RPF0584-When_Hurrican_Katrina_Came_Through

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00:00:31.000 | Welcome to Radical Personal Finance, a show dedicated to providing you with the knowledge,

00:00:34.000 | skills, insight, and encouragement you need to live a rich and meaningful life now while

00:00:39.000 | building a plan for financial freedom in 10 years or less. My name is Joshua. I am your

00:00:43.320 | host and today we continue our series related to National Preparedness Month in honor of

00:00:48.960 | September, which is officially here in the United States, the National Preparedness Month.

00:00:53.400 | And today I'm going to share with you the experiences of one man as he went through

00:00:58.200 | Hurricane Katrina more than 10 years ago. A couple minutes of preamble here before I

00:01:04.240 | read this particular man's experiences. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters

00:01:11.360 | in our modern era in terms of loss of life, impact, etc. It was absolutely awful. But

00:01:17.600 | what often happens is it's hard to get the stories of people who were involved in it

00:01:22.800 | up close. And Hurricane Katrina was unique in the length of the devastation. With most

00:01:29.560 | hurricanes, most natural disasters, their effects are relatively localized. And very

00:01:35.080 | quickly after a disaster, other first responders, other companies can come in after the fact

00:01:41.000 | and get things put together pretty quickly. And then, of course, we all go on and we forget

00:01:45.140 | about the people whose houses blew away or whose property burned up, etc. And those stories

00:01:50.120 | are just kind of lost to the next drama of the day. But Katrina was different. It was

00:01:55.280 | unique in the way that the circumstances of the disaster unfolded. And it was a very long

00:02:01.400 | disaster. It was a very long time. And especially as relates to things like the physical violence

00:02:06.360 | that happened, the loss of life, the looting, just the interactions with people. It was

00:02:13.640 | a really, really bad disaster. And a number of years ago, I came across this account in

00:02:19.100 | an online forum. It comes from a, I guess, kind of a prepper survivalist forum called

00:02:23.760 | zombie hunters.org. I'll link to it in the show notes for today's show. You can read

00:02:28.040 | it yourself if you would like. But this particular experience was written in March of 2007 by

00:02:33.960 | a man whose screen name is Raptor. And I am going to read it to you, including some of

00:02:40.080 | the follow-up discussion, because it's extremely well-written and it gives a firsthand account

00:02:44.780 | of somebody who was in it. The unique thing about this particular man's experience is

00:02:51.440 | his level of preparation and his wealth. And I want you to see how, because he wasn't destitute,

00:03:00.560 | he weathered the storm much more successfully than many other people. But even so, look

00:03:06.180 | at how, as I read his examples and I read his stories, look at how helpful his money

00:03:12.600 | was to him in this circumstance and how he was able to use and deploy that money in the

00:03:19.120 | furtherance of his own business, in the protection and care for his own family, and in the care

00:03:23.700 | for his neighbors and friends. It's an excellent account of somebody who was thoughtful and

00:03:29.200 | was prepared and it shows how money and physical preparations come together. Now, you should

00:03:34.240 | know that some things have changed in the last more than 10 years since Hurricane Katrina.

00:03:40.440 | Some of the technology references and such that he mentions are a little bit out of date.

00:03:44.720 | The technology has changed. Some of the circumstances have changed, etc. I previously recorded a

00:03:49.680 | version of this show where I gave extensive commentary trying to give up-to-date information

00:03:54.640 | on this, but it became so cumbersome that I've decided to delete that and now I will

00:03:58.640 | just simply read you his experiences without my commentary. One more bit of preamble. Take

00:04:04.600 | note of what he shares and consider what you would do in your own life. Don't try to just

00:04:09.960 | simply say, "Well, I've got to freak out and do all these things that he did or do all

00:04:13.600 | these things that he suggests." Very rarely when you listen to an account as extensive

00:04:18.600 | as this will you be able to do all of these things, but there are two responses that I

00:04:23.200 | would recommend that you have. Number one, if there is something that Raptor talks about

00:04:27.560 | that you come to realize is deficient in your own planning or in your own thinking, think

00:04:31.880 | of something simple that you can do to take action so that that deficiency is corrected.

00:04:36.660 | Number two, think about what you would do if you were facing circumstances like this

00:04:42.840 | so that prior to you ever facing them you've thought about what it would be like. One of

00:04:48.400 | the most valuable things you can do is when watching the world, consider the circumstances

00:04:53.720 | that other people are going through and then formulate your own ideas on responding to

00:04:58.840 | them. Even if you do nothing actually in terms of action, that process of thinking through

00:05:03.780 | and wargaming the scenario will help you to be prepared for such eventualities happening

00:05:09.260 | to you and will hopefully put you in a position where should you face such a circumstance

00:05:14.460 | in the future, you can sit back and you can make decisions more quickly. You can be less

00:05:19.480 | likely to be overwhelmed by the stress of the moment and to freeze up and more likely

00:05:23.940 | to sit down, think and face the facts hard on and make better decisions. I want to remind

00:05:29.860 | you that this account is a true account of people who are on the ground. Of course, I

00:05:35.940 | can't verify it intensely, but I have no reason to want to. There's no reason why I see that

00:05:41.220 | this person would lie about these circumstances. Rather, this is an anonymous posting, so of

00:05:46.300 | course we can't actually verify it, but I see no reason to doubt this account. This

00:05:51.020 | is an unfiltered account of one man's experiences in the middle of a horrible and devastating

00:05:58.860 | circumstance and the lessons he learned from it.

00:06:02.940 | We go to Raptor now with his story.

00:06:07.340 | I live in a suburb of New Orleans called Metairie. Parts of it were flooded briefly, though a

00:06:13.060 | small portion was flooded due to the 17th Street Canal failure for about two weeks.

00:06:17.580 | My home was not flooded and sustained relatively minor damage. I evacuated my family, including

00:06:23.300 | our pets, to Atlanta on Sunday at noon after making sure other people I know, including

00:06:28.340 | employees, had left and did not need transport. I thought I was the last one out as everyone

00:06:32.980 | I knew told me they were long gone. I listened to the mayor order a mandatory evacuation

00:06:38.760 | of the city as I passed Slidell, about 30 miles east of the city. My wife was behind

00:06:44.220 | me in another vehicle the whole way, frustrated that she had to leave. The whole world was

00:06:49.620 | going west to Houston. I decided at the last minute to head east, into the storm's projected

00:06:55.980 | route to avoid the traffic, since I calculated I had only 18 hours to escape. I did not want

00:07:02.020 | to risk being on the road for this storm.

00:07:05.180 | As it turned out, we made a great decision because the traffic was mainly headed west.

00:07:09.080 | We momentarily slowed down to 50 mph on parts of the I-10 highway, but for the most part

00:07:13.660 | I did not slow down to under 80 mph until we were past the Contra Flow area, about 25

00:07:19.900 | miles north of the coastline on I-59. We picked the right window and the right direction for

00:07:25.380 | our quick escape. We spent the night in Birmingham after a 6-hour drive (we were tired and emotionally

00:07:31.980 | spent) and drove with a heavy heart to Atlanta the next morning. I got us settled into a

00:07:37.180 | hotel near a relative's home. I then told my wife to go find two furnished corporate

00:07:41.820 | apartments for us. We knew we were going to be in Atlanta a while. She asked how long

00:07:46.500 | (she always assumes I have the answer to everything). I said maybe permanently from the looks of

00:07:51.140 | things, which really angered her.

00:07:53.900 | We wait until the last minute to evacuate due to the reluctance of both my wife and

00:07:57.900 | mother to leave. My house is an older home built of concrete block and stucco. It has

00:08:03.180 | hurricane shutters, a 30 kW diesel generator with 300 gallons of fuel, and is on a relatively

00:08:09.180 | high ground (about 5 feet above sea level). I have always stockpiled food (shelf stable

00:08:14.900 | and MREs), water, firearms, ammunition, medical supplies, and basic disaster supplies, and

00:08:20.020 | I consider myself reasonably prepared. I also keep a small boat in the garage.

00:08:24.900 | I shut down my business on Friday at noon after we completed our much-tested hurricane

00:08:29.500 | backup plan. I sent everyone home early and told them to contact me Saturday and Sunday

00:08:33.860 | if they decided to evacuate. I told them we would regroup Monday or Tuesday. My usual

00:08:39.580 | hurricane rule was enforced for my employees. That is, you will not be penalized in any

00:08:44.380 | way if you miss work for one or two days due to an evacuation. Little did I know that it

00:08:49.380 | would be three weeks before we would gather as even a partial group again.

00:08:54.140 | I gave a two-week pay advance to everyone before they left, telling everyone to be safe

00:08:58.820 | but to communicate with me. I normally do not do this, but since payday was next Friday

00:09:03.860 | and Katrina had me spooked, I did it. This two-week's pay helped some lower-paid employees

00:09:09.180 | evacuate to safety. I kept everyone on the payroll and forgave the two-week pay advance

00:09:13.580 | for all. I did this to retain everybody, and I was not disappointed by anybody. Most were

00:09:19.460 | moved and some moved to tears when we met again and regrouped. Work provided some normalcy

00:09:26.020 | and security during these dark days.

00:09:29.740 | Katrina of course hit, and you know the story. Carnage, looting, flooding, death, etc. Around

00:09:37.460 | Wednesday after Katrina, I was going crazy with worry. My employees had not all checked

00:09:41.860 | in. Our office had no communications. The whole 504 area code was down. Property was

00:09:48.020 | obviously in need of attention, and I was concerned about the business. I decided to

00:09:52.100 | go back and deal with the issues. I left my family back in Atlanta and went back alone.

00:09:57.740 | I got to my home, despite the fact that the city and parish were sealed off. I know the

00:10:03.260 | city well, and I knew it could not be sealed off. I got through unchallenged. The flooding

00:10:08.940 | and most of Jefferson Parish had been pumped out by then. Upon arriving home, I cranked

00:10:13.500 | up the generator, and I had power, HVAC, internet, landline, telephone. I could dial out, but

00:10:19.180 | no one could dial in. I neglected to empty the refrigerator when I left, so I did have

00:10:24.140 | that mess to clean up. That is a particularly nasty job, but a large thick garbage bag,

00:10:29.740 | gas mask, and chemical gloves make the job easy.

00:10:33.580 | Once home, I assessed the damage and secured what little damage was done. The wind caused

00:10:38.440 | little damage to the entire city. The flooding is what caused the bulk of the damage. I fixed

00:10:43.940 | what I could, and then went out to check on other people's property. I sent digital

00:10:47.580 | photos via the internet to my wife in Atlanta, who contacted and forwarded the pictures.

