Like many of you I have been glued to my television watching the circus of reporters as they risk life and limb to compete in the Loser Olympics as they show the world how horrific the land fall of Hurricane Ike really was. Somehow their sideshow antics are akin to sport as all of us watching secretly hope to watch the poor bastard get blown down the street, slam dunked into a tree or impalled by a flying lamp post. All the while wearing our weather channel jerseys, sipping a cold frothy pint and giving high fives to all of our guest in a drunken orgy of exhilaration albeit the "new" superbowl of hurricane parties.
But just as we think we have achieved the moral stature reserved for a WWF event there comes a level of stupidity unparalleled by even a reporter with an "L" on his forehead. That is the rare breed of idiot compelled by guts, glory, chemically induced bravery or any number of motivating factors to ride out a monstrous storm the likes of hurricane Ike. No these folks did not live in a fortress built into the side of a mountain replete with blast doors and secured ventilation systems. No, they instead chose to wind surf their beach front castles on 100 mph gusts and wave ride 18 foot storm surge despite mandatory evacuation orders from local, state and federal authorities. And I must ask....for what?
Rescue teams now must risk life and limb, scarce resources must be re-deployed and battle plans altered to accommodate these dumbstruck individuals. Many that adhered to the warnings and still found themselves in harms way could very well have to wait for assistance for the wanton disregard of a segment of people who could care less about their decision's impact upon the welfare of others. And we think of Cuba as "third world"?
The very Constitutional rights that I enjoy and so proudly serve also allows selfish individuals place their individual concerns over the good of all. I would surmise that if we as a nation fetched a hefty fee for this kind of ignorance, lets say both monetarily and legally that the few, the proud, the ignorant would take it upon themselves to listen and adhere. It only takes a few hard licks to turn the bull through the gate and when done the rest of the herd surely follows.
The question I leave you with is this. Do we as the future emergency managers of such disasters have a moral obligation to triage resources and if so do people who ignore mandatory evacuation orders fall somewhere in the delayed category? If so, does this leave us ethically and morally liable in the courts of this land and of the free press?
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3 comments:
One of the very first classes I took here at U of R made us buy the book, "Braving Home" by Jake Halpern.
A good read and clearly along the path you have been writing about. Check it out if you haven't read it.
Keeping in line with our reading for this class, I have to ask; which of the four: Love, Fun, Power or Freedom are you feeling lack of?
Lastly, if it were in my power I would NEVER allow a building to be financed, insured or paid for by public funds if it had been taken down in a natural disaster that studies had shown was in a flood plain, a volcano, avalance, mud slide "path" etc. I would also wish that no buildings ever be created and situated in a place of high risk that used any type of public funding. (Which would include having FF's etc. respond to said area when the predicatible thing happens.)
As for those thrill seekers... Let them have as many thrills as their heart's desire can handle and when it comes time to pick up their bodies when it is all said and done, then we will gladly give them transport to the nearest DMORT.
Well said dear friend, well said!
Lets delve into the closet birkenstock wearer in me shall we?
Love, my compassion is indeed helping those in need but when one intentionaly places themself in the line of fire and then awaits the "system" to save them....I lose the love man......I lose the love.
Fun, dredging through waist deep rancid water to conduct house to house searches for the coastal living premadonnas is not a fun task. Neither is the grim task of removing said premodonna albeit dead and bloated from a residence when it all could have been avoided. I call "NO JOY".
Power, riding the winch of a MH or a UH-60 is indeed heady stuff. The stuff young men and women dream of. So yes I am sure the young and nimble are indeed feeling powerful. That is until H hour plus 120. Then I am sure young people will be feeling a wee bit old.
Freedom, well it is true that this country and our Constitution grants one the freedom to disregard evacuation orders. I am ok with that as I find myself a bit on the rebellious side of the law at times. But when one chooses to be a lone wolf, a survivor if you will THEN DO IT. Do not stay and then expect the government to save you. Have supplies, a good knife, good rope and the wit to stay alive on your own. Be able to wave off that UH-60 and steal some of the power from some young gun.
So yeah, I am not feeling the love, perhaps having a little sarcastic fun, feeling powerless to help (DMAT application pending) but I am enjoying the freedom to express such angst. God bless America!
Hello Chris,
While I am glad that you are experiencing the freedom of an open platform on which to express you emotional response to human behavior during the hurricane, I would like to invite you to look at the assignment again and post your target practice to this blog. You have until 2400 tonight to turn in an appropriate response for a grade. The assignment requires you to consider when you got what you wanted and didn't get what you wanted. You need to relay the physiological or emotional signals that your body gives you to indicate how you could tell. Humor us.
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