Thread: After the disaster how will you act?

Finished reading "One Second After" last week...it discusses the actions of people, and the breakdown of society after an EMP attack on the USA.



Just started this...







In the book, Alas Babylon, the main character Randy, after a nuclear detonation, and upon encountering a car crash in which a woman is lying on the road...thinks:



"In this second Randy made an important decision. Yesterday, he would have stopped instantly. There would have been no question about it. When there was an accident, and someone was hurt, a man stopped. But yesterday was a past period in history, with laws and rules archaic as ancient Rome's. Today the rules had changed, just as Roman law gave way to atavistic barbarism as the empire fell to Hun and Goth. Today a man saved himself and his family and to hell with everyone else."





How do you think you would react if a disaster happened to you?

Society seems to follow this cycle. The group that cooperates and coordinates best survives while others die. The best at cooperating and coordinating thrive until they reach a point when cooperation and coordination are no longer required. Then people can live quite comfortably without the slightest concern for others. This leads to an innevitable rot which weakens the society, and leaves everyone totally exposed to the first calamity that comes along. The first calamity that comes along eventually comes along and there are simply no systems in place to deal with it... another group that IS cooperating and coordinating their actions moves into the void and assumes their position at the top of the food chain.



Today we'd feed off each other out of habit and fear - even in situations when cooperating - or helping a victim of an accident - wouldn't have cost us a thing.





I know how I would react. I would prioritise my family, then myself. But after that, if helping people doesn't jeapordise our safety, then absolutely I would do whatever I could. The thing is I don't expect the same from probably 90% of my neighbors. I'd fully expect them to be at Walmart stealing TV's.

I have the added luxury of being the only guy on the block with a firearm.

I'd like to think I would be the same...but one never knows.

[quote name='Davocrat' date='17 October 2009 - 05:53 PM' timestamp='1255816395' post='40151']

Careful, Con. Last time you went off reading, you came back claiming Fahrenheit 451 was an indictment of liberalism.

[/quote]



Not an indictment...an application.

I survived Hugo. The day before the hurricane hit I was shopping at the local hardware store and ran into the wives of the some big hitters in the area. They shared their "shopping list" with me and told me the storm would be more damaging than what was predicted. So, I bought a generator, and all the normal things you need to ride out a storm and deal with the aftermath. We rode out the storm in my pantry (the bomb shelter as my son called it). We survived the actual hurricane with some roof damage, a lot of trees down and no electricity for a few weeks.



The morning after it hit my neighbor came over with his chain saw and cut the trees off the house. All of the neighbors checked on each other and made sure everyone was ok. I had a lot of camping equipment so we heated coffee over the gas grill, that helped the coffee drinkers lol. I hooked the generator up to keep the deep freeze going and neighbors put their food in there as well. Between all of the neighbors we had enough propone to keep everyone fed until the power came back.



I believe I would handle a "Babylon" situation the same way. Taking care of the people I love and care about.



I may fall apart after a crisis has passed but during one I always remain calm. It's one of Dad's traits that I learned or inherited.

I would pack my shit and get on either a 48ft Grand Banks or a 38ft Erickson and head south, probably the Erickson so I wouldn't have to worry about fuel. Maybe take both and remain together. Keep my shoulder holster filled as well as having my 30cal carbine handy (500+ rounds of each). Be very observant till I exited the bay at Norfolk.



That's what I would do.

The multitude of islands from Grand Bahama all the way to South America with a handful of inhabitants were self sufficient before the catastrophy, they'll be fine after it.