Moore, Oklahoma is a small town filled with friendly folk – the kind you expect to see helping each other out during troubled times.
And then a tornado leveled the town and forced its residents to evacuate and recover from the devastation.
True to its nature, it was heart-warming and patriotic to see people from all over respond to the emergency and come to help out with the search, rescue, and recovery
But what happens when a thousand unsolicited volunteers show up to an area struck by disaster to help out… and they have no provisions?
As good-hearted volunteers swarmed to Moore to help out, many found a surprising lack of resources as they entered the devastated area – with food, water and lodging limited.
Early news reports were that volunteers were even turned away due to problems with sustaining them (though this has not been verified).
- Some local businesses took part in price gouging, jacking up the prices sky-high on everything from lodging to bottled water!
- Though local law enforcement responded quickly, there were a few wolves circling the sheep to take advantage of others’ misfortune by looting abandoned houses.
- The town even called in National Guard troops and put in place a curfew to protect local citizens. By some definitions, this amounts to “martial law” and however innocent or necessary it might be, there’s always the potential for problems when there are multiple “acting Commanders” (civilian, government, and military) on the ground.
While there were no abuses known in Moore, OK, we can look to recent history for the potential for gun confiscation and other “issues” as always being a threat during times when there’s a lock-down on your town – disaster or not.
Many people have tuned into the news of the recent tornado tragedy in Moore, OK.
Lessons To Learn From Moore, OK Tragedy
Of course, it’s always easier to learn from other people’s mistakes… but few often look at these disasters through the eyes of “what if it were me?”
Even if you’re not affected by the eye of a storm (or other disaster), you can still be the victim of a loss of local resources such as food and water as these supplies are sucked up by responders and volunteers swarming into your area.
Maybe this is the time to do a self-evaluation and see how you would have fared if you lived near Moore, OK?
Just a few things to review now…
- Is your home well-stocked with dry goods (food) and a way to purify water for when the grocery store shelves go empty?
- Is your vehicle gas tank always filled at least 1/4 – 1/2 way for when the gas stations lose power (or triple their prices)?
- Do you have the 7 critical levels of survival gear you need to protect your family no matter what happens?
I’m sure a lot of Moore residents and local community members are wishing they’d been better prepared.
Learn from their mistakes.
