When You Need Them . . . .

The headline in the LA Times struck me as one of the indications of how our society has become either you do it my way or you don’t do it at all. The idea that FEMA will not supply ice may seem small but think about it. After the fiasco that was started by hurricane Katrina and the flood that followed, the government was able to purchase supplies that were desperately needed. Unfortunately it was impossible to get all of the needed items to the people. The need for ice was obvious to even those who were nowhere close to the area in need. The fact is that many never received the ice while warehouses were filling with the product that eventually was never used. It then became a problem when the government realized that it had to pay to store an item that should just have been given to anyone who wanted or said that they needed it. Some items just do not store indefinitely. You may wish that you could store ice for any future emergency, but you can not freeze dry ice. That is a purchasing decision and something that must be contracted in advance with companies that can produce the product in quantity in a very short time. They are better able to store such products. Theses suppliers should know how to prepare for above normal use of the products that they manufacture. It is common for large companies such as Wal*Mart to be able to aid the communities where they are located in times of need or in times of local celebration.
After a major fire in the Los Angeles area one local Wal*Mart sent fire fighters pallets of water to help keep the fire fighters hydrated. When the weather changed, that same store was giving the fire fighters warm clothing to supplement what they were able to bring with them when they originally responded to the emergency. This activity can occur on a limited basis but when the big earthquakes come and the big storms come then the cities, counties, states and federal government must be prepared to work together to provide those things that are needed, but that the people can not obtain easily in their time of need. When the utilities are not working then many items are needed to sustain life. Water first then food are needed but it takes time for normal distribution channels to return to serve the people. It takes time for electrical service to return to close to normal. Without electrical service most people are without the ability to store such products as milk for their children. That is when the government can be at its best and supply the needed ice to the public. Depending on the private sector may seem easy, but it needs the coordination that is only possible on a national level. We need the ability to coordinate large movements on a national level. The ability to utilize both the private and public sectors, to move large groups of people and to move the supplies that all will need. Busses that can move many people must be obtained and brought to the people who need it very quickly. The food that large groups of people will need must be transported during very difficult times and that can be impossible for most to achieve.
So we can not say that the government will not supply ice in the future. It is impossible to know what supplies will be needed, the next time we have a disaster. We must have the ability to do what is needed in the shortest time and the ability to prepare for those times. You can only find who has the abilities that you may need and then if you have the time in advance start the process before your deadline comes. A hurricane will give you some lead time while an earthquake does not give you that ability.
That old adage
PLAN AHEA
D
Does apply.