00:10:53.180 | I found out some friends from Lafayette, Louisiana were coming down to the city on rescue parties

00:10:57.560 | by boat the next day. They were turned away for some obscure reason and stopped by my

00:11:01.920 | house to check on me. They agreed to stay a few days to help out our friends. That began

00:11:07.220 | the role I played for several friends, being the forward staging area for friends and business

00:11:12.000 | associates trying to get back to their businesses.

00:11:15.700 | The generator made life comfortable, but it burned copious amounts of fuel. My 300 gallon

00:11:21.460 | supply was supposed to last 10-12 days, but 300 gallons was only a 7 day supply. I had

00:11:27.940 | to drive to Baton Rouge with empty drums to buy diesel. Gasoline was in very short supply,

00:11:34.040 | but diesel was non-existent for civilians for about a week. I had plenty of natural

00:11:38.340 | gas for the grill, seafood broiler, water heater, and dryer, but it was useless for

00:11:42.500 | the generator. I have since added a smaller, 15 kW air-cooled gas-powered generator to

00:11:49.100 | supplement the diesel-powered set. The diesel ran like a champ, though, for 3 weeks straight,

00:11:54.620 | about 500 hours. I stopped it twice a day to check the oil and coolant levels. I changed

00:12:00.660 | the oil and filter only once after 200 hours. I had neglected the oil and filter stockpile

00:12:07.440 | and had enough for only one filter change. I also had trouble finding the right oil and

00:12:12.460 | filter for about 4 weeks, so I ran it with dirty oil.

00:12:18.140 | I made many forays into the city with friends and family. Some were clandestine, and others

00:12:23.820 | were overt and authorized. I passed looters actively looting stores and was shot at on

00:12:31.900 | at least one occasion. I will never forget one trip I made. I hired 9 off-duty police

00:12:38.640 | officers to go with me into a flooded area and check on my property. This officer was

00:12:44.640 | an acquaintance and a true blue cop, a real Joe Friday. However, before we left, he said,

00:12:51.900 | "Now, if something happens and we shoot someone, we're just going to keep going and not stop,

00:12:56.900 | okay? Do you understand what I'm saying?" The three things I remember most about the

00:13:01.900 | time was the oppressive heat and sun during the day, and pitch-black nights and the chaos

00:13:08.020 | and uncertainty of the whole situation. The following is my list of what worked and did

00:13:13.600 | not work.

00:13:15.500 | Communications. Text messaging worked well all through the worst of the incident. The

00:13:20.340 | messages were often delayed, but they got through eventually. A BlackBerry proved to

00:13:25.060 | be a valuable and useful means to communicate. A pager also worked, but was only a one-way

00:13:30.980 | system. The text message interface on a PC also worked great, assuming you have internet

00:13:36.620 | service.

00:13:37.980 | A cell phone with a different area code was invaluable. I bought a prepaid cell phone

00:13:42.580 | in Atlanta. The Singular system was dysfunctional, but Verizon and Sprint did work. I used Singular

00:13:48.520 | and Virgin Mobile, which is a Sprint reseller. The cell phone with a different area code

00:13:52.900 | allowed you to dial out and to receive calls. Forward your key telephone numbers to this

00:13:58.020 | cell and you can remain in communication. The entire 504 area code was unusable for

00:14:04.540 | about 30 days. We forwarded our phones before we left, but the entire network, including

00:14:10.340 | call forwarding, went down. So all of our phones just rang, or you received an out-of-service

00:14:15.940 | message, which is not good for business.

00:14:18.860 | CB and FMRS radios were useless in the city due to significant range limitations. Around

00:14:25.320 | the house, a cordless phone with a paging and intercom function worked better than the

00:14:30.740 | FMRS radio, since it would ring when you were wanted. I would carry the cordless phone and

00:14:36.100 | use the intercom function.

00:14:38.740 | Marine VHF was useful for local area communication, though it is strictly illegal to use it for

00:14:43.940 | this purpose. A 12 volt VHF unit on a boat in the driveway is good for about a mile to

00:14:48.920 | handheld sets. Though handheld sets could get through to the base station at this distance

00:14:53.740 | only if you could see the other person. They could also be used in the car on the highway

00:14:57.900 | and were useful since the channels are not much in use inland and the squelch function

00:15:01.700 | is useful. Be sure to get the VHF units with the ability to use alkaline batteries.

00:15:07.460 | Telephone landlines worked well, and in non-flooded areas the telephone landlines never went down.

00:15:12.500 | Cable was not robust and went down early and stayed down for a very long time. DSL, since

00:15:18.500 | it uses landlines, did not go down at all. Satellite dishes were blown away and like

00:15:23.160 | cable were inoperative. The internet was invaluable.

00:15:27.700 | I set up a routine check-in time for all parties with someone outside of the city. I surfaced

00:15:32.660 | to communicate and check in at 9am, noon, and 6pm to communicate with my wife while

00:15:37.480 | she was in Atlanta.

00:15:39.660 | Keep your cell phone batteries charged, so have a car adapter, 110 volt adapter, AA adapter,

00:15:45.140 | and spare batteries. Anytime you see a place to charge them, charge them up. Keeping these

00:15:50.160 | items charged will be a pain in the neck.

00:15:53.340 | A TV made a poor news machine at first. AM and FM radios worked well. The internet was

00:15:59.080 | more comprehensive but had a several hour lag time. A spare satellite dish had dish

00:16:03.980 | TV back up and working in no time. A spare dish also had satellite internet up and operating.

00:16:10.860 | I recommend satellite TV and internet as long as you have a spare dish.

00:16:16.660 | Lighting - Darkness, darkness, and more darkness. Post-disaster streetlights will not work,

00:16:22.420 | and the place will be incredibly dark. When there was no moon, the darkness was surreal.

00:16:28.740 | Park your cars so that their headlights shine on likely areas of egress to your house or

00:16:33.820 | the place you are visiting. Use the remote fob switch to make the headlights and backup

00:16:38.820 | lights go on in the event you hear someone outside. You can also use the car panic switch

00:16:43.500 | to set off the horn for a distraction. Use a car battery booster with a 12v to 110v

00:16:49.940 | inverter to plug in a 110v area light to provide some area lighting if your generator is not

00:16:55.380 | operational. Use floodlights sparingly. They attract too much attention in a dark city.

00:17:03.500 | Spotlights with rechargeable batteries were less useful than those which took D-cell batteries.

00:17:08.820 | The charges could not be relied upon when you needed them, and recharging them once

00:17:12.940 | depleted was a pain in the neck. A 12v corded spotlight is cheaper and more reliable. Note

00:17:22.860 | that they can also be plugged into the battery booster. Attempt to create appearance of many

00:17:27.580 | more people than you have. A group of 6-10 is more likely to thrive than a small group.

00:17:33.260 | A person alone is in great danger and should consider leaving.

00:17:39.140 | Spotlights are not useful for area lighting, regardless of size and type. Lanterns are

00:17:43.020 | much more useful for area lighting. LED and fluorescent are great inside, but Coleman

00:17:47.820 | double mantle lanterns dual fuel are great outdoors, but only outdoors. I buy only D-cell,

00:17:54.060 | AA, and/or AAA to simplify inventory needs. Avoid candles and hurricane lamps. The light

00:17:59.620 | is poor for candles and both bring heat and more importantly fire risk into the house.

00:18:05.260 | Full open flame of any kind should be kept only outside.

00:18:10.140 | Keep a low profile. Be able to establish your bona fides with a picture ID with your company

00:18:14.940 | name and address of work, as well as a letter on corporate letterhead, notarized with a

00:18:20.060 | corporate seal on it. A white pickup truck with a corporate logo and people inside dressed

00:18:25.080 | in personal protective equipment will be the key to transportation. Make sure it has a

00:18:29.880 | sign on it. Magnetic signs with business name work well.

00:18:35.140 | Impersonating a responder is illegal, but impersonating a business is not. Use the term

00:18:40.200 | safety guy or personnel guy. These folks are always in and out, and nobody either hates

00:18:45.320 | them or really needs them, so you will not get drafted by the locals. Do not, I repeat,

00:18:50.740 | do not say you are an insurance adjuster or in the insurance business, even if you are.

00:18:55.960 | You will be taking your life into your own hands. Seriously. They're considered equal

00:18:59.860 | to child molesters.

00:19:02.360 | Personal Morale and Stress

00:19:04.280 | Morale is vital to all on scene. Cleaning yourself up and putting on clean clothes is

00:19:09.320 | a good morale booster. Washing clothes is a pain, but it is important to have clean

00:19:14.000 | clothes available, even if you have to do it by hand. As long as the water from the

00:19:18.580 | tap is clear and not murky, cloudy, or odiferous, you can use it to clean clothes in an electric

00:19:24.840 | washing machine, assuming you have a generator. If you are the leader, act like one. Express

00:19:30.360 | concern about your people, whether you actually do care about them or not. They must think

00:19:34.960 | you care about them and will help them. It helps if you're sincere, but even if you're

00:19:38.840 | not, pretend to be sincere. Your life may depend on it.

00:19:42.840 | Get lots of rest at night. The night is the worst part. It will be very, very dark, which

00:19:50.280 | to city dwellers can be scary and disorienting. Sleep is the best way to handle this problem.

00:19:55.680 | However, if possible, always have someone awake 24/7. Preferably set up shifts to ensure

00:20:02.500 | all get adequate rest, but the group is covered by someone awake. I had a rule that no one

00:20:09.200 | went outside alone at night for any reason. If you heard something unusual, you wake up

00:20:14.680 | the person who just got off of duty or the person about to go on duty and have them go

00:20:18.040 | with you. The person on watch also had the car remote control to set off the car lights

00:20:23.080 | or the car alarm. The nights were stressful due to the darkness and unusual quiet. Without

00:20:30.040 | power there were no AC compressors, no cars and no people sounds. The only sounds were

00:20:35.800 | frogs croaking (yes, in the city frogs) and silence. My generator installation was no

00:20:42.480 | noisier than an AC unit, but with the central AC units and the generator we were the noisiest

00:20:48.400 | thing for many blocks. Add inside and outside lights and we stood out for some distance,

00:20:54.480 | hence the concern about security at night. Drinking water gets boring, so have something

00:21:00.120 | like Gatorade mix or tea. Keep a positive attitude and a smile on your face. Your mood

00:21:06.120 | is contagious. Heat saps strength, stamina and morale. Stay out of the sun, cool and

00:21:12.800 | hydrated. Make sure everybody has enough water and is drinking it, not just holding on to

00:21:17.520 | it. Read about heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Know the symptoms and act fast if you think

00:21:23.360 | the person is being affected by the heat. Do not underestimate the emotion of seeing

00:21:27.960 | a beloved or even familiar place ruined. Several cops committed suicide as a result of the

00:21:34.120 | stress. Do not underestimate the level of stress involved. Fire is a hazard and a real

00:21:41.040 | possibility. Have a fire watch and remember, you cannot call the fire department or an

00:21:46.800 | EMS. There were instances of several houses catching fire and setting a neighboring house

00:21:51.960 | on fire. A 24 hour a day fire watch could save your life. Have the garden hoses ready

00:21:57.840 | outside in the event a neighbor's house catches fire. Smoke alarms in the halls outside

00:22:02.600 | bedrooms and carbon monoxide alarms in every bedroom and other strategic points are a must.

