Wishful thinking is a poor substitute for real planning

Some thoughts regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

(1.) We humans – in the aggregate – do seem to have the remarkable ability to ignore things we don’t want to face, don’t we?

I was 17 when Hurricane Betsy hit New Orleans in 1965.

Guess what happened?

A large part of the city flooded.

Do the math. That was 40 years ago, almost to the day.

I was at Louisiana State University in the late 1970s. I remember a bull session in the Marine Sciences Department. There, several professors described what would happen if the city ever took a direct hit from a major hurricane. That almost-30-year-old bull session played out on television about a week ago.

What happened in New Orleans happened because we (you, me, them, us, Republicans, Democrats, local, state and federal governments) didn’t do what was necessary. It was just too expensive, too complex, too hard, too whatever.

So we kept rolling the dice and praying.

We crapped out this time because we ignored what we knew was going to eventually happen – hopefully on someone else’s watch.

Now, maybe, we’ll finally do what needs doing.

(2.) As regards personal preparation for a disaster:

Anyone counting on government (at any level) to arrive in force within a day or two of a major catastrophe is, one day, going to be sorely disappointed.

Relief in the wake of a major catastrophe is pretty much like an approaching storm. First, you hear that it’s coming, but it takes a while for anything to start happening. That’s when you start wondering if it’s coming at all. Then, when it finally shows up, it seems pretty weak and paltry at first. Then, the full force arrives and you get inundated.

Could things have happened faster? I don’t know. The affected area wasn’t just New Orleans. The damage stretched all the way to Mobile, Ala. It takes time to mobilize a response to that kind of a hit.

Forget the news twit who said: “If we could get here, why couldn’t the government?”

If all you want to bring is a camera to film a disaster, anyone could’ve been there in about four hours. However, when you need to help hundreds of thousands of people in an area covering thousands of square miles, it’s going to take time.

Was five days too long? For those going through hell on the ground, you bet it was. For those trying to make things happen, I’ll bet it seemed like the blink of an eye. There’ll be answers soon and, if someone or some agency royally screwed up, heads will most certainly (and rightfully) roll.

All of which leads to a question we should be asking ourselves. Are we ready for a day or two without a society? Could we manage three days? How about four or five?

Of course, we could all just ignore making personal preparations because nothing could ever happen here, could it? Never felt the earth move under our feet, have we?

(3.) Finally, as regards self protection:

The veneer of civilization is pretty darned thin. Even on our best days – the days when we have judges judging, cops and firefighters doing the work of the Lord, and politicians telling us how great it’s going to be when they get into office – all you have to do is pick up the paper and read about who did what to whom yesterday. It’s usually pretty ugly.

There are some pretty nasty characters out there who’ll try to hurt you even with society up and running. Take away courts, cops, law, electricity, food, water and shelter. Now, how do you think those folks will behave? Once the structures of society go down, you’re going to be pretty much on your own for a bit.

There was the story of a homeowner in New Orleans who had a small generator powering his house. He was approached by several thugs holding knives and machetes. They informed him that they wanted his generator. He fired several rounds from a .357 magnum over their heads and they scattered.

Owning a firearm is a decision each of us has to make. However, throughout history, the predators have been out there. In times of chaos, they have a choice as to whom they’ll prey upon – either those able to defend themselves or the unarmed and helpless. Guess which group they generally choose? Too, they might not stop at wanting just your food, water or car.

Look around at your loved ones. You’re their last line of defense.

Larry Simoneaux lives in Edmonds. Comments can be sent to larrysim@att.net.