"No one came to help us" - Most people are not prepared

I was watching a news report about the sudden flooding in Northern Ireland today, and after the explanation that it was an unexpected 2 hour downpour which left parts of the region under a couple of feet of water, we get to a man who complains that no one has come to help them, not the police, not the fire service, no one.

BBC Video

I immediately thought back to the London riots, and the reports after the violence from hundreds of people that "no one came to help".

There was a dramatization of the events of the London riots, where several people affected by it in their area - people who genuinely feared for their lives - were abandoned by the police.

Then I thought back to Katrina, to people in NY on 9/11, to that cruise ship disaster last year...

This is the general mentality of people, that somehow, even if there is massive chaos and confusion, even if services are stretched to the limits, the big powerful government will come and rescue them and wrap them up in a foil blanket to take them to safety.

Why do people still think this, even after so many examples of failure throughout the last several decades?

This is about simple mathematics. If you have two paramedics in a van per 100,000 citizens, when the SHTF they are not going to be there to help you unless you're extremely lucky! This is common sense, but it seems that people are not capable of comprehending that they will be on their own in a large scale event.

I thought I'd start this discussion because I think it's a relevant one to have considering the worsening economic conditions. There is a good chance that many of us will experience an event during which we need to fight for ourselves or sit back and wait for big gov to save us. How do you think people will deal with that?

It's interesting to consider if this is a help or a hindrance in a survival scenario. Will you leave people behind if they want to sit down and wait for their knight in shining armor to come and save them? Do you think it'll make it easier for you to bug out if the majority are still sat at home waiting for food parcels to fall from the sky?

I guess I'm just interested in your thoughts about the public mentality in general on this one. So fire away

First thing most people/sheeplepeople will do when the shtf is turn on their TV, if that doesn't work then they will turn on the radio.
Why do they do this? Because they will be looking for the govt. and "authorities for help".
Oh, master tell us what to do now that the shtf.
It won't be pretty.....

Good thought provoking post.

You will be on your own for a period of time in any disaster, that period will be proportional to the geographic area of the disaster:

Your house only: minutes

Your neighbourhood - a few hours at most

Your city/town - hours to days

Your county/region - days

Your state/province - days to weeks

Your country - weeks to months

Your world - you're on your own for good



At the very least, economic collapse looks like a possibility.

Not to mention anywhere at anytime can get hit with some kind of natural disaster.

This is not about panic, it is about common sense survival as the OP has pointed out.

Have one month of food, two weeks of water, and a bug out location in mind - at the very least.

You have to question the agenda of anyone counselling against basic preparation.

could not agree more.. to many will just sit and wait for help.. but as more and more tragic events thro out the world are happening.. i have found my self preparing.. not that im sure what for.. just that i know when tshtf.. you rely on number one, i dont for one min expect a knight in shinning armer to be there.. i would like to think that when the day comes and i have to fight for my survivel.. i will also try to help those around me.. but for those who think there great gov and forces will come to save them, i think thay will have a long wait..come hell or high water my instinct to survive is greater then my belief that help will come.

reply to post by poppycock


Yep in the case of Katrina, many people didn't do a thing until the government started telling everyone what to do, where to go, I suspect by then, everyone had to do what they were told by authorities regardless of how well people prepared. People in the surrounding area were not flooded, the government came door to door to confiscate weapons while doing safety checks (they skipped telling the public about the gun confiscation on TV).
On TV, they kept the focus on a few rescues, on the stadium conditions and manipulated the whole tragedy for political propaganda. I don't think we would have known any of those things that came out later, if we had only the mainstream media to consult.

I would say that these people are the ones nature would have killed without a modern society providing all of the answers. I often wonder why so many natural disasters happen and people just stand there waiting for help or waiting to die? I believe that people are conditioned not to help themselves. Could this be the reason for the drug war to stop people from acting and thinking on their own? I mean I don't know many sheeple who are drug users do you? If you go against the status quo and and try to work outside the system you get much resistance from government.

From whole foods to living off the grid; if your not plugged into their system you are a threat because you are an example that people can escape that system!

Originally posted by detachedindividual

This is the general mentality of people, that somehow, even if there is massive chaos and confusion, even if services are stretched to the limits, the big powerful government will come and rescue them and wrap them up in a foil blanket to take them to safety.

I believe that the above is correct, as many people do not seem to know what to do in a disaster. The first response of most people is to turn on the tv, instead of think for themselves. Or they call the police, and expect all the answers. Many times, law enforcement is still trying to figure out what is happening themselves, just like the rest of us.

Infrastructure is always protected first, as without roads, power, water, etc., not much else can be done.

