You have likely seen the reports from mid-west tornados where the community pulls together - working to help those who lost everything and rebuild the town. This can happen when the town is relatively small and like-minded. It also depends on the crisis being short term and localized so that the surrounding (unaffected) area can supply resources – water, gasoline, electrical grid repair, etc. It’s a whole different story if the problem happens in a city, extends over a broad area or brings down the grid / supply chain for more than 2-3 days.
Hurricane Katrina served as a wakeup call in this regard. It hit New Orleans and much of the surrounding area in August 2005 – resulting in over 1800 deaths and around $100 Billion in damage. As part of the evacuation scheme, the Louisiana Superdome was used as a temporary housing area. Early in the crisis, about 16,000 people were in the dome but the population peaked at about 30,000. The dome lost electricity early on and then lost sewage handling. There was inadequate food and water, no cots, no medical supplies and – best of all – the National Guard made sure no one could leave.
Per Wikipedia - “By August 30, with no air conditioning, temperatures inside the dome had reached the 90s, and the punctured dome at once allowed humidity in and trapped it there. Tempers began to flare as hunger and thirst deepened. Food rotted inside the hundreds of unpowered refrigerators and freezers spread throughout the building. Blood and feces covered the walls of the facility. According to many, the smell inside the stadium was revolting due to the breakdown of the plumbing system…” A report in the Seattle Times was more graphic reporting drugs, rape, gunshots, and other violence that occurred.
What did not make the news were the conditions within New Orleans. I’ve talked to someone who was in the city immediately after the storm. He said that there were 2 classes of people who remained – those who could not get out and those who stayed to take advantage of the chaos. Every store was looted. Violence was routine. His team went into a nursing home to check on the inhabitants. They were all dead – abandoned by the staff and left to die without care. A news crew in the area did not want to enter the building or report on the facts.
So how do I expect people to behave in an extended crisis – very badly – primitive, law of the jungle, violent. When their children are starving - otherwise decent people become willing to use any method to protect their family. Those with mental issues will be totally unpredictable without their medications. Those with criminal tendencies will take advantage of the situation. And don’t expect law enforcement to be much help. During Katrina, many officers confiscated firearms – both to control the violence and to protect themselves.
In the book “Suburban Warfare,” retired police officer Don Shift explains that you can expect law enforcement to change dramatically in a crisis. Their first reaction to the heightened threat will be to come down hard. This was evident after the Boston Marathon Bombing with unconstitutional lockdowns and home searches. It was also evident during the hunt for Christopher Dorner in 2013 - an ex-police officer ambushing cops in Southern California. Officers became very aggressive – stopping cars at random to perform illegal searches. In one instance, panicked officers shot at a random car even though it did not match the description of the suspect vehicle. This phase will continue as long as police believe that law enforcement near their home are keeping their family safe. Once things decay too far, most police will be off the streets protecting their own families.
Bottom line – you will be your own first responder – be that for medical, fire or violence.
You can find much more in my book “Thriving in Times of Chaos” available on Amazon. It provides time-phased actions to become more sustainable in any location along with links to additional information and useful products. A more complete description of the book along with a PDF version are available on my website.
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