrated terrorist attack to a general failure of our economy. Our economy has never been so fragile and there are terrorist organizations plotting, every day, to destroy our way of life. Experts agree that it is not a matter of if something will happen but rather, a matter of when. We are extremely vulnerable to this type of scenario. Here’s an example of what could happen:
Imagine if you woke up one day and the power was out, the phone didn’t work, the water was off and all of the stores were closed. The businesses that had not been overrun by panicked mobs would be forced to close and lock their doors because they depend on electricity, water, sewer and deliveries to operate. It would seem as if the earth had come to a deafening stillness. And then it hits you: What you have is all that you are going to get, probably for a very long time.
If the economy and/or infrastructure were to suffer a collapse, it could be a long time before any sense of normalcy would surface. It stands to reason that crime would run rampant as desperate people struggle to provide for their families. Looting would become commonplace. Cities in particular would become very dangerous places. Those who were able would leave the cities and head for the suburbs and areas beyond, flooding and over taxing the limited resources of those areas and spreading the violence with them. Many people will think that they can live off of the land, but the fact is that we as a civilization have moved far beyond that option. Only a very few people in this country are capable of living off of the land and even their chances would be diminished by the exodus of people into their areas.
Most disturbing of all is that desperation can turn the nicest of people into lawless thugs. If you doubt this, ask yourself a simple question: If my family was starving, would I take what I need from other people?
The American Red Cross estimates that only about 7% of Americans are adequately prepared for a disaster. This means that they probably have enough emergency supplies to last three days. That isn’t enough. We all need to prepare for an extended period of time in order to ensure the safety of our families and to preserve the America that we have come to know and love.
Plan, Prepare, Survive
Wade, I can't agree more.
ReplyDeleteMy personal experiences in Houston during hurricanes and major storms (which meant long term power outages & flooding) was that you can not rely on stores to have food and supplies on hand nor the government to come in and have everything back to normal in a short period of time. If you were not somewhat prepared, you had to rely on your friends and neighbors who were. Most of the population would wait until the hurricane was eminent and then make a run on the stores, or had to wait for conditions to improve to find a source of help. If you want to see a real life disaster movie in the works, hit a Wal-Mart in the Gulf Coast area a day before the hurricane hits, it looks like a herd of scavengers picked the bones clean, you can’t even find toys.
In Alaska, like most other places, we have more probable crisis situations than you can think possible. One situation that keeps me awake at night would effect me both professionally (I am a Supply Chain Manager for a large Corporation) and personally. Most of Alaska’s freight comes by boat from the West Coast, mostly through Seattle. If there was a large scale longshoreman strike (I think this would be considered a man-made, economic type disaster) or if there was disruption of service due to a large earthquake or volcanic eruption (natural disaster…Mt Rainer anyone?); there would probably be a 2 week minimum lapse in large scale freight movement to Alaska…..and we really are not self sufficient as a State on commodities as we think we are. I have interviewed people that went through the 1964 Good Friday quake in Alaska, most people back then were more prepared for food and supplies because there weren’t any major stores around, plus the population was considerably smaller. Displaced people had to live with those that still had shelter and adequate food stuffs, even before the government could make an impact. Today, most of the population has a few days’ supply of food and no means of back up power, heat; etc.; because we rely on the convenience-to-Costco factor and the belief in the infallibility of our utilities.
I truly feel that if 40-50% of the population is prepared, as Anchorage was back in 1964; that encourages a charitable culture when stuff hits the fan. I also believe that the low figure that Red Cross estimates current preparation levels; that will stifle benevolence and foster a self-protective mood through out the population. For a few bucks a month, this site (SOSDisasterPlan.com) can help turn the tables on how society will handle crisis situations.
Jon Sonju