00:22:07.360 | The carbon monoxide alarms are mandatory if a generator is used.

00:22:12.200 | Fuel and Power. Always have enough fuel in a vehicle that can carry your group to a safe

00:22:16.720 | point without refueling. Always have a plan to get you and your group out to a safe place.

00:22:23.120 | Spare fuel in 5 gallon cans is dangerous. Store it outside in a shady spot. Hide it,

00:22:28.760 | because if you do not, it may be requisitioned. Diesel was almost impossible to find initially,

00:22:35.160 | but gas was easier to find after the third week. Note, for clarity, I mean in the greater

00:22:39.640 | New Orleans area. I had to travel to Baton Rouge or Huma for diesel fuel until about

00:22:44.160 | the third week. Consider a tri-fuel generator and hook the generator up to natural gas.

00:22:50.080 | Natural gas remained on in most unflooded sections, but failed in flooded areas. So

00:22:54.920 | do not rely solely on natural gas. Have the capability to run on liquid gasoline as well.

00:23:00.080 | However, a natural gas generator would have solved my fuel problems.

00:23:05.200 | Generators are noisy and will disturb you, people nearby, and attract unwanted attention.

00:23:10.920 | Find some way to keep the sound down. If you have a portable gas operated generator, retrofit

00:23:16.440 | a car muffler to it and build a soundbox of some kind. You want the noise signature to

00:23:21.640 | be as quiet as possible. Ideally, have a large one permanently installed with quality sound

00:23:27.160 | deadening material around it, as I did. Alternatively, dig a hole and put the generator in it and

00:23:32.900 | cover it with plywood. Allow for drainage. Build a sandbag berm around it, cover the

00:23:37.720 | berm with plywood. Enclose it in a building not connected to the house. Root the exhaust

00:23:43.080 | outside. Keep its noise to a minimum. Have an electrician come and put a manual disconnect

00:23:48.160 | switch so you can hook the generator to the house. You can do something as simple as putting

00:23:52.280 | in the disconnect switch and providing a 50 amp 220 volt plug so you can hook up a portable

00:23:56.640 | generator to the house circuits. Avoid having a standalone generator in the backyard with

00:24:00.840 | extension cords. Plan ahead and do it right. Also, to keep the peace with your neighbor,

00:24:06.520 | plan on running one or two 15 amp circuits to their house if they do not have a generator.

00:24:10.960 | That is enough to run a fridge, lights, and fans. Or a fridge and a small window AC.

00:24:16.320 | Weapons. Type and quantity is less important than training and proficiency. All those debates

00:24:21.160 | about which is best is a meaningless discussion. The best one to have is the one you have right

00:24:25.940 | now in your hand. Learn to use it proficiently, including the ability to take it apart and

00:24:30.000 | repair it. Make sure you can hit a target at 35 meters one handed with either the left

00:24:34.900 | or right hand. Stop debating what is best, settle on what works for you, and spend the

00:24:39.320 | time training with it. Do not openly brandish weapons. The National Guard and cops will

00:24:44.640 | take them away, despite any laws protecting you. Have spares, so that if cops take them

00:24:50.240 | away you have others. Do not resist attempts by law enforcement officers to confiscate

00:24:59.120 | weapons. It will not end very well for you. Be prepared to be forcibly removed from your

00:25:04.720 | premises and leave your pets or have your pets killed in front of you. National Guard

00:25:10.200 | and law enforcement officers are not necessarily helpful. To be trusted, or your friends. Trust

00:25:16.040 | yourself and your friends. Keep a low profile, avoid confrontations, and be respectful and

00:25:22.400 | friendly, not subservient to the National Guard and police when contact with them is

00:25:26.400 | unavoidable. Obey their instructions, at least when they are around, if possible, and not

00:25:31.720 | counter to your goal. Never confront them, or actively or violently resist them. You

00:25:37.640 | will lose and become just another unidentified body found in the rubble.

00:25:43.000 | Cash Documents and Commerce A good way to make a friend is cold, soft

00:25:48.280 | drinks. Trade hot for cold if you can when you're giving them away as gifts. I went

00:25:52.960 | through a lot of cokes. Image important documents on a scanner, and store them on a flash drive

00:25:58.320 | or online by emailing them to yourself at an online webmail account. Driver's license,

00:26:03.640 | passport, social security card, birth certificate, marriage certificate, insurance policies,

00:26:08.080 | vaccination and medical records for family and pets should be imaged. Use an online bank

00:26:13.080 | and have multiple accounts. Keep multiple credit cards with a $0 balance, so that in

00:26:18.160 | an emergency you can at least buy gas, a hotel room, and some food. You need at least $1,000

00:26:24.160 | of cash on hand. More is always better, but do not carry it all in the same place. Split

00:26:31.040 | it up in different pockets and use credit cards wherever possible. Keep your cash in

00:26:35.620 | small bills like $5, $10, and $20 bills along with a credit card. Checks, traveler's checks,

00:26:42.800 | and money orders are useless. Don't waste your time with them. Take photos of your insured

00:26:48.580 | property and make sure that they are not more than two years old. Use a digital camera and

00:26:53.320 | store the photos in multiple places. Any photo albums, documents, or similar such things

00:26:58.700 | can be digitized, so if the original is destroyed, you at least have a copy. Look around your

00:27:03.640 | house and see what falls into that category. It's amazing how much you lose when you're

00:27:07.720 | looking at just a house slab. Back up your data in multiple places and set out a contingency

00:27:12.440 | plan for your business. We use nothing but laptops and have contracted with an off-site

00:27:17.320 | server to store all of our data files. Everybody can use a virtual private network to set up

00:27:22.400 | wherever we may finally stop, assuming they can get to a high-speed internet connection.

00:27:27.540 | In-forwarding malfunctioned, so all our lines did was to ring when they did not get a system

00:27:32.940 | busy. Have a contingency plan to notify all customers of a number change, or arrange with

00:27:38.260 | a telephone company to use a trunk-forwarding service. We set up a toll-free number and

00:27:43.560 | manned it with a small staff to disseminate contact info. Emails worked fine, as did text

00:27:48.420 | messages. Websites also worked well as a means to disseminate telephone numbers.

00:27:54.520 | Looting, looters, and requisitioning Police will loot. It is called requisitioning.

00:28:03.200 | They will take your spare gasoline, supplies, ammunition, first aid kits, ice, water, guns,

00:28:10.100 | and even your vehicle. They are worse than looters in that they have the force of law

00:28:14.060 | behind them. They looted cars, booze, TVs, as well as the necessities such as food, water,

00:28:21.380 | and clean clothes. Avoid looting parties. They tend to be undisciplined and have numerous

00:28:27.500 | armed people. If you join them, watch your back and go only with a group you know, and

00:28:32.100 | then stick together. Take only what you need and make restitution when you can do so. Even

00:28:36.860 | when you need it, looting is wrong. It belongs to someone else.

00:28:41.280 | The law enforcement officers and National Guard will be hot, tired, scared, and grumpy.

00:28:48.540 | Avoid them at all costs. They will be well-armed, better trained, and are more likely to shoot

00:28:54.940 | you than the looters. Always approach them slowly with your hands visible and in a non-threatening

00:29:01.340 | manner. Politeness, though not submission like you're guilty of something, and a smile

00:29:06.620 | on your face and a comment like "Boy, am I glad to see you guys. Thanks for the help."

00:29:11.520 | If you are unsure of the situation, extend your hand and a handshake. Their actions will

00:29:15.700 | tell volumes as to their intent. Never curse them. Do offer them a cold Coke or water.

00:29:22.500 | If you do not have a cold drink, say "I would offer you guys one, but I don't have

00:29:26.300 | one." The US Coast Guard were the best guys. They

00:29:29.620 | were most useful, professional, and least dangerous, as long as you were not hostile

00:29:34.520 | to them. The worst were the National Guard units and the local police department. They

00:29:39.940 | were stressed out, lost their homes, separated from loved ones, etc. They were heavily armed

00:29:45.660 | and dangerous. No offense intended to any member of these units, but that is my observation.

00:29:51.740 | When you travel, travel in groups. No fewer than two. Four in two vehicles are better.

00:29:57.580 | If you leave your vehicles, make sure someone, or preferably two people, stay with them.

00:30:03.140 | Have a prearranged sign and countersign for the group. Include a trouble sign and countersign.

00:30:09.080 | Do not shout everybody and anybody's name when you think you see trouble. Use a signal

00:30:13.600 | when concerned or needing help. You do not have to be silly about it, but a shout of

00:30:18.420 | "Hey, Mr. Murphy" is a whole lot more innocuous than "Hey, George and Louis, there

00:30:24.580 | are five guys coming towards me." In the latter, you have conveyed to the party coming

00:30:28.900 | at you that there are two other people who will be coming shortly. On the other hand,

00:30:32.780 | if you shout "Hey, Mr. Murphy" while looking at the group and waving in a friendly-like

00:30:36.680 | manner at the people coming at you, they may assume that you are addressing them and waving

00:30:41.200 | at them and not calling your buddies to come outside and help. It may just give you the

00:30:45.060 | edge in that situation. Look out for people's pets. Save the ones

00:30:49.620 | you can. Bring food and water for them since it is likely no one else will. Many pets were

00:30:55.060 | abandoned and died a long, lingering death as a result.

00:30:59.740 | Be very careful to avoid any injuries of any kind. If you are injured, cut, get a blister,

00:31:06.820 | etc. Treat it aggressively. Even a simple scratch in a disaster zone can be life-threatening.

00:31:13.340 | Get vaccinations for hepatitis, tetanus, and anything else you can talk your medical doctor

00:31:17.060 | into giving you. Do not take supplies from the Red Cross, Salvation Army, or others unless

00:31:22.460 | you or someone you know truly needs them. Supplies are limited, and others in need may

00:31:26.820 | do without because you wanted something you did not really need. I saw a single mother

00:31:31.160 | with a baby and toddler go without water when an "alpha" male barged in line and took

00:31:37.060 | stuff meant for her. The "alpha" males simply put the water in their pockets and

00:31:42.420 | walked away. I "found" her some water when the "alpha" males suddenly "dropped"

00:31:49.460 | their water and ran for their lives. Be compassionate, but do not be silly. Sometimes

00:31:55.340 | sympathy targets (old people, disabled people, kids, and women) are used by looters as bait.

