So, despite YEARS of experience as to what happens when a hurricane hits a major US population center….and even more experience as to the needed supplies and what comes to be in short supply immediately before a hurricane, folks in Florida are just now deciding to ramp up their hurricane preps……and running into supply chain issues.
Seems that water is nearly nonexistent. Same same no prep/low prep foods. Same batteries and diapers. And gasoline (although the gasoline issue is exacerbated somewhat by the hurricane Harvey caused shutdown of some of the refineries that supply the South, so I’ll give ’em a pass on that, sorta)
How friggin’ hard is it to have a gallon of water per person per day for say 5 days in preps? I mean, lets say a family of five. That is 25 gallons of water to be stored. Yes, I get that it is bulky and heavy, but to have it can, literally, be a lifesaver. It isn’t like it needs any more storage care than a brick, short term, so why doesn’t everyone in an area where hurricanes are common have some water stored?
Food, also. Really canned/freeze dried/MRE etc is about as stable as lumber is for storage. Keep it dry and, in the short term (like 2+ years) the food is good and safe to eat, if not tasty.
I’m not talking long term preps like some of us have, but simple short term preps for a natural disaster. It isn’t hard to get a few 5 gallon cans and rotate them every 3-6 months to keep your gas fresh. I do it, and trust me, if there is a lazier man than me, I haven’t found one…
Or do these multitudes think that it is the responsibility of the “government” or “FEMA” to save their asses? Supply them with Food and Water in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane, where there is no power, few (if any) passable roads, and the first responders themselves may need help? Or do they fail to realize that they have many fellow citizens who think like them, all of whom will choose, at the last minute, to “stock up” just in case?