Preppers: Underestimating the Situation
Kevin Felts 09.25.17
When listening to Hurricane Harvey flood survivors, one of the common statements is, “I did not expect it to be this bad.” Evan as Harvey was making landfall, just about everyone along the coast of Texas was underestimating the storm.
However, people in Houston should have known Harvey was going to be bad. Parts of that town flood when there is a thunderstorm, much less when a category four Hurricane makes landfall, stalls, goes back out into the gulf, then makes a second landfall.
The people who were really caught off-guard were the communities to the east and west of Houston which had never flooded before but suddenly found themselves underwater.
Underestimating
What else are we underestimating?
- Maybe the Yellowstone super volcano?
- How about tensions between the United States and North Korea?
- Surely we are underestimating how far China will go to protect North Korea?
- Iran is still advancing its nuclear technology. Are they being honest in saying their nuclear research is for non-military purposes?
Something I feel society is underestimating is disease. Modern transportation and compact cities filled with millions of people are a perfect vector for a new disease. This could be our old enemy the flu, or something entirely new.
Readers may say, “Kevin, we have vaccines.” To that, I say, where is the Ebola or HIV vaccine? HIV has been known since at least the 1980s, billions of dollars have been poured into research, and we still do not have a cure or vaccine. If HIV had been airborne, where would we be today?
Rebuilding
A lot of people along the coastal region of Texas were caught by surprise. The good news is, they are already starting the rebuilding process.
Sunday, September 24, 2017, I made a trip to Bridge City, Texas to see my parents and take care of some other business. House after house had an RV parked in the driveway. The streets were lined with debris torn from the homes and put out for pickup.
Personally, I feel one thing that keeps people motivated is the idea of rebuilding. They will rebuild their homes and their lives. I often wonder how people would act if there was no hope of rebuilding, such as after a nuclear strike. They would have no choice but to relocate and begin life anew somewhere else.
For the sake of discussion let’s say a million people had to relocate, where would they go? I feel we are underestimating how difficult it would be for an entire city to relocate. This means finding employment and housing — and food — for one million souls.
We take a lot of stuff for granted, such as being able to find resources. I hope the day never comes when there is no hope, for without hope, we have no future.
