Post 9/11 the federal government found new importance to prepare the United States for another domestic attack. We heard the Bush administration preach again and again that we face serious threats, and new funds were made available to cities and towns for preparation purposes. Then Katrina hit and we saw yet again how inept FEMA remained at responding to catastrophes and helping victims. It still boggles my mind at how lousy the response was. The United States, the most wealthy and powerful country in the world, could not deal with the aftermath of a single hurricane. It was nothing short of pathetic. Imagine if it’d be a WMD attack - at multiple locations . . . exactly - sketchy!
Ranger Man asks, “Would it not make more sense to build LOCAL capacity to respond to such incidents?” The federal government is simply too big, too removed, and too cumbersome for a fast, effective response. Viva la Civil Defense!
Very brief history:
In May of 1941 the “Office of Civilian Defense” was established within the Executive Office of the President. When the Soviet Union exploded their first atomic and hydrogen bombs, civil defense took on increased importance. The bombing threat came not from ICBM’s, but from long-range bombers. Thus the method of preparation was to evacuate cities with the few hours warning they’d have. Putting distance between you and ground zero was the goal.
Then ICBM’s came along and the thought of having a few hours warning was tossed out the window. Shelter seeking would have to be expedited, so during the 1960’s there was a large push to build fallout shelters so people could (in theory) survive the initial blast in a building or area stocked with supplies. Kennedy advocated everyone build a fallout shelter, but as more and more nukes were built and the prospect of a massive nuke juice exchange grew with a “nuclear winter” to follow, people began thinking, “if the shit goes down, it’ll be doomsday, ain’t nuttin’ I can do about that.” Folks resigned themselves to donning their sunglasses under such an attack and walking toward the mushroom cloud. Then satellites came in the 1980’s and the U.S. said, “Hey, we’ll be able to tell in advance if the commies are preparing to launch.” Evacuation again became the planned response. The Cold War ultimately ended and the Office of Civil Defense closed its doors in the mid-1990s.
What are the advantages to the old Civil Defense structure? It was the responsibility of LOCAL and state government, and it was NOT a military responsibility. Translation: local people taking care of each other; neighbors helping neighbors.
My question is, given new threats like terrorist attacks, avian flu, etc., is it time to revive Civil Defense? Redefine it to meet modern needs?
- Ranger Man
BTW: Rising food prices has the U.S. decreasing the amount of food aid it is giving out for humanitarian purposes. Read:
USAID officials said that a 41 percent surge in prices for wheat, corn, rice and other cereals over the past six months has generated a $120 million budget shortfall that will force the agency to reduce emergency operations. That deficit is projected to rise to $200 million by year’s end.
Source is here.
BTW x2: Do any of you heat with coal? If so, what’s your set up? Do you like it? Talk to me.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Self Reliance // Mar 1, 2008 at 8:42 am
Just finished reading the new “speculative fiction” novel, “World Made by Hand”, by James H. Kunster (the Peak Oil pundit and author of “The Long Emergency”). I recommend it to your readers. He describes how society might reorganize itself as we run out of fossil fuels and “powerdown”. {Set in upstate New York, btw}
Big picture: people learn to do with less, work together, and organize to solve common problems — imagine a world where there IS no goverment, local, state, or federal!
So yes, we should advocate CD — anything, actually — that helps people adjust to the fact that the most effective and only RELIABLE way to have security is at home, made by ONE’s OWN HANDS.
2 Survival Topics // Mar 1, 2008 at 9:00 am
The most local, and best defense - is to implement it yourself for yourself.
3 oldman in the boonies // Mar 1, 2008 at 9:24 am
Being older than dirt I can clearly remember the CD programs of the 50’s and 60’s. They were actually very well thought out and practicle. The allowed local people to help local people. They were HONEST about threats and did not shy away from scaring the poop out of people yes even children. I can remember school drills of going to the halls and crouching at the walls. Scary stuff, but I and many other boomers survived it all just fine. The point being that we knew what to do,,Locally..
Bring back CD except keep FEMA out of it.
4 Jennersen // Mar 1, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I will take CD over FEMA any day of the week. Texas still has something similar, and if I am correct we are the only state still maintaining such things. We also possess our own guard and air force wing separate from the National. I have also heard our utility folks are better prepared with backups.
Truth is emergency response is always a local affair. It should have stayed that way because re-positioning things takes too much time and money. Mega Disasters aired the big LA quake, and their emergency director on the show basically told everybody they were screwed if such an event took place. The entire city is a ship in city with only one to two days worth of stuff for the stores in warehouses. Imagine a city that large without food to last longer the 36 hours. I only hope “leaders” like him who know push for local preps and get them because his city is lost in an emergency.
5 Self Reliance // Mar 1, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Had to come back…read on
First, I believe that “self reliance” is paramount on the grounds that if “I put my oxygen mask on first then I can help YOU.”
But my life is worth little if I don’t help others, so that is what I want to do: Preparedness just prepares me for that bigger mission.
We need something — just not another government program, please! — to put good souls to work. I can count myself among the legion that are too old (and unfit?) for service in, say, the National Guard: I missed my chance for service. We legion, though, have so much to offer, were it to be channeled in a constructive fashion. (As does the author of this blog who shares by writing it — thank you for your service.)
A good start might be a neighborhood watch programs?
I came back here for a second post after reading something depressing on a personal finance blog: the blog was discussing the practice of “wardrobing” — where you take a dress or a COMPUTER and use it for a while and then take it back to the store. The discussion was about WHETHER this was unethical or not!!
I came back to write that we need to see that there is a CHASM in this land today between those that want to help and serve and those who are tempest tossed with NO MORAL COMPASS to guide them. I confess that I am deeply worried as to the direction we are all headed given that simple values such as “Thou shalt not steal.” don’t get transmitted anymore…
6 DW // Mar 1, 2008 at 10:43 pm
If it is going to be done WE have to do it.
THEY would never do it OR allow it.
Loss of CONTROL.
7 daddynewton // Mar 2, 2008 at 12:00 am
i have a cabin with fire place . i dont live in it just use it as storage and hangout. i burn coal and wood in the fireplace. if it is cold coal will make a huge differnce in warmth. 2 or 3 times warmer than wood. keep up good work i enjoy your site ty
8 The Scavenger // Mar 2, 2008 at 2:50 am
I very much enjoy your blog and the info that you give it’s readers. On the CD topic, we need to get back to our Militia days. I think the Bill of Rights used to say we needed one. I hope we still have that right. I burn coal and wood together in my Buck Stove fireplace insert with blower. Great heat and coal keeps a fire longer which is great on those cold winter nights. I read you on a regular basis and you topics are in line with mine. Hope you get a chance to read me in the near future.
Thanks again.
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