00:32:01.820 | Do not be in the disaster area if you can avoid it. Leave the area until the situation

00:32:06.300 | stabilizes. If you have to be there, stay only as long as necessary. It is not a game,

00:32:12.420 | and it is definitely not fun.

00:32:16.380 | Food Water and Ice

00:32:18.380 | Ice is a very valuable commodity when the temperature is 95 degrees and the humidity

00:32:24.600 | is 100%. Keep some handy to trade, or barter for favors. Use empty water bottles to make

00:32:31.880 | it at home in the freezer. It is a good barter commodity. Safe potable water is critical.

00:32:38.500 | You cannot have too much of it on hand. I had 10 5-gallon bottles of water on hand,

00:32:43.540 | in addition to 6 cases of 20-ounce bottles of water. That was nowhere near adequate.

00:32:51.800 | Water is either safe or not. If you have the slightest doubt about the water, then it is

00:32:57.060 | not safe to drink it. Unsafe water from the tap can be used for flushing toilets and washing

00:33:02.900 | clothes. It can also be used for washing you, but do not drink it, and keep it away from

00:33:07.780 | your eyes, nose, and mouth when showering with it. However, unsafe water from the tap

00:33:12.820 | and a 5% to 10% solution of bleach can be used for cleaning dishes with soap as long

00:33:17.500 | as the final rinse is in boiled or clean water. Be sure the water has cooled and add 2 or

00:33:22.780 | 3% bleach to the rinse water. You can rinse the plate to get the food residue off with

00:33:27.860 | the running, unboiled water before washing them, but wash them with boiled water. If

00:33:32.780 | possible, dip them in a mild bleach solution in the rinse cycle and hand dry. To make clear

00:33:37.900 | water safe, boil the water for 5 to 10 minutes at a rolling boil. You can also add chlorine

00:33:42.980 | before boiling it if you're really nervous. Be careful and let the water stand at least

00:33:46.820 | an hour to avoid burning yourself. Boil as much as you can at one time because it is

00:33:51.420 | a pain in the neck to boil water. I used a seafood boiler and natural gas for this chore.

00:33:57.460 | Keep the pot covered when the water is boiling and cooling. Store it in a clean, preferably

00:34:02.040 | sterilized container. Used but clean 2-liter soft drink bottles are perfect for storing

00:34:07.080 | boiled water, but wait till it cools to pour it. Potable water should be used as much as

00:34:12.380 | possible. For example, water used for cooking rice and spaghetti can be reused for cleaning

00:34:17.020 | the pots and dishes. An outside propane or natural gas burner with a large boiling pot

00:34:22.860 | will make quick work of producing many gallons of safe drinking water without the heat and

00:34:26.620 | humidity in the house. This boiling pot can also be used to sanitize plates, silverware,

00:34:31.580 | and pots. You can attach a large activated charcoal filter to an outside water hose to

00:34:36.340 | filter water that you boil for drinking. Boiling may or may not remove toxic chemicals in the

00:34:41.340 | water. Use bottled water from a known source, if at all possible, for all drinking, food

00:34:45.980 | preparation, washing, and bathing. Water in a pinch can be made safer by filtering it

00:34:50.860 | and adding a small amount of Clorox or iodine tablets to the water. Murky or smelly water

00:34:55.820 | should not be used for anything, if at all possible. You may be tempted to use the dishwasher

00:35:00.660 | and put it on heated water in the sanitized setting, but do not take the risk. It's just

00:35:04.700 | not worth the risk. Plan on hand washing and sanitizing the dishes yourself. Paper towels,

00:35:10.460 | plates, and disposable knives and forks work very well, and many times are better than

00:35:14.460 | real china and silverware. Have lots of paper towels, garbage bags, and disposable stuff

00:35:19.340 | on hand. Garbage disposal is a problem. There was not garbage pickup for two months. Plan

00:35:25.980 | on bringing it to the dump yourself. Sanitation is important and garbage stinks after a week

00:35:30.700 | in the sun. When you bring it to the dump, put it on the trailer. Do not put it in the

00:35:34.420 | car or trunk. You will never get the stink out. Note, you can freeze bottles of unsafe

00:35:39.580 | water for ice. Just label it as unsafe and do not use or drink the water. Food is important

00:35:45.980 | for morale. Cook it and present it well. Sit down together and eat together. This is a

00:35:51.700 | great morale builder. Simple menu items are important since fresh

00:35:56.340 | items are limited, such as spaghetti and meatballs, red beans, rice, and meat, sausage, hamburger,

00:36:01.980 | chicken, and rice, hamburgers, macaroni, and cheese, scrambled eggs, grits, toast, steak,

00:36:07.300 | and canned veggies, jambalaya, and meat of any kind. Use MREs only for lunch when out

00:36:13.060 | and about or as a last resort. Everybody should sit down and eat together at least once a

00:36:17.540 | day for better morale. Vehicle

00:36:20.780 | Four-wheel drive was not important but was useful mainly due to the higher ground clearance

00:36:24.660 | it afforded. Bring rope to tie to branches to move them. Make sure the vehicle has auxiliary

00:36:30.320 | storage like a roof rack, a roof cargo carrier, a trailer hitch back porch, or have a trailer.

00:36:36.340 | Anything that you can use to carry additional bulky cargo like roofing shingles, gas, clothes,

00:36:41.220 | food, water, etc. I used my boat as a means to carry cargo such as garbage and fuel. It

00:36:47.620 | was all I had so I used it as a utility trailer. It had 2 to 18 gallon gas tanks, so filled

00:36:53.820 | up those tanks and then I put three 55 gallon drums in the boat. Use what you have. Make

00:36:59.720 | sure your vehicle is in good shape. A broken fan belt, bad tire, leaking water pump, or

00:37:04.380 | battery with a dead cell is useless and dangerous in a disaster zone. Be sure to have a can

00:37:09.260 | of fix-a-flat, 12-volt air compressor, battery booster, tire plug kit, flashlight with spare

00:37:14.980 | batteries and a plug-in 12-volt spotlight (they're cheaper and more reliable than those

00:37:19.020 | needing a charge), as well as basic tools like a screwdriver, pliers, and crescent wrench

00:37:23.540 | are invaluable. A 12-volt to 110-volt inverter (no more than 100 watts to avoid blowing

00:37:29.220 | fuses or worse a fusible link), small first aid kit, and rope will also be invaluable.

00:37:34.420 | A 110-volt trouble light with a 25-foot cord to plug into the inverter will serve multiple

00:37:39.140 | purposes of light and power. Just do not overload the inverter. Be sure to have spare oil, brake

00:37:44.580 | fluid, automatic transmission fluid, and antifreeze. It doesn't have to be in the car. You will

00:37:49.500 | not be able to find it. The cargo area, if not "hoseable", should

00:37:54.180 | be covered in plastic to prevent the spread of contaminants. A cheaper car or pickup truck

00:37:58.900 | will attract a whole lot less negative attention than a bling mobile. Park the Mercedes and

00:38:03.820 | Lexus. Drive the pickup truck. Tools

00:38:07.660 | Basic tools like a socket set, wrench, and screwdrivers, etc. A cordless electric screwdriver

00:38:12.140 | and drill will also save you a lot of energy and sweat.

00:38:15.300 | Other useful tools. Crowbar, large and small, for breaking glass and prying open windows

00:38:19.380 | and doors. Pry bar for opening doors. Large bolt cutters. Claw hammer, axe or hatchet.

00:38:24.340 | Small sledgehammer and wedges. Small, medium, and large.

00:38:27.820 | Handle protective equipment is very important. Hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, leather

00:38:32.140 | and latex respirators or face mask. Steel-toed shoes with steel soles. Gas chainsaw. Nice,

00:38:38.900 | but not required unless you live in a wooded area. I used the rope in car to pull large

00:38:42.820 | branches out of my way. A tree handsaw is just as useful and less costly in an urban

00:38:47.140 | area. In a wooded area, buy two chainsaws. One is not enough.

00:38:51.660 | Tarps of several sizes are good. You can always trade them if you do not need them. An electric

00:38:55.940 | sawzall is particularly useful, assuming you have a generator. Chain and padlocks will

00:39:00.300 | always come in handy. Electrical extension cords? Get several and buy the thick contractor

00:39:05.060 | grade. Also, a power strip with a surge suppressor for each cord will be useful.

00:39:09.420 | Tape, electrical and duct. Spray paint, white, orange and black, for signs, warning and messages.

00:39:16.020 | Preprinted signs, like "Looters will be shot" are not as useful as handmade signs,

00:39:20.420 | since the preprinted ones may indicate no one is around. Also, date any spray painted

00:39:25.100 | signs so people know it is up post-disaster. Boats in urban settings and flood water.

00:39:32.380 | If you have the misfortune of dealing with a flood, there will be all kinds of hazards

00:39:35.180 | that you will encounter, such that even the oldest of salts will be in a challenging environment.

00:39:40.940 | Operate the boat only at idle or slow speeds. Do not let the boat get on a plane. Displacement

00:39:46.700 | speed only. There will be signs, wires, tree shrubs, debris and many other things that

00:39:52.380 | will destroy or damage an out-drive. Better to hit something at slow speed.

00:39:57.300 | Trim the engine up to reduce your draft. Travel in pairs and maintain radio watches. Be wary

00:40:02.240 | of manhole covers if you go in the water. The covers may be gone. There are ditches

00:40:07.060 | and various other obstacles that are not apparent. Do not walk in the water, if at all possible.

00:40:12.660 | Always wear a personal flotation device, even an inflatable one is better than nothing.

00:40:17.340 | Navigation will be difficult since road signs may be obscured, and your GPS will likely

00:40:21.040 | have a nautical chart rather than I-10 on it. Have someone on the boat who knows the

00:40:25.540 | area. Power lines may still be energized, so stay away from them. Do not touch them.

00:40:31.900 | For the record, rescued people are not always grateful to be rescued. They may be in shock,

00:40:36.860 | terrified, disoriented, and/or potentially dangerous. Always have at least one other

00:40:41.380 | you can trust in the boat with you. You can concentrate on steering, and he/she should

00:40:45.740 | concentrate on the people in the boat. Never assume people can swim. Provide a personal

00:40:50.380 | flotation device for all and make them wear it. If nothing else, it will be reassuring

00:40:54.780 | for them. If you encounter hostile people, exit the area ASAP. Always know how to get

00:41:01.260 | out of an area quickly. Do not fool around in floodwaters. They are

00:41:06.700 | nasty, disgusting, and dangerous. Do not handle any floating bodies unless you want a very,

00:41:14.220 | very unpleasant experience. Do not ford the water in your vehicle if you can avoid it.

