The other day I was reading the NY Times article, ‘We Need Answers’: Hurricane Michael Leaves Florida Residents Desperate for Aid about what is happening on the ground in Panama City, Florida following Hurricane Michael. I am always concerned about people, especially after a catastrophic event like a natural disaster upends their lives. But I just couldn't help but feel frustrated at all the people complaining that the government was not moving fast enough for them with the assistance that they need.
Now, I think all government agencies should be held to a much higher standard when it comes to ethics and efficiency. I say this mostly because I worked for a County government many years ago, and based on what I saw, it could have been considered amongst the worst of the worst non-profits when it came to administrative costs and waste. I can only imagine it would be exponentially worse at the Federal level. But the point of this article was really not to attack or defend the government, or the speed at which they are responding to the situation.
I am one of those preppers who often uses the zombie apocalypse as a metaphor when I talk about preparedness. As such, I believe that if you prepare for the zombie apocalypse, you will be prepared for just about anything, from a simple power outage or medical emergency to a long-term layoff or catastrophic end-of-the-world event. It is about having plenty of food, water, emergency gear and resources on hand for all of the little SHTF moments when you need them most because they won't be available otherwise. "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail!" and "Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best!" are basic tenets of mine that I refer to often.
With this post, I am merely wanting to convey my belief that, in general, people need to take more responsibility for their own wellbeing and do a better job at being prepared for what may come their way throughout life. If you live in a zone that frequently gets hit by hurricanes, tropical and snow storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and even fires, isn't it just common sense that you would have what you need on hand to get through at least a few weeks, if not a month while you wait for help to get to you?
Shit always happens. It is just a fact of life. But it is how prepared we are that makes all the difference in how painful the recovery will be.
If you keep your gas tanks full, you will not need to worry about gas should you need to get away quickly. If you keep basic emergency gear and get home bags in your cars, you will always have what you need to get home if you get stuck somewhere. If you safely store food and water in your home, you will always have what you need to overcome most emergencies while you wait for help. If nothing ever happens, you lose absolutely nothing. It is called provident living.
Additionally, anyone that can offload some of the pressure on government and NGO assistance will allow those resources to be directed to those who need it most and with more urgency. And if you are over-prepared, you can help your neighbors too. Everyone is better off. If nothing else, it is a safe investment against inflation.