Total confidence
Could be better or updated
Should be better and updated
Insufficient
It's a federal responsibility
It's a state responsibility
It's a municipal responsibility
It's an individual responsibility
It's an NGO and charity responsibility
Disaster Preparedness
Time to bring this up again, after Japan's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
We had some good threads post-hurricanes Katrina and Rita, tsunami in Sumatra, earthquakes in China and Haiti. (Some at that other place.)
Now that all nations are tightening budgets, experimenting with austerity, and the US has a particular movement geared toward "small government".....
Discuss. See poll.
I've noticed more frequent emergency alerts from my comcast cable TV....the black screen with that BEEEEEEEEP alarm interrupting all telecasts, telling us where to turn for updates in the case of emergency. They're just practice exercises, usually required by the FCC. Maybe it's just my perception that they're more frequently broadcast now, I don't know. But I do live within 100 miles of both TMI and Peach Bottom nuclear power plants, and another one slightly farther north.
So I turn to the recommended channel, and it just says.....this is a Test.....in the case of a real emergency, turn to this channel for more information.
The recent events don't do any favors for the GOP's attempt to gut funding towards the tsunami early warning system
Japan has spent more than a billion dollars on their earthquake prediction system, and it worked. Even with only about a minute warning, it no doubt saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives.
Funding and preparation like that, its got to come from high up.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Funny thing about the Japanese government. Their higher-ups and experts have already stated that the tsunami barriers need re-evaluation and improvement. They immediately took responsibility for any flaws or shortcomings (even though their preparedness plans are far above any other island nation) and have already begun trying to make it better when they rebuild.
In contrast, when the US has a disaster like Katrina or Rita, no one wants to be accountable. Then we end up with desperate people on roof tops pleading for potable water, ten days into a crisis.
Japan rescued over 3,000 people and evacuated over 180,000 people in the first two days of their crisis, before any help from the outside. That's an amazing feat, one worth admiration.
I would venture that Japanese are more willing to engage in drills, which is also very important if you want your procedures to be effective. You see American citizens doing that? A lot of Americans seem to even refuse to move when the real thing is coming.
Congratulations America
Lewk will be right along, to explain cultural diversity in America.
Best we had were public service announcements during the Cold War. I remember grade school doing bomb drills, but my parents would laugh at us when we showed them the "technique" at home.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
We have municipal sirens (they are super loud) but they are only alerting volunteer fire fighters or fire police.
You can never be truly prepared for Zombies!
Get off my lawn
I can live without #16 and #17
Fuck off.Originally Posted by sheadunne
In the future, the Berlin wall will be a mile high, and made of steel. You too will be made to crawl, to lick children's blood from jackboots. There will be no creativity, only productivity. Instead of love there will be fear and distrust, instead of surrender there will be submission. Contact will be replaced with isolation, and joy with shame. Hope will cease to exist as a concept. The Earth will be covered with steel and concrete. There will be an electronic policeman in every head. Your children will be born in chains, live only to serve, and die in anguish and ignorance.
The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.
Actually, Shea is right, it's at least very difficult to be prepared for zombies. Who could ever justify the expense?
Zombies as a metaphor, well what government would possibly want to fight against that which zombies represent? Namely the source/means of all their mischievous power.
As for Sweden, I have nfi. Sweden tends to avoid disasters.
I am curious as to how Draco feels about disaster preparedness.
You claim to be in the medical profession, but you're talking about zombie metaphors for humans.. Would that mean the elderly that just won't die, because giving care to the elderly --or dying --- prolongs their life? Would it really be such a burden on society if I have to wear a Poise Pad because I laugh while cooking for my family?
-or-
Fuck off.
Three voters in the poll. Great. My polls still suck. Or y'all suck for not voting in anonymous polls. What are you waiting for?
Actually I was thinking of cubicled drones and the like. believe it or not I do not concern myself with your terror of/resentment for aging 24/7. This is alas not on topic
Then fuck off.
Or you tone it down a bit ?
Congratulations America
Sure, I'll tone it down to cubicled drones. For minx and her disaster preparedness.
I'm currently reading a short book by a politics professor I know, currently with Tuft's Fletcher School, in which he analyzes the different academic/policy approaches to IR through the application of a Zombies scenario.
Last night as I lay in bed, looking up at the stars, I thought, “Where the hell is my ceiling?"
Seeing the pictures from Japan I realised we aren't prepared enough by far in Istanbul. If that city would be hit by a big earth quake probably we'd have to fence for ourselves for a couple of days. It would really make sense to stock up on some supplies that can be used in such an event. Maybe even have one of thos small tents ready just in case. We could camp out on the vacant lot next to my house if worst comes to worst.
If the Netherlands are flooded then we're toast anyway, no way to get out in time. All we could do is sit it out on the top floor of our appartment.
Congratulations America
And that means what in language I could understand without reading his book ?
Congratulations America
International relations once patient zero appears.
"In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."
Oh IC, funny take that. Maybe I should have a real look at the book then. I wonder how he squares typhoid mary's with an attempt at securing one's national interests.
Congratulations America
Probably because the measures undertaken in those drills would have absolutely no effect in the event of a nuclear strike.
http://www.amazon.com/Theories-Inter.../dp/0691147833
Hope is the denial of reality
It's mostly a means of examining, explaining, and critiquing the different IR approaches.
Last night as I lay in bed, looking up at the stars, I thought, “Where the hell is my ceiling?"
If I don't forget it I will get it as an audio book. May be fun to listen to on the walk to work.
Congratulations America
Great recommendation! Must acquire
Disaster preparedness can always be improved. The Monday-morning quarterbacking that our news media is doing is disgusting. You can try your best to be prepared for every scenario, and then nature throws you a curveball. To think we mere humans can calculate every possible event that nature can cause is impossible. Science is ever evolving; we are doing pretty well at learning and adapting so that the next disaster may not be as catastrophic.
However, it is everyone's responsibility to make sure that they are prepared: from individual on up to national levels. Individuals should learn their evacuation routes, municipalities should have their employees ready to take on coordinating evacs/recovery, and so forth and so forth.
Unfortunately sometimes in a disaster you are left to survive on your own, with maybe a few others along for the ride. We should all help each other out when it comes to an emergency, but also remember to be prepared ourselves.
EDIT: This is why I should stay out of D&D. My votes were on who I think should be responsible for preparedness, not who currently is. Most of the time in the US it seems that who is responsible never comes out until finger pointing begins (ex: Hurricane Katrina)
I haven't thought (or read into) about such a topic.
I'd rather see a private institution/company go about it all, but I can already think of a number of reasons as to why it might not work as 'better'..but I don't have the time to get into it. Whilst I believe that the governments sole responsibility should be to protect the rights of its citizens, I've never never thought about whether that would include against natural disasters. In one way, I'd say it does, but then that raises other issues.
Last edited by Draco; 03-15-2011 at 11:30 AM.
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