00:41:19.880 | Check the depth on foot before you even consider fording water. Most vehicles can get their

00:41:24.700 | drivetrain damaged by as little as a foot of water. The vehicle will also kick up wakes

00:41:29.500 | into people's homes. The people in the house may object violently to you flooding their

00:41:34.260 | already damaged house. If you do ford water, do so at an idle speed and pay close attention

00:41:40.220 | to water depth. If in doubt, back up to higher ground.

00:41:45.380 | Judging the water depth is deceptive since cars have different heights. Oftentimes the

00:41:49.940 | center of the road is the highest side. Consider using the sidewalk, lawns, or road median

00:41:55.600 | to at least keep part of your vehicle high enough not to flood.

00:41:59.280 | Elderly, infirm, pets, and kids. None of these belong in a disaster zone and should be evacuated

00:42:06.800 | as soon as possible. Pets will be destroyed at the slightest bit of inconvenience to the

00:42:11.080 | authorities. Chip your pet and evacuate them. Keep their shots current and board them with

00:42:16.760 | friends, families, or a boarding facility. There were numerous instances of pets summarily

00:42:22.360 | destroyed for a variety of reasons, including simply spite. Two deputies in St. Bernard

00:42:28.040 | Parish are facing charges for shooting pets for no apparent reason. The incidents were

00:42:32.420 | captured on videotape. Despite this, they would never have been charged if left to the

00:42:36.320 | local officials. One can only imagine what else went on and was not uncovered.

00:42:41.680 | An elderly woman recounted to me her story about how she refused to leave her home because

00:42:46.240 | her pet could not come with her. The law enforcement officer simply shot her beloved pet in front

00:42:51.320 | of her and said, "Now the problem is solved," and put the woman in a boat. I heard from

00:42:56.400 | others in different areas that they were forced to abandon their pets under threat of physical

00:43:00.200 | threat. Some of these pets survived, others did not. In a truly bad situation, you should

00:43:06.000 | assume this attitude will expand to children and non-able-bodied people as well. In fact,

00:43:11.860 | in wartime, this type of behavior has been documented in various parts of the world.

00:43:16.320 | There was also the case of 32 nursing home patients that were abandoned and subsequently

00:43:20.660 | drowned in St. Bernard Parish. In another case, an elderly woman and her middle-aged,

00:43:25.680 | quadriplegic son were told a special van would come get them. No transportation arrived,

00:43:31.040 | and they both died. If you are handicapped, elderly, have children or pets, make your

00:43:36.520 | own plans to evacuate. Do not rely on any government plan to assist you. Rely only on

00:43:42.640 | yourself.

00:43:44.960 | Evacuation Issues

00:43:45.960 | Leave early or late. A tough call depends on your circumstances and how likely your

00:43:50.640 | risk is to be versus that of staying put. Just do not wait too long. Allow 12 hours

00:43:55.620 | to get to safety. Which route to use? Be flexible and do not be afraid to use back routes. Speed

00:44:02.200 | is less important than steady progress away from danger. Keep a close watch on your gas

00:44:06.680 | tank. Look for gas at half a tank. Search diligently for gas at a quarter of a tank.

00:44:12.440 | Look for a safe place to stop at an eighth of a tank. Do not run out of gas. If you have

00:44:18.480 | to use your reserve tank, find shelter nearby and wait until it is safe. Gas gives you

00:44:25.400 | options. No gas leaves you vulnerable. If necessary, abandon one vehicle and strip all

00:44:32.200 | fuel from it. Discard stuff in the following order, if necessary. Goods to make things

00:44:37.920 | fit. Magazines, clothes, ice chests, food, spare tire, tools, adults, children and elderly,

00:44:45.120 | pets. Never discard water or fuel. If someone has to be left behind, at a safe place obviously,

00:44:51.280 | leave two people and give them cash and a credit card, water, cell phone and set an

00:44:55.280 | alternate rally point. If possible, travel in two cars. Evacuation is very dangerous.

00:45:01.960 | Your car could break down and leave you and your loved ones stranded with an impending

00:45:05.280 | disaster en route. Two cars capable of carrying all is the safest way to travel. Do not rely

00:45:11.440 | on the law enforcement officers to assist. They will be busy and the phrase "SOL"

00:45:16.640 | comes to mind. What to bring? See the above list but include at least 5 gallons of gasoline,

00:45:22.240 | food, simple stuff like bread and peanut butter, and at least 1 gallon of water for every two

00:45:26.720 | people. Be sure to carry the gas on top of the vehicle, on the roof rack, not inside

00:45:31.000 | the car. It will make everyone nauseous otherwise. Have maps, a laptop with an internet card

00:45:37.080 | to stay in touch with the outside world, and a GPS is also very useful. FMRS and CB radios

00:45:43.040 | do work well here but are obnoxious to have on all the time. The driver's job is to

00:45:48.080 | drive and do nothing else other than keep an eye outside the vehicle. The traffic will

00:45:52.640 | range from a creeping 10-20 mph to 60 mph bumper to bumper traffic. It is demanding

00:45:59.280 | and tiring to drive like this for 6-12 hours at a time. If possible, appoint one of the

00:46:06.160 | passengers navigator. The navigator is responsible for keeping track of the location of both

00:46:10.520 | vehicles, nearby alternate routes, and maintains communication with the other vehicle. Other

00:46:15.800 | passengers can be utilized to find accommodations, gas, and other necessary information via cell

00:46:20.160 | phone or internet, as well as tend to the needs of the other passengers or driver. A

00:46:25.080 | 12V TV can provide invaluable news. The traffic will be moving very slowly. 10-20 mph is not

00:46:32.040 | unusual so be patient and do not plan on being able to get off the highway for anything for

00:46:36.440 | at least 5-8 hours. A pee bucket is absolutely vital. For males, a simple 32 oz cup with

00:46:42.560 | a lid, a 2L bottle, and a funnel or a wide mouth 1-2L juice bottle will work nicely.

00:46:48.520 | Women may use the same thing but with a funnel. Be sure to have a towel handy. Do not dump

00:46:52.720 | it on the road unless you are traveling very slowly, which is normally the case. Keep it

00:46:56.920 | sealed in a ziplock bag in between uses to avoid messes. Kids, especially pre-teen girls,

00:47:02.000 | may pose special problems due to modesty issues. Talk to those involved. It will be a problem,

00:47:07.440 | and stopping may not be an option, assuming you can even pull over.

00:47:12.720 | It depends on the situation, but generally the farther away the better. Yet, the closer

00:47:16.320 | the destination, the easier it will be to get there. Where you go is up to your budget.

00:47:20.960 | I suggest someplace with family and friends to help you assimilate in case the stay is

00:47:24.400 | a long one. For stays over 2 weeks, a furnished, corporate apartment is generally a better

00:47:28.700 | deal and more comfortable and normal than a hotel room.

00:47:33.320 | Evacuation by Air This is the safest and easiest way to evacuate,

00:47:36.920 | but you cannot take much with you. This is generally best if you have a house elsewhere

00:47:40.960 | or you have small children, elderly, or infirm people to remove. When you leave, be sure

00:47:45.840 | to leave your car parked at an inside garage and at least one level above the ground floor.

00:47:50.400 | Do not count on this method unless you own your own plane, since flights are generally

00:47:53.680 | booked well in advance. Personal Gear

00:47:56.960 | You should always carry the following. A butt pack with flashlight, pistol (assuming you

00:48:01.180 | have the relevant permit), reload, cigarette lighter, pepper spray, Leatherman tool, latex

00:48:05.420 | gloves, small hand sanitizer, and digital camera, spare batteries, and spare data card.

00:48:10.340 | The camera should be kept in a plastic baggie to protect it. Why the camera? So you can

00:48:14.820 | show others what you saw and get their input into situations.

00:48:18.580 | Water (at least one bottle), clean towel, spare shoes, spare clothes, and wading boots.

00:48:22.900 | I typically wore a jumpsuit and running shoes. I changed my shoes to steel-toed boots when

00:48:27.960 | I got out of the car and again when I got back in. A hat and sunscreen were also very

00:48:32.640 | handy. Sanitation

00:48:34.640 | Wash your hands, wash your face with a clean towel before you go into the house if you

00:48:38.280 | have been out on expedition. Hand sanitizer and plain old alcohol works great if potable

00:48:43.760 | water is not available. Thick plastic or chemical resistant gloves as well as latex gloves to

00:48:49.280 | protect yourself from chemicals like chlorine. Leave your shoes outside and do not track

00:48:53.680 | any crud inside. If you wear a jumpsuit with shorts underneath, shuck the jumpsuit and

00:48:59.440 | put it in a garbage bag along with any towels used. Leave your boots outside. Everything

00:49:03.880 | dirty goes in the washing machine. Anything recovered from the floodwater stays outside.

00:49:08.800 | Set up a hose and bucket with dishwashing liquid to clean off anything nasty and leave

00:49:12.560 | it outside.

00:49:15.880 | After writing that initial response, Raptor goes on to clarify, "This was an overview

00:49:20.340 | of my experiences over a three-month period. Even after the power came on, after about

00:49:25.120 | twenty-two days, things were still dicey. Hurricane Rita also provided some excitement.

00:49:31.000 | My area of town was restored to some level of normalcy by February 2006. However, the

00:49:37.160 | rebuilding of the city itself has stalled, and the social disintegration, which was crudely

00:49:41.580 | sewn back together, has continued to unravel." And then he asks if there are other specific

00:49:47.080 | questions from his fellow forum posters.

00:49:52.360 | Now in a follow-up post, Raptor was asked a few questions. I'm going to read several

00:49:56.040 | of the follow-up posts to you because they're quite interesting to get his personal experience.

00:50:01.280 | He writes, "Let me provide a little more background on myself, though for privacy's

00:50:05.080 | sake I'll not be too forthcoming. I'm white and middle-aged. I've done very well in life.

