Preparing for the worst
General has a message for Americans: Get ready for the next disaster before it happens
Fri, Jan 11, 2008 (2 a.m.)
Lt. Gen. Russel Honore led the Army into New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and became a larger-than-life figure, barking orders and chomping on an ever-present cigar.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin called Honore a “John Wayne dude,” but what made Honore memorable wasn’t the swagger, it was that he got things done. He spurred what had been a dismal federal response to the disaster.
Honore is retiring Friday, and he wants America to apply the lessons he learned from the hurricane. Honore wants to create a national “culture of preparedness.”
“There’s an attitude everywhere else that people are smarter than they are in New Orleans and in Mississippi,” the Louisiana native said. “They’re not.”
Honore has begun discussing his ideas with government and civic leaders and is figuring out how to get his message across. It is, on the surface, fairly simple advice. He suggests that local governments stockpile food and water so officials can start helping people immediately, instead of waiting for the federal government. He encourages drugstores and other businesses to invest in generators so they have electricity in case of a prolonged power outage.
He envisions classes to teach young people first aid and basic survival skills and wants families to have emergency plans and to make preparations, including filling backpacks with supplies.
“In this new normal, with the possibility of terrorist attacks, natural disasters and industrial accidents, we need this culture of preparedness,” Honore said. “A vast part of America still thinks, ‘That couldn’t happen where I live.’ And they are dead damn wrong.”
That may sound alarmist to some, but who would have thought that Fernley would flood, as it did Saturday after a levee break?
Honore’s effort is noble and we hope people listen to his message. A little preparation now can pay off big in a disaster.
