A Nation Unprepared for Disaster

The grim chaos in New Orleans demonstrates, I’m afraid, that this nation is terribly unprepared for future disasters, including acts of terrorism. It was clear that a hurricane was going to hit several days ago, but look how long it is taking for major, organized efforts to restore order and provide for the basic needs of people. If we wish to be prepared for future disasters, it seems clear that we cannot sit back and expect the government to take care of everything. As I saw firsthand in Florida, the Latter-day Saint organization can step in and begin offering organized relief long before the Federal Government can, but the really important lesson is that each of us has a responsibility to be prepared, to have emergency supplies, food, water, etc., to be able to provide help to our neighbors in case of such a disaster.

The LDS scriptures warn of us of more trouble to come in these days, from the raging of waters to overt acts of hostility from enemies. Be prepared. The lives of many may depend on your preparations now.

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Author: Jeff Lindsay

8 thoughts on “A Nation Unprepared for Disaster

  1. It also is a reason to be prepared with water and food. It is a wakeup call. While I live in Utah and clearly that level of social breakdown simply can’t happen here given our social structures, it can in many places. But the main problem was how the disaster affected everyone. And that could happen even in Utah.

    We like to cast a blind eye towards disasters that scientists have been warning us of for decades.

    But even here in Utah scientists have told us that we are long overdue for a large earthquake along the Wasatch. Are we prepared? (And what would happen in the Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs went?)

  2. with such a disaster on a colossal scale and with lawlessness, rape, murder, looting, and chaos why doesn’t the President and Congress do what’s courageous and declare martial law? It is require I think.

  3. It’s one thing to declare martial law, it’s quite another to enforce it. Now that troops are finally getting into the downtown area, perhaps there is hope that order can be restored.

  4. Why are there so many refugees that have absolutly no support system besides the government? The disillusion of the family has hit many of these people hard. It is family that provides a support system during extreme crisis. The only entity these people can turn to is the government, and as this calamity proves, reliance on the state will always be inadequate.

    Many of the refugees have spent their entire lives in the city, and know no one outside who can help or take them in. Those with families and friends outside the city either left before the hurricane or soon after, because they had a place to go. They did not have to wait for the government to come in.

  5. And many of the refugees have been on welfare/medicaid and gov’t help their entire lives (or most of their lives) so they’re expecting the government to do EVERYTHING for them.

  6. For those in Utah and elsewhere who choose not to prepare, you may find it interesting that the Tabernacle is closed while it is being made earthquake safe and the Family and Church History Missionaries in Salt Lake City are being strongly encouraged to have 72 hour packs on hand.

  7. I had not heard that the church encouraged anybody to have a 72 hour pack on hand? That is interesting. I have a few duffel bags around—-I could probably do it easily.

    When I suggested to a nonmember friend today that he prepare for such an occurance—-he said “what good is it if your storage is destroyed?” I told him I would share mine with him.

    In Wisconsin I do not worry about hurricanes. I worry about severe blizzards. W/O heat and electricity most people would suffer.

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