00:50:09.960 | Missouri is not in New Orleans proper, so the New Orleans Police Department had no jurisdiction

00:50:13.840 | in Metairie. Sheriff Harry Lee was in charge, for better or worse. He did things differently

00:50:18.660 | in Jefferson Parish. My family has lived in New Orleans long enough to have participated

00:50:22.900 | in the first Battle of New Orleans." One questioner writes, "How did you secure your

00:50:27.760 | home during the nights?" I'll provide more details later, but briefly, my house sits

00:50:32.480 | up eight feet off the ground, with only two ways in (and out) when the hurricane shutters

00:50:36.720 | are down and dogged. It is made of concrete and only the two doors are exposed. You can

00:50:42.040 | see both exits from the middle of the house. One person, assuming he is awake, can control

00:50:46.440 | access quite easily. Note, this security comes at a price of limited exit in case of a fire,

00:50:52.120 | hence my emphasis on fire safety. Question, "Did your stockpiled food last as long as

00:50:57.400 | you expected and what changes to your inventory would you have made?" I'll write more about

00:51:01.720 | this in another post, however food quantity was not a problem, since I had been laying

00:51:05.660 | in supplies for my family, plus two, and at any given time I had fewer people than I allowed

00:51:09.720 | for in the provisioning plan. The taste quality of the food I had on hand was the real morale

00:51:14.960 | killer though. So, while we did not starve, we did give away a lot of the MREs, but kept

00:51:20.560 | the canned and dry stuff for our consumption. Also, the heat killed your desire to eat,

00:51:26.280 | and between the taste and the heat we had plenty of food. Safe drinking water was in

00:51:30.840 | short supply though. Another questioner writes in with this comment, "I'm not at all surprised

00:51:36.520 | that the police are one of the most dangerous groups out there in New Orleans. From what

00:51:39.940 | I heard and read on other blogs, there should be a lot more prosecution from the corrupt

00:51:43.620 | and crooked cops than what they did to civilians out there." Raptor writes, "There is currently

00:51:48.280 | a case going to trial soon involving seven police officers accused of murder during Katrina.

00:51:53.080 | If you google the Danziger 7 you can read all sides about the case. There are many unclear

00:51:57.480 | issues and I do not want to go into that matter. What is clear is that two people who were

00:52:01.560 | in the wrong place at the right time were shot and killed. One was shot seven times

00:52:06.020 | in the back, not once in the front. This person was mentally handicapped, had no criminal

00:52:10.760 | record, none had criminal records, and was claimed to have had a weapon and shot at the

00:52:14.640 | police. In a time of unrest, keep a low profile, do not openly brandish weapons, and do not

00:52:21.280 | look like some warrior out of Road Warrior. You will survive a lot better if you look

00:52:26.920 | like a utility repair guy or responder than you will looking like trouble. Stay away,

00:52:32.640 | for the people you do not know, with guns, whether or not they have badges, if at all

00:52:36.920 | possible. My motto is, when someone from the government shows up at your door and says

00:52:41.160 | he is there to help, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction."

00:52:44.640 | Question, "If you saw police, for evacuation purposes, coming to your home but they did

00:52:50.320 | not see you, is it a crime to hide out and to protect your home and pets? Like if they

00:52:54.800 | call to see if anyone is at home, you just pretend you didn't hear it?"

00:52:58.280 | During the first three weeks, there was utter chaos on the street. No one knew who was in

00:53:01.920 | charge and those in charge, when they did make a decision, which was a very rare event,

00:53:06.240 | could not communicate instructions reliably. That meant local commanders were left to their

00:53:10.520 | own discretion. At one point, the mayor of Orleans Parish, the city of New Orleans, made

00:53:16.000 | a statement that martial law had been declared. The state attorney general quickly denied

00:53:20.080 | that and said the mayor has no such authority and martial law is not legal and in fact unconstitutional,

00:53:27.000 | has been since General Butler left New Orleans in 1865 and martial law was ended under Louisiana

00:53:32.360 | law.

00:53:33.400 | How does this matter to your questions? At one point, the cops and National Guard were

00:53:37.320 | kicking down doors and searching homes and forcibly removing anyone they found. Pets

00:53:42.400 | could not come and if you resisted, they would arrest you. Any and all weapons were confiscated

00:53:47.200 | and resistance was futile. In other parts of the city, they would knock politely on

00:53:50.880 | the door, inquire about you and give you water and MREs. Legal or illegal, it was whatever

00:53:56.120 | the local commanders, the organized guys with the guns wanted it to be. Sounds like a fundamental

00:54:01.120 | lesson in personal liberty to me.

00:54:04.640 | Now following that comment, there's some back and forth in the forum thread on some more

00:54:08.440 | mundane topics and also on the law enforcement issue. Raptor provides his information after

00:54:13.640 | some other comments in this way. He says, "I'm not going to defend or condemn the New

00:54:18.680 | Orleans Police Department as a whole. I think many were good, loyal and public servants

00:54:22.680 | and a few bad guys led by idiots. Common sense was washed away. Unfortunately, idiots seem

00:54:27.880 | to abound in the world today. If this garbage can happen in New Orleans, it can happen anywhere.

00:54:32.640 | That is not paranoia, simply realism." Goes on to attach a link to a site that deals with

00:54:39.160 | the mass destruction of people's pets in a school in St. Bernard Parish and there was

00:54:43.460 | some prosecution there. And he points this out.

00:54:45.880 | "Finally, I would also point out that it was not just the New Orleans Police Department

00:54:50.720 | and Louisiana National Guard breaking into homes and dragging people out. It included

00:54:54.960 | Texas, New York, Arkansas, California, and other state police, wildlife and fisheries

00:54:59.760 | agents as well as National Guard units and regular army. All that I encountered proved

00:55:05.000 | bribeable. Greed is hardwired into the basic human brain."

00:55:10.040 | Now of course another commenter goes on and asks how he engaged in bribes and what the

00:55:14.300 | average bribe was. Was it money, supplies? Did they come back for more or just go away?

00:55:19.480 | And this I think is some of the more interesting interaction with Raptor and is a good example

00:55:24.700 | of why one of the reasons why money and supplies are so important and so valuable because they

00:55:29.760 | give you the way to buy yourself into and out of situations like this where all of the

00:55:34.900 | government agents, the guys with guns, are in charge. So Raptor goes on and writes this

00:55:39.580 | in answer to that question.

00:55:41.020 | "It really depended on the situation and the person. I would look at the person and

00:55:45.040 | see what they may want at the time. The bribe might be as simple as a cold coke or Gatorade

00:55:50.100 | or may have been a few hundred dollars. Let me also stress that no one ever said to me,

00:55:54.220 | 'I'll let you do it for a hundred dollars.' My experience is that the only people uttering

00:55:59.060 | phrases like that outside of the movies are about to either set you up or they are so

00:56:03.540 | corrupt that your life is possibly in danger. View it as if you are giving a tip. I have

00:56:08.980 | lived in third world countries and can generally read people, especially officials. When paying

00:56:13.940 | cash I would hand them a drink and discreetly use a $20 bill or $100 bill as the napkin

00:56:20.540 | wrapped around the drink. I would then offer my hand in a handshake and keep the same smile

00:56:25.360 | on my face. No winks, nods, or anything else like that. When I traveled I kept an ice chest

00:56:31.460 | with soft drinks, Gatorade or water along with MREs and about $1,000 cash in $10, $20,

00:56:37.940 | or $100 bills in my pocket separate from my wallet and ID. Never ever take out your wallet,

00:56:44.220 | reach in and take out money, nor should you whip out a huge wad of cash. Do not say, 'How

00:56:49.540 | much will it take?' Do not be overt or crude. You will be surprised how much you can do

00:56:54.980 | with a smile, pleasant banter, and something a person wants. The most overt I got was to

00:57:00.100 | hand the guy my papers, let him tell me to get the heck out of his face, and then ask

00:57:04.980 | him what I had to do to get where I wanted to go. I would wait for his reaction. If he

00:57:09.420 | offered information I would then say, 'Well, you seem to be in charge. Could you approve

00:57:13.940 | it?' I would wait for the response and either conclude the deal knowing it would be expensive

00:57:18.420 | or go elsewhere. If his reaction was belligerent and negative, no amount of persuasion would

00:57:23.500 | work. You should leave immediately and either try later or somewhere else. I also gave out

00:57:29.020 | suntan lotion, mosquito repellent, ice, clean towels, baby wipes. These were always welcomed.

00:57:35.940 | I also would give out MREs and drinks to people, looters or survivors, as well as a $10 or

00:57:41.780 | $20 bill on occasion. My logic for this was, I did not like the MREs, and if I could avoid

00:57:47.380 | a confrontation and danger to me and/or my group for an MRE, cold coke, and $10, that

00:57:54.060 | is a cheap transaction. Besides, a magazine or cylinder of bullets can cost more than

00:57:59.540 | the $10. What is interesting is that most looters were generally satisfied with a cold

00:58:04.900 | coke and a few kind words. Having said that, I always kept a compact 9mm or .357 snubby

00:58:10.780 | in my pocket, and when I was being nice to the looters or survivors, I also was ready

00:58:15.880 | to end the conversation suddenly and, if necessary, violently. Finally, try to use the same checkpoints

00:58:21.940 | of people there know you. Just like in business, it is not what you know or what you have so

00:58:26.860 | much as who you know. I used two main checkpoints, and I became known as Ben. (Ben Franklin is

00:58:33.140 | on the $100 bill.) I knew I had made it when one sentry waved and shouted to his commander,

00:58:40.300 | "It's okay, it's Ben!" When that happened, there were cokes all around for everyone,

00:58:44.860 | and everyone needed a napkin to reinforce the positive experience of seeing me. They

00:58:49.940 | never asked for money, but they remembered me and treated me well. I always took care

00:58:54.060 | of them. There were six guys at that command post and checkpoint working the day shift,

00:58:58.700 | and they were there for six weeks. I was kind of sorry to see them go. One final note. The

00:59:03.500 | value of barter goods changed rapidly due to supply and demand. Initially, real MREs

00:59:11.180 | with a heater inside, of all things, were in high demand. Then they became the proverbial

00:59:16.060 | fruitcake. People gave them to you, but nobody really wanted to eat them. Gas was worth its

00:59:22.860 | weight in gold, and diesel was even more valuable initially. But once the supplies were up and

00:59:27.820 | available, they lost their value beyond retail for barter purposes. Personal toiletries like

00:59:33.180 | sun tan lotion, mosquito repellent, baby wipes, of all things, hand sanitizers, and clean

00:59:40.140 | towels all were very useful to trade. The one item that held its value was a cold soft

00:59:45.580 | drink or bottled water. I suspect in cold climates, a hot drink would hold the same

00:59:51.220 | value.

00:59:52.220 | Now, from here, and of course, I'm reading from a forum thread, so there's a conversation

00:59:57.020 | happening. Feel free to read the entire location, but I want to read the entire forum thread

01:00:01.940 | yourself in the show notes. But you don't need to, because I'm giving you the gist of

01:00:06.980 | the story from this particular person's perspective. And I think it's important to do so. I want

01:00:11.740 | to provide this for you in an audio format where you can listen to it. But he shares,

01:00:16.180 | Raptor shares an interesting story of what happened that just gives a little bit of local

01:00:20.140 | color into what was happening in the local situation. He says, "My business partner,

01:00:24.900 | who has significant wealth, had a home that was flooded. Inside the home was, as I referred

01:00:29.700 | to it, name brand art, originals whose artist names would be recognized by most people.

