To All my Prepper Friends (and those who call me crazy) This weekend we had the loathsome opportunity to witness a real life disaster as it unfolded. This was no Hollywood action movie, nor National Geographic documentary. This was the real thing. I am, of course, speaking of super typhoon Yolanda that swept through our beautiful islands of the Philippines this past weekend. We knew the typhoon was coming well in advance. Everyone was talking about how bad it was going to be, but few lifted a finger to prepare for it. Yes, the government sent out statements telling people to move to higher ground. The news papers were filled with pictures of the Philippine coast guard standing ready to serve, ----- (IN MANILA! 600 klm away from the expected landfall site). The president came on TV telling everyone that stores of food, water, and medical supplies were being staged (again, in Manila) to be ready to ship as needed. Our household prepared for the possibility of a full on disaster. My bug out bag was checked and resupplied. My combat med kit was inventoried and restocked. Everything that could be, was sealed up water tight. Solar chargers were check and recharged, batteries replaced, camping gear assembled. We did everything that we could think of, just in case. As it turned out, we were spared the devastation. Our location on the main island of Luzon received only a short bout of high winds and a little rain. I just wish I could say the same for the folks down south. What occurred AFTER the storm is where my story truly lays. Hours after the storm had subsided; we began receiving the news of the dead and missing, and the total loss of power and communication in the region. Then it really started. Reports started surfacing of looting the damaged stores and warehouses. Photos of people fighting over food and clean drinking water were being text around the internet. The government could not respond to anything, as “the roads are blocked”. The president managed to do a fly over to evaluate the destruction, but could not find a way to get supplies to the area. A C130 did manage to land in Tocloban, but little was said about what it was carrying. And then it happened; a Red Cross truck carrying much needed supplies was waylaid and stripped on its way into the disaster zone. This was the incident that got the attention of international news. The response from the president is to invoke marshal law and allow the military to intercede. This drama is still unfolding even as I write this. How this will all end, God only knows. What it has taught me first hand is that for those people, who think my prepping is a foolish waste of time and money, I say; “YOU live through something like this, and you will prep too!!” When you SEE, not in days, but within hours of the disaster, people are clamoring to find shelter, food, and water. When you SEE photos of gun welding gangs go from location to location TAKING anything and everything they want. When you hear friends recount their desperation over the total loss of life and livelihood, YOU TOO WILL UNDERSTAND. This world WILL fall into udder chaos within moments of any natural or man-made disaster. BE PREPARED!
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 00:25:44 +0000
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