One time, in Oregon, there was a huge ice storm, that crippled the city of Portland for three days. There is not usually snow there, and ice storms are rare. Many cars were buried by the snowplows. A friend of mine was very angry that the city had not come to dig out his car yet, so I asked him, why are you waiting, just get a shovel and dig it out. That is what they do in other places when there is snow. He just did not get it.

To him, the government put the snow and ice there, so they should remove it. I was afraid to tease him and tell him snow comes from the sky, and not from the government. So, he was angry, and left with no vehicle for four days. Unreal.

I think that it'll make it a lot easier to survive. In a survival situation, people with sense will band together. People who are hooked on the government to rescue them will be waiting and waiting. By the time they realize help isn't coming, they'll be weak from hunger and exhaustion, and the smarter people will be organized.

I live in small town in Western Pennsylvania. Several years ago, Hurricane Ivan hit us pretty good with flooding. Our streets were passable in a day, but, we had hundreds of flooded basements. Between the volunteer fire departments and the two equipment rental stores we had most of them pumped out in two days. The fire departments had pumps that they used and the equipment rental stores lent their pumps out. A couple of the local gas stations started filling gas cans for the pumps and some guys with pick-up trucks delivered them to the pump crews. There was no waiting for the government to step in. In the few houses where the foundation became unstable, the people either stayed with their family, or in a few cases that I know of, were given the use of a vacant furnished apartment for a few weeks, until they could find a place of their own or had their home repaired. One local grocery store chain packed boxes with food and dropped them off to these families.

I think the problem is primarily in the larger cities. People become relient on the infrastructure and literally don't know what to do if that infrastructure isn't there.

John Ringo wrote a book called "The Last Centurion". The first several chapters deals with how people respond to a major disaster. The book is fiction, but, has an interesting insight on the situation.

The book is availible free in an electronic format here. The Last Centurion

reply to post by detachedindividual



Your point is valid and well made, so all I can add is I agree. People need to stop being so helpless.

When a person is uninjured and physically capable, to sit and wait for help is in a way a mental handicap.

I do however want to applaud those first responders on 9/11. Their bravery and sacrifice were testament to how it should be done. 9/11 should not be on the list. Too many sacrificed their own lives to criticize their response to something nobody could be prepared for. Had there been ten times as many of them, they could have done no more.

Originally posted by poppycock
First thing most people/sheeplepeople will do when the shtf is turn on their TV, if that doesn't work then they will turn on the radio.
Why do they do this? Because they will be looking for the govt. and "authorities for help".
Oh, master tell us what to do now that the shtf.
It won't be pretty.....

In all honesty, it's the first thing I would do too. But I think it's worth pointing out that in order to make the right choices you need to be aware of as many of the facts as possible.

When the riots were happening across the UK I was watching the news and texting people I used to work with at my old company to stay informed about what was happening. I had a bag packed and I was ready to leave the city if the situation worsened. I would have needed to know which areas to avoid.

If something happened at the Olympics this summer I would want to know how the traffic is if I need to leave - is a train possible, do I need to hitch a ride, should I just spend a couple of hundred on a cab to get me as far north as possible?

We are from the government and we are here to help.... This should terrify people. It doesn't. Most are comforted by it, as they have been taught to be.

In case of any huge emergency, it's best to start figuring it out on your own IMO. There will be millions who will wait and who will DIE waiting for someone/ANYONE to rescue them if/when something really catastrophic happens.

I wish everyone would prepare things for themselves or even consider making a decent plan on what they will do if/when TSHTF scenario occurs. It's their life they gamble with when they await on any knight in shining armor.

Originally posted by PlanetXisHERE



At the very least, economic collapse looks like a possibility.
Not to mention anywhere at anytime can get hit with some kind of natural disaster.

This is not about panic, it is about common sense survival as the OP has pointed out.

Have one month of food, two weeks of water, and a bug out location in mind - at the very least.

You have to question the agenda of anyone counselling against basic preparation.

edit on 28-6-2012 by PlanetXisHERE because: addendum

edit on 28-6-2012 by PlanetXisHERE because: addendum

I've had various conversations with people about bugging out or just preparing. Even if it just means having extra water, food staples, etc on hand.
And a number of people look at me crooked.
I have to say "Well what about in the event of even a series of tornados?" Then there's this pause "oh yah".

People really don't realize that being prepared is not necessarily about prepping for a zombiepocalypse or the end of the world.
If you don't want to go all out, don't. But sheesh, at least think about water and food.

Hubby and I talked about if our friends came to us for help.
I had a rather cold opinion which was:
"Yo, I've talked with them about this. If so and so came I'd say you can maybe let the kids stay, it's up to you, but you, no. You were warned."

Very Twilight Zone-ish convo.

Originally posted by Blaine91555
reply to post by detachedindividual

 

Your point is valid and well made, so all I can add is I agree. People need to stop being so helpless.

When a person is uninjured and physically capable, to sit and wait for help is in a way a mental handicap.

