Prior proper planning and personal responsibility

Be Prepared!

I was up to 3 am the other night watching the rerun of Mike Brown, formerly of FEMA testifying before the politicians on CSPAN -

He contended it's "unreasonable" to expect the U.S. government to provide food, water, gasoline and transportation for everyone.

"You should, as an individual, take personal responsibility and be prepared to be on your own for perhaps up to two or three days," said Brown.

I recall when Y2K was on everybody's mind. Personally, I think Y2K was the biggest con ever perpetuated in the history of mankind, but my point being -- while I was not convinced that my Honda was going to stop running at the stroke of midnight, or when I was flying to San Jose on 9/9/99 that the airplane was destined to fall out of the sky -- we were prepared at home.

Food, water, propane, supplies... we were heavily prepared either for a disaster or an extravagant camping trip. We knew the stress levels of not being adequately prepared during the ice storm in Nashville. In January 1994, we and seven neighbors were without power for seven days. It was cold, hotels were booked and we took shelter at my inlaws. The Comcast cable guy was parked outside of our home for 16 hour shifts, running a generator to provide power for its cable customer to watch Nancy Kerrigan during the Oympics. On the seventh day, we physically flagged down a Nashville Electric truck to repair the blown transformer.

From The Red Cross site: Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood, workplace or school or can confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services -- water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. Therefore, the best way to make you and your family safer is to be prepared before disaster strikes.

The Red Cross offers detailed resources on preparing for all types of disasters.

Building A Disaster Supplies Kit should be a first priority -

There are six basics you should stock for your home in the case of an emergency:

Water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items for medical conditions.

Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container.

So I agree with Mike Brown - taking personal responsibility - what a concept!

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