What scares me about Rita is...

yes, the almost certain damage and the possibility of loss of life, but more so, since the spectacular response by our gov't after Katrina, will it be any wonder if no one listens to FEMA or HLS this time?

I think many of us feel that given the level of competency displayed by gov't officials in LA, I fear the worst.

This more than anything scares the crap out of me. Knowing that the gov't may or may not be there to help us out in an emergency.

Now that is a disaster.

colossal racist failure*.

They are sooo scared of being incompetent the next time, they will have everybody there just to look good!

I think Shrub is going to have a BIG problem. How is he going to explain all thing support for the people in TX versus the response to the Gulf states????

Geraldo is getting his hair and nails done, doing a steriod injection and getting to Houston next to Oprah and Garth Brooks.

in NC, and it was a nice area, well heeled that was hit... I did not miss it, and we can expect the same here

Bush declares martial law in Texas after Rita, because of another 'local' failure and old Brownies work? Then he get have another state under federal control.

This guy just ain't lucky everything he touches turns to shit. Why can't he quit so mother nature calls off her attack on us? Even the weather has turned on Bush.

Fill up your cars, they'll use Rita to get another 40 cent hike damage or not.

The police have no duty to protect specific people, neither do any of the civil defense, emergency crews or elected officials.

I have lived in San Francisco and other places with high risk for natural disaster. We always had an emergency plan, even when we had nothing to our name and no car.

If you think you are at risk, build a plan. Communicate it to your immediate family/Friends and then execute it. It does not have to cost much. 3 days of water and food is not all that large or expensive.

Sorry for getting preachy, but emergency preparedness is not rocket science or economic theory. The expectation that the Government will take care of us is a bad one. For immediate needs everyone should plan to take care of themselves, their family and neighbors. Sometimes it wont be enough, but the attitude that says I am primarily responsible for my own preservation is a good place to start.

I will get off my soapbox now.

bio-hazard suits for the whole family?

I live in north Ga. No risk of flood, but some risk of tornados and hurrucane damage. I have been thinking about just what I can do myself! I have a cannd food supply, water for about 2 weeks, and a plan to go into the bathroom, which is the only room in the house without windows. Then I thought what could I do if I did manage to survive in that bathroom, but the rest of the house and the neighborhood was destroyed? the food and water I had was gone! My car was gone! I can't think of any solution but to hope some outside help would come!!!!

That's what our fov't is supposed to do, isn't it????

what bloody use was three days worth of food and water to those people in New Orleans by day six?

No-one can convince me that it was impossible to airlift water and food in to those people right after the storm. It has been done elsewhere. Supposedly there are armed forces that can be anywhere in the world within hours.

Sure, be prepared - but be aware that there are circumstances that might just make all the preparedness in the world moot.

the standard now is a month, longer if yuo are in a democratic run area... politics now runs this... sorry for getting preachy

and what part of common welfare in the US consittuion are people missing

without any notice. Most people were prepared in New Orleans but some lost all their supplies when the floods came in. Many of those who still had their supplies were told to head to certain locations to await evacuation on Tuesday so they were told to leave their supplies.

The only lesson learned in New Orleans was "don't do what the government tells you to do". Most people would have been better off staying in their homes than being herded into the civic center or superdome.