01:00:36.140 | The collection was worth a lot of money. He lived in an enclave, which has a pool house

01:00:40.520 | over 3,000 square feet, never mind the main house or guest house. Anyway, a few of his

01:00:45.380 | neighbors hired Blackwater to provide security while the place was flooded. We could not

01:00:50.300 | move the art out since the risk of name brand art in a boat is too risky for the insurance

01:00:55.700 | company. The art was hanging on the wall about three feet above the water level and was safe,

01:01:01.300 | but we just could not get to it safely because of debris, etc. So these Blackwater guys hunkered

01:01:06.620 | down on the second story of his home and a couple of neighbors' homes and kept looters

01:01:10.420 | out. They lived there for over two weeks. Anyway, the water finally goes down and we

01:01:14.420 | drive in with a truck and with several guys, including my partner and I. We chainsaw and

01:01:18.680 | yank trees out of the street so we can drive the truck up to the front yard and load up

01:01:22.000 | the artwork. There were about six of us and two of my guys are providing security, but

01:01:27.700 | we're not openly carrying weapons because we knew the Blackwater guys were around. We

01:01:31.500 | had them stashed away so we were not mistaken for looters. Anyway, this nondescript guy

01:01:35.620 | with a Glock and two mags and a holster comes walking up to my partner nonchalantly. My

01:01:40.020 | partner hands him his card and says what was obviously a password to this guy. The guy

01:01:45.780 | is cool and everybody goes to do their thing. Meanwhile, the Blackwater guy and my partner

01:01:50.100 | were talking. I noticed something about the Blackwater guy that does not look right. I

01:01:54.420 | couldn't place it at first, but then it hit me. His pants were pressed and he was wearing

01:01:58.660 | a clean t-shirt. Meanwhile, I look around at our guys and everyone is drenched in sweat

01:02:03.000 | and looks like a bum, especially me. However, then it really dawns on me. Not only is the

01:02:08.100 | guy clean, but he's not sweating very much at all. I then eye the guy and realize he's

01:02:12.660 | one of those very lean muscular people who, because they have so little body fat, hardly

01:02:17.540 | sweat. It is then that I realize his nonchalant walk was really just that. He did not need

01:02:22.860 | that Glock to kill everyone there. He could probably rip everyone's head off and kill

01:02:26.580 | them without need of a weapon. We were absolutely no threat in his eyes. He had been camping

01:02:31.460 | out in a flooded house for two weeks and was going home, and he looked better than we did

01:02:35.620 | after being on the job less than an hour. No lesson, just local color.

01:02:41.260 | Now, in a separate post, Raptor goes on and again, this particular forum is quite militant

01:02:49.540 | kind of appreciation for weapons and such. But he talks about this, and I think it's

01:02:52.980 | important, an important lesson. He says, "I'm going to climb on my soapbox now, and I'm

01:02:56.700 | not addressing anyone in particular. Too many people think planning and preparation involves

01:03:01.060 | having the best rifle, the best shotgun, the best pistol, and enough ammunition to hold

01:03:04.580 | off an army. Too many people turn it into some kind of video game. When the SHTF, it

01:03:10.060 | will not be pretty or fun. It will be dirty, grimy, and smelly, and not something that

01:03:15.780 | you want to do. I would prefer never to have to go through that situation ever again. However,

01:03:21.660 | two monster storms have hit in my lifetime, Camille and Katrina, and I certainly expect

01:03:26.060 | another, so I deal with it. Preparation involves many more skills than firearms and gunsmithing,

01:03:32.060 | stockpiling food and water. In addition to worrying about the adequacy of an arsenal,

01:03:36.700 | you should worry about how do I perform basic plumbing jobs, how do I disconnect or reconnect

01:03:41.180 | an electrical meter from a house, how to fix the generator, flat tire, or nail on a tarp

01:03:45.660 | or shingles to patch a roof. Basic electrical, plumbing, car repairs, and carpentry skills

01:03:50.580 | are always skills that you can use, and if necessary, trade for goods in a prolonged

01:03:55.380 | SHTF situation. Knowledge and skills are fundamentally valuable. In Orland's Parish, there was one

01:04:01.880 | guy who stayed open and did nothing but fix flat tires on cars. He had a skill very much

01:04:07.020 | in demand, and no one messed with him because he was "harmless and useful." A perception

01:04:12.100 | of "harmless and useful" is a very good position to be in. Fundamentally, you cannot

01:04:18.340 | stockpile enough food, water, and ammunition to last the rest of your life. However, knowledge

01:04:23.600 | and skills do not go stale, nor can anyone take them away. Technology may change, but

01:04:29.260 | you can adapt your skill set. The other skill is the mindset of survival

01:04:33.740 | and awareness, identifying potential risks and how they evolve, coping with the stress,

01:04:38.220 | and thinking outside of the box. I like to quote a movie line, "The hero, when asked

01:04:42.540 | what his favorite weapon was, said, 'My brains.'" Not saying firearms are not necessary,

01:04:48.300 | all I'm saying is training and knowledge are every bit as important.

01:04:54.580 | Now another listener or writer writes to Raptor and talks to him about the idea in his commentary

01:05:00.820 | on bribes, and I thought his discussion here was useful for you to hear. Somebody alleges

01:05:05.980 | that Louisiana has a higher bribe culture than other places. Raptor writes this, "I

01:05:11.620 | was waiting for someone who was going to make that comment about the culture of corruption

01:05:15.820 | that exists in Louisiana. I cannot imagine anyone being insulted by someone saying they

01:05:21.100 | come from a culture of corruption." I agree Louisiana has that reputation, and

01:05:25.660 | certainly having an ex-governor in jail for the last five years and a congressman with

01:05:29.380 | $90,000 in the freezer does not help that image. I take no offense at your statement,

01:05:34.060 | nor do I deny or defend any one of the scumbucket politicians. Nor, for that matter, do I advocate

01:05:39.140 | bribery in any form. In fact, I have a reputation for not giving a dime to local political campaigns

01:05:43.940 | or politicians in any form whatsoever. I cannot stand most of them. However, in a chaotic

01:05:50.380 | situation, money is one more tool to consider using. I brought up the subject since there

01:05:56.260 | was so much conversation about whether money was useful in a disaster. It is. I would also

01:06:02.940 | point out that historically people have been able to buy their way out of death camps,

01:06:06.900 | across borders to freedom, obtain important supplies, and get transportation from behind

01:06:12.420 | enemy lines with money, gold, diamonds, and promises of money. Blood shits. Bribery has

01:06:19.580 | worked in the US Civil War on both sides, Khmer Rouge, Nazi, Communist China, even North

01:06:24.420 | Korea today. Greed is hardwired into the brain of normal people. It is a weakness and opportunity

01:06:31.480 | that can be utilized in an emergency. It is up to you to know when and how to use it.

01:06:36.820 | At some point, I do agree you will have to explain your actions to a higher power. I'm

01:06:40.740 | cool with that too. However, I do want to address the stereotype of Louisiana being

01:06:48.020 | inherently more corrupt than any other place in the US. Let's go over some politicians

01:06:53.020 | who got in trouble and gives a list of politicians who are in jail for bribery and corruption.

01:07:00.060 | In a later question, Raptor is asked about why it is that he was involved in trying to

01:07:05.620 | get through checkpoints. He says this, "As far as Ben's, I spent fewer than most would

01:07:10.100 | assume. The cold drinks were quite welcome and effective. As for what I got out of it,

01:07:14.660 | if you're asking if I engaged in nefarious activity during this time, absolutely not.

01:07:18.860 | I have business and real estate in the city that required attention. I got access and

01:07:23.340 | assistance in a time of chaos when others were wrongfully denied access. Nothing more.

01:07:29.260 | The biggest thing I received was to be left unharassed. I went in to secure my property.

01:07:34.740 | If I did not do it, no one else would. Given a choice, I would have preferred to have stayed

01:07:38.700 | in Atlanta with my family and simply not dealt with the situation. Unfortunately, the buck

01:07:43.820 | stops with me."

01:07:44.820 | Now, much, much later in the forum discussion, there are a couple of other unique insights

01:07:51.460 | from Raptor. And here I'm going to provide a little bit of commentary. First, somebody

01:07:55.420 | had previously written this suggestion, "I have enough money with you for at least two

01:07:59.420 | weeks. Many of those who arrived here had very little in cash, relying on checkbooks

01:08:04.740 | and credit cards to fund their purchases. Guess what? Their small banks down in South

01:08:09.100 | Louisiana were all offline, and their balances, credit authorizations, etc. could not be checked.

01:08:15.740 | Another thing, don't bring only large bills. Many gas stations, convenience stores, etc.

01:08:19.300 | won't accept anything larger than a $20 bill. Some of my guests had plenty of $100

01:08:23.780 | bills but couldn't buy anything. I think it may be a good idea to have a bug-out bank

01:08:27.940 | account with a national bank so that funds should be available anywhere they have a branch,

01:08:32.300 | rather than keeping all of one's money in a single bank, particularly a local one or

01:08:36.060 | credit union."

01:08:37.060 | This is, of course, over and above one's bug-out stash of ready cash. Raptor writes

01:08:41.660 | back and, of course, reminds us, "Forget precious metals and debit cards. In the early

01:08:45.960 | days of a situation like this, cash and an Amex card is the answer."

01:08:50.020 | Now, that was Raptor's perspective, but I just want to reiterate, it's important

01:08:54.860 | to make sure that you always have money, and you should have that money in the most fungible

01:08:59.260 | forms, the most readily accepted forms. And so cash is always your solution. And what

01:09:04.100 | people often forget, cash is not always your solution. Cash is frequently your first solution.

01:09:10.520 | And so when we think of a concept like diversification, you want to practice diversification in every

01:09:16.260 | area of your life. You don't put all your money in one bank account.

01:09:19.700 | Now, is it possible that you don't put all your money in one bank account because

01:09:23.980 | that bank could go down and could go bankrupt? Sure. FDIC protection, sure, it's valuable.

01:09:31.620 | That'll protect you in that situation. But you don't keep all your money in one bank

01:09:34.460 | account because if your bank is a regional bank or a local credit union and your local

01:09:38.580 | area is wiped out, as these banks were in New Orleans, you don't have access to anything.