I do however want to applaud those first responders on 9/11. Their bravery and sacrifice were testament to how it should be done. 9/11 should not be on the list. Too many sacrificed their own lives to criticize their response to something nobody could be prepared for. Had there been ten times as many of them, they could have done no more.

Oh I wasn't criticizing the responders, not at all! They acted with immense bravery, an immediate humanitarian desire to help others, that should always be applauded.

What I meant was the general public, standing in shock and staring at what was happening. If I was in NY that day the moment I saw that second plane hit I would have been out of there.

It's also interesting from a psychological standpoint that so many stayed in the building and followed instructions to remain in their office. That actually stuns me.
Again, I would have moved down those stairs so fast the moment I heard the first impact I would have been nothing but a blur. The idea that people just sat there waiting for instructions, ignoring their gut instincts that something wasn't right. That's probably one of the most tragic things about the attack.

A sad, very philosophical question you bring up. It's the end of the world, you are one of the few remaining people and you have a working car. A questionable looking person is sitting on the side of the road with his thumb up, do you stop?

Why don't you stop? Because that person is foreign and disconnected with you, you don't know them. A nation of people should be unified by trust, this is something that sadly doesn't exist anymore. The most powerful groups of people were the most unified, historically speaking.

People are not unified anymore, they are divided. Everything is coming apart. Going backwards.

What do you expect???
We have been born and raised into a system that teaches us that we need authority figures!

That we NEED government.
That we can not make our own decisions.
We are helpless little children in an adult world with adult problems.

In my most sincere, non sarcastic, non judgemental, non joking voice,

People are stupid cattle.
I really do believe this.
I see it now.
TPTB were actually right all along.

Collectively/ the majority of us are stupid animals.
We know enough to go to work,come home,beat our fat kids, screw our fat wives, feed our fat pets, watch some T.V., feed our fat faces, and go to sleep in our fat beds, only to wake up and do it all over again the next day.

Exept the part about the screwing.
Twice in two days? Really? Not in my house,

Anyway,
when The S finally hits the F people are going to go bat # insane.
Society as we know it will completely crumble right before our eyes.

Don't believe me???
Look at what happens when a friggin stop light goes out at a busy intersection for crists sake.

reply to post by detachedindividual


This is a really good topic.

Come to ATS long enough and you'll end up thinking about this sort of thing on your own. Whether it's an "end of the world" scenario or something as common as a tornado or flooding, but you put a slightly different angle on it all. Not, WHAT would you do, but rather WHY would you do it.

I was in a situation not too long ago where I had access and legal authority to some buildings, one in particular, that would come in very handy for use as a shelter. Problem is, I was surrounded by people that I really don't think I would want to be with in a disaster type situation. With the exception of my child, of course.

I think one of the most important things a person can do in a disaster, or even prepare for one, is band together with like minded people. If you're in a location surrounded by people who are not like you........leave. Find people who are willing and able to handle their lives without having to be told what to do, if you're not like that yourself. People like that will be a hindrance to the survival and well being of people who can think on their own, for the simple fact that the way they deal with life is fundamentally different. No one is better or worse than another when it comes to this though. Some people are more productive and clear headed as followers, others....as leaders. Or at the very least, independent.

Me, I know what to do in a disaster and it certainly doesn't involve waiting for someone to tell me what to do.

I will count my lucky stars I live down under, we still no how to help each other in bad situations just look at the floods that smashed us here in qld & the response of the people.
We don't wait for guberment we grab what tools we have round up our mates jump in the ute and get the job done, strangers giving other strangers the shirt of their back. When we have a choice to step over someone or extend a hand to pull them up one thing I am very proud of is we will normally always extend the hand.

Forget the gov stick with those who know what they are doing and are motivated and head bush at the first opportunity.

Last night I was watching something on NBC and a commercial came on, it was a computer screen....
The screen had numbers/letters/
then it said start opperation ( cant remember)

What if there was no police.
What if there was no electricity.
What if there was no gas.
What if there was no hospitals.
What if noone came to help.
What if.....

Now start opperation ? Sept 17, 2012
Then it showed once they hit button enter....the whole United States went black.
Then it said
WHAT IF.........NBC

I guess this is a NEW series...WHAT IF? Im not sure what to make of it.
Now the date Sept 17 was when the constitution was finished, it was as IF that is the same date the US dies in this series

Anyone eles see this??

Originally posted by detachedindividual

Why do people still think this, even after so many examples of failure throughout the last several decades?

First off, just to be clear, I agree with you. People need to realize that Superheros exist only in movies, and learn how to stand on their own two feet.



However, to answer your↑ question:
[color=DFFFBA]Because that's what we 'snippin' pay them for. If the government can't keep their end of the bargain, then they need to stop taxing stealing all our dam money.