As another hurricane season prepares to begin on June 1st, American government officails on all levels are making clear that citizens shouldn’t count on them in case of another disaster.
MIAMI, May 30 ? Convinced that tough tactics are needed, officials in hurricane-prone states are trumpeting dire warnings about the storm season that starts on Thursday, preaching self-reliance and prodding the public to prepare early and well.
Cities are circulating storm-preparation checklists, counties are holding hurricane expositions at shopping malls and states are dangling carrots like free home inspections and tax-free storm supplies in hopes of conquering complacency.
But the main strategy, it seems, is to scare the multitudes of people who emergency officials say remain blas? even after last year’s record-breaking storm season.
To persuade residents to heed evacuation orders, the Florida Division of Emergency Management is broadcasting public service announcements with recordings of 911 calls placed during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
“The roof has completely caved in on us,” a woman cries as chilling music swells, only to be told that rescuers cannot come out during the storm.
Speaking of the tactics, Craig Fugate, Florida’s emergency management director, said last week at a news conference in Tallahassee, “We’re going to use a sledgehammer.”
This save-yourselves approach comes after government agencies were overwhelmed by pleas for help after last year’s storms and strongly criticized as not responding swiftly or thoroughly enough to the public need. Now, officials have said repeatedly, only the elderly, the poor and the disabled should count on the government to help them escape a hurricane or endure its immediate aftermath.
Given the examples of Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, one would think that this is a conclusion that most Americans would have reached on their own already. If nothing else, the Gulf Coast disasters of 2005 show that government is not the all powerful rescuer that it’s been protrayed to be. While the National Guard struggled to organize in the wake of Katrina and Michael “Brownie” Brown worried about what shirt to wear for his Today show interview, Wal-Mart and other for-profit businesses were moving relief supplies in at their own expense. To this day, vast numbers of former inhabitants of New Orleans remain exiles for the foreseeable future. Given this, one wonders why anyone would think government can help when catastrophic disaster strikes.