01:09:43.460 | You don't have access to your money. So you diversify your banking systems. You make sure

01:09:47.620 | that you have money in local accounts. You make sure that you have money in a national

01:09:51.300 | bank account. You make sure that you have cash in various forms. Sometimes the $100

01:09:56.300 | bill is the bill that you need because that's what opens the door to access to town or something

01:10:02.900 | like that. But in other situations, you need those fives and tens. So you make sure that

01:10:06.780 | you set aside a diversity of money. One of the things I frequently have recommended to

01:10:11.500 | people whenever you're putting aside emergency cash, what I recommend you do is set aside,

01:10:15.300 | let's say you're going to set it aside in $1,000 chunks. That's a convenient form to

01:10:19.000 | set it aside in. Make sure you have a few hundred dollar bills, some fifties, twenties,

01:10:23.020 | fives, tens, and ones. Put all of those things there. Make sure that they're all there. Similar

01:10:28.220 | things, precious metals don't work. They don't do you any good in the context of a hurricane.

01:10:33.460 | A cold case of beer in a cooler will buy you probably more than precious metals will. But

01:10:38.860 | on the other hand, if you're in a different situation, then that cold case of beer doesn't

01:10:42.940 | do what precious metals will. So don't, this is the error in people's thinking is basically

01:10:48.540 | all of these forms are valuable and it depends on the actual disaster. So if you diversify

01:10:54.140 | your savings, if you diversify your cash holdings, then you have options. Same thing, good American

01:10:59.980 | Express card or a few different credit cards that buys you a whole bunch of things really

01:11:04.580 | fast. It would be a pain to always keep tens of thousands of dollars around in cash just

01:11:10.180 | for emergencies, but you can easily keep aside significant amounts of money that would be

01:11:14.620 | available in a course of weeks and then just float those weeks with the use of credit cards.

01:11:21.820 | Couple other points here made by, a couple other points made by Raptor. And first, of

01:11:29.100 | course, with pets, you are responsible for caring for the members of your family. So

01:11:34.620 | that's pets or if that is elderly people or if that is handicapped family members or if

01:11:39.580 | that's young children, you have to think differently. My circumstance, having young children is

01:11:44.880 | different than your circumstance if you have elderly parents, but you need to think ahead

01:11:49.200 | and take responsibility for those in your life, including your pets. So again, here

01:11:55.260 | is a comment by a different person. "When help gets there, you may get it whether you

01:11:58.400 | like it or not. There are numerous reports of aggressive overbearing behavior by those

01:12:02.140 | rescuers who are first arrived at disaster scenes. It's perhaps best described as, 'I'm

01:12:06.820 | here to rescue you. I'm in charge. Do as I say. If you don't, I'll shoot you.' In

01:12:10.660 | one incident, a family who had prepared and survived quite well were ordered, not invited,

01:12:15.260 | to get onto a truck with only the clothes on their back. When they objected, they were

01:12:19.020 | threatened. They had pets and wanted to know what would happen to them, and they report

01:12:22.540 | that a uniformed man, agency unknown, began pointing his rifle at the pets with the words,

01:12:27.180 | 'I'll fix that.' " Raptor's comment, "Prepare for your pets. Do not turn them over to the

01:12:31.700 | authorities and expect them to be returned alive." Additional comment, "There seems

01:12:36.180 | to be a cumulative psychological effect upon survivors. This is clear even, or perhaps

01:12:40.660 | particularly in those who were prepared for a disaster. During and immediately after the

01:12:44.900 | disaster, these folks were at their best, dealing with damage, setting up alternative

01:12:48.620 | accommodation, light, food sources, etc. However, after a few days in the heat and debris, perhaps

01:12:54.540 | worst of all being the smell of dead bodies nearby, many found their ability to remain

01:12:58.700 | positive and upbeat being strained to the limit. There are numerous reports of individuals

01:13:03.620 | becoming depressed, morose, and withdrawn. This seemed to happen to even the strongest

01:13:07.900 | personalities. The arrival of rescuers provided a temporary boost, but once evacuated, a sort

01:13:13.420 | of after-action shell shock seems to be commonly experienced." I don't know enough about this

01:13:18.460 | to comment further, but I suspect that staying in place has a lot to do with it. There is

01:13:22.460 | no challenge to keep moving, find one's survival needs, and care for the group, and one is

01:13:27.140 | surrounded by vivid reminders of the devastation. By staying among the ruins of one's former

01:13:32.140 | life, one may be exposing oneself to a greater risk of psychological deterioration. Raptor's

01:13:37.180 | response was this, "Do not underestimate the psychological toll that a disaster will

01:13:41.740 | take on you and your loved ones. The impact will be much worse than you think. These post-disaster

01:13:47.140 | problems were evident in a lot of people. PTSD-related problems, domestic violence,

01:13:52.140 | suicide, and depression were epidemic. The stress also likely accelerated the deaths

01:13:56.580 | of many elderly people who could not deal with the stress and related issues." That's

01:14:01.980 | Raptor's point. I would simply say one of the most valuable reasons for you to be prepared

01:14:08.380 | is to seek to maintain any degree of normalcy and low stress in your life that you can.

01:14:14.140 | Now, you can't evade all stress in life. You can't evade all disasters that would happen,

01:14:19.940 | but anything you can do to keep your family together, to keep yourself together, and to

01:14:23.940 | maintain any normalcy that is possible will help. And if you're in a situation where you

01:14:29.740 | see significant toll happening, don't be scared to spend money or whatever is needed to make

01:14:35.420 | sure that you attend to the psychological and emotional and spiritual needs of yourself

01:14:40.580 | and your family. Those things have a very long-term influence, and it's important to

01:14:45.260 | make sure that anything is possible that you maintain your health in those areas.

01:14:50.580 | One other question came in this way. Another commenter had written this, "Your personal

01:14:54.500 | and/or corporate supplies and facilities may be commandeered without warning, receipt,

01:14:58.900 | or compensation. I've had numerous reports from in and near the disaster zone of individuals

01:15:03.700 | (for example, boat owners, farmers with barns, tractors, etc.) and corporate groups (such

01:15:09.060 | as companies with heavy equipment, churches with halls, etc.) finding an official on their

01:15:13.320 | doorstep demanding the use of their facilities or equipment. If they demurred, they were

01:15:17.940 | told that this was an emergency situation and that their assistance was being required,

01:15:22.940 | not requested." Raptor responds with this comment. He says, "I ran into this myself

01:15:27.700 | with fuel. Both gasoline and diesel were requisitioned from me. It pissed me off each and every time,

01:15:34.500 | but I did give it to them. So I guess I have no one to blame for this but me."

01:15:39.620 | Another commenter asks Raptor specifically, he says, "Who requisitioned it from you?

01:15:44.180 | How did they go about it? Did they ask nicely? Did you just go out and find them taking it

01:15:47.600 | or what? How do you think things would have played out had you politely but firmly declined?"

01:15:51.420 | Raptor responds with his experience. He says, "It varied. They were all locals and they

01:15:55.860 | did stop after fuel became available after about two weeks. Finding fuel, especially

01:16:00.780 | diesel, was difficult in the first two weeks. Apparently they had diesel generators. My

01:16:05.420 | pickup was diesel and I was carrying fuel to a generator from my building to get it

01:16:09.300 | back up on line. I made several trips over several days with about a dozen fuel jugs

01:16:13.660 | in the truck bed to get fuel for the generator. I later obtained several drums. I found they

01:16:18.500 | did not try to requisition a whole drum, probably because it weighs 500+ pounds. Five-gallon

01:16:24.300 | jugs on the other hand, when carried in the pickup truck bed, were easy to requisition.

01:16:28.680 | They are a nice handy size. It was not done in a threatening manner, but it was clear

01:16:32.860 | that you had no choice in the matter. You could be a street attorney and protest, and

01:16:37.140 | they would give you problems and take all your fuel, or you could be a good citizen

01:16:40.460 | and give them two or three of the jugs of fuel and go on your way. They also did not

01:16:44.100 | have any receipts to give you for your "donation." I did ask for that once. They also did not

01:16:49.820 | give me back the empty jugs, which were even more difficult to find than diesel. I tried

01:16:54.100 | to trade empty for full once and was told they did not have the jugs with them, but

01:16:58.100 | I could come back later with more full jugs to give them. I likely gave up the fuel too

01:17:03.340 | easily, but I did not want any trouble from the law enforcement officers. I knew what

01:17:07.220 | happened to troublemakers. If I had made a stink about it, I probably could have kept

01:17:10.820 | the fuel. I can be very persuasive. However, I am also sure that would come at a price

01:17:15.440 | more than the fuel was worth at the time. My comment was that, in retrospect, it still

01:17:20.900 | angers me. However, I would likely do the same thing under the same circumstances.

01:17:27.260 | That concludes the forum posts from this particular thread that I am going to read. Now obviously,

01:17:31.460 | I hope this format has not been too disjointed. I wanted to keep this in the minds, in the

01:17:37.980 | words of somebody who had been through Hurricane Katrina. And I had previously tried to record

01:17:42.820 | the show with my updating all the things that were out of date and providing commentary

01:17:48.260 | and expanding. It was just, it was too convoluted. So I've just kept this in the words of this

01:17:52.420 | particular poster, Raptor. And I hope that you will take the lessons or whatever the

01:17:57.220 | examples are from this situation and apply it, apply them to your own circumstances.

01:18:03.220 | I will simply say this, one of the most valuable things that you can learn about Katrina or

01:18:08.140 | from Katrina is probably how quickly it really can happen here, wherever here is for you.

01:18:17.140 | And it's hard to overestimate. Katrina changed the face of US government response. It was

01:18:23.940 | such a boondoggle on different scenarios. I remember a number of years ago, I read President

01:18:31.060 | Bush's, former President Bush's biography and he, autobiography and he talked about

01:18:36.260 | Katrina and I just, it was such a boondoggle at all levels. But when the things break down,

01:18:44.460 | they can break down very quickly. And so you need to be prepared for such an event. You

01:18:49.740 | need to be flexible in your thinking and you need to have multiple options considered.

01:18:55.980 | If you run a business, think about what would happen with your businesses. Think about some

01:18:59.060 | of those things like with your employees. Can you, could you pay your employees? Do

01:19:01.820 | you have the reserves, et cetera? In your personal situation, just think about things

01:19:05.460 | like that. Now, chances are a hurricane like Katrina will not happen again, but there will

01:19:10.180 | be something else, whether it's an earthquake or a forest fire or something else that happens.

01:19:17.340 | And those types of events can make a big, big difference. So I hope these thoughts from

01:19:23.020 | somebody who was through it are useful to you, from somebody who wasn't trying to publicize

01:19:28.140 | anything, wasn't trying to make a political comment, was just talking with their online

01:19:31.860 | friends about their experience. I hope this has been useful to you. So go out and prepare

01:19:36.380 | accordingly.

RPF0584-When_Hurrican_Katrina_Came_Through_Town