In Light Of Recent Events

Recent events in the L.A., California area, namely the winds and the damage they caused. The aftermath , the reaction from the population because of no “power” caused by downed telephone poles, and massive trees that took down all the wires that carry electricity were in a maze of tangles. Now after 5 days many are still without power.

People sound like little kids having a tantrum, making snide comments about how slow things are , and what the hell are “they” doing. A little understanding of the monster that has been created by the wind storm might , you would think , give them a little perspective, does not seem that way. Then to make matters worse the temps here dropped to record lows in many places. People lost all the food they had, and many had no place to go. Motels, and hotels were booked solid in the surrounding areas. Confusion for many of these folks.

What we have seen is these victims do not know what to do. They had no plan if something like this happened. Well it happened and now they are whining and sticking out their lower collective lip.

In So Cal the media makes a point that you should prepare for an earthquake. This was not an earthquake, but much of the damage was the same. Homes wrecked, no power meant no cooking, and no heat for many. As I have stated many times your warm , cozy , well lit home can turn into a dark , cold unfriendly place very very fast.
Being in the dark is something most , it seems, cannot cope with. No TV as a distraction from real life. Boring, and cold , dark and you cannot even cook. What we see here are thousands upon thousands of unprepared proof that most are not listening to the warnings. Failing to act to help themselves.

If this had been an earthquake, much more would have been affected. No gas in the homes for one thing. And most likely no water, the rest is a given, no power. And slower help.

The cold factor, is not fun, however it seems many are not thinking at all. It is only recently in our world that heat and air conditioning are so common. You can see old motels here in the southwest, with many old signs are proclaiming, ” we have air conditioning in every room” , those date back to the 1930s, 40s, and even the 50s, slipping into the 60s. Heat was always a problem. If you look at old pictures of folks in their homes most were dressed in layers. The men's clothes were wool for the most part, the women's dresses were long, they helped to contain the heat. Everyone wore a hat. It was a way of life, and we have lost touch with it on a huge scale. Witness the local news .

The status quo never remains stagnate for long, things change. It doesn't take a lot to help yourself help yourself.
It does not take any real brain power to put away some lighting systems that do not need power. Most should have enough blankys to add a few more to the bed. Close off rooms, shut the damn door, and stay in one room. Open the windows and let the sun warm the room, then when the sun goes down hang blankets over the windows, simple things.

Speaking of simple things.. ” I lost all my food in the freezer” Why? Ever hear of dry ice? Lacking dry ice, ice blocks would have saved much of it. One thing that helps prolong the life of the foods is to cook them. Oh never mind, most didn't have any means to cook or so they thought. Ever hear of a campfire? In truth most of them could have cooked in their backyards. Most already have BBQs.
How about getting a camp stove and putting that away for “just in case” I want to cook if for any reason the power should fail. Or I might be hungry.

Seems to me many of these folks are set up or set themselves up to be victims. A poor pitiful me pity party that with a little planning, and foresight beyond nothing will happen here, and most surely not to ME.. could have prevented a lot of anguish, wringing of hands, and worry, and not being complete victim. Waiting for someone to save them.

The mindset on the news was so glaring , in your face, with the self-importance these folks wrapped themselves in as to be sickening. The demands were childish and absurd.

For those who really had no way to take care of themselves, the very elderly or the ill, the very young, I feel for them. Otherwise how the hell have you  made it this far in life?

Most of us here , I would hope , will not find themselves in such dire shape and are prepared to handle these small setbacks in life. Dirttime , self-reliance, survival, all in comfort because you, “own the skills”

By Dude McLean  On December 6th 2011

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