Hi All,
I am reminded of a quote by Warren Buffett. It's called The Noah Rule: Predicting rain doesn't count, building arks does. During any disaster, there are those who arise to the occasion and those who don't. The sheer size of this one means there is a lot of room on both lists. Add to it the fact that many of the rescuers were victims themselves and that many of the resources needed or planned on, were destroyed or renders useless only compounds the problem.
We have a false sense of security because during a fire or accident, emergercy response time is measured in minutes. When an entire city or state is struck, this response time is meaningless.
When the tsunami struck, we as a nation were told we did not respond fast enough or with enough aid. Where are those people now? Are they helping in the evacuations or raising money to help?
It is simple. we need to be prepared for a week or two at the least and even then, something may come along that we did not expect. As teachers in LA, my wife and I could be held for 72 hours by the state in an emergency. We had to have a long range plan including the fact we would not be able to get to our children for days.
My thanks to all those who are working so hard and especially to the helicopter crews who risk life and limb on a daily basis and to the mechanics who keep them in the air.
Getting better prepared in Woodland Hills, Bob Baum