Hurricane Ike Survivors: Victims of the weather or their own stupidity?

I live in Florida, one of the states that are most often hit by hurricanes. We know how to handle one if it comes our way and if we don't, each time there is a hurricane watch on TV, we are REMINDED what supplies we should have, escape routes, shelter locations (even ones that take pets), and when and if we should leave our homes. If people are going to "weather the storm", they should have enough supplies for at least a week. With that said, I think there are some massive morons in Texas.


Click here to read my thoughts on the matter...

I would first like to question what a mandatory evacuation is. Because last time I checked, mandatory means you HAVE to do something. Yet, these "victims" decided to stay in their houses. It sounds like the word is being misused. Unless of course the word is intended to been, you better leave or we are not rescuing your butt later. Then I will be okay with the word

I would like to talk to these so called victims. I want them to explain to me how people are supposed to rescue them when they cannot leave. Sure rescuers have boats and helicopters, but when weather conditions are THAT bad, how can those resources be affective? I want these victims to explain to me why their lives are more important that rescuers. I want them to explain to me why they would stay to guard material possessions from looters that are going to be WORTHLESS once they are 6 feet under water. I want them to explain to me how they were prepared to weather a storm, but by Sunday night, they had no more food or clean drinking water.

I have searched the internet and find a lot of people who are frustrated with the idiotic nature of our fellow man and a few blogs/reports listing the frustration of the victims. Here are a few special people I feel need to be called out on their dense words:

"Why didn't they call for volunteers when they knew this was going to hit?" grumbled Irene Makris, who waited in line but was told to drive to a station in another part of Houston, closer to her neighborhood. "This is bull."

Well Mark, why didn’t you drive your happy self out of town WHEN YOU KNEW IT WAS GOING TO HIT! There are no VOLUNTEERS because sensible people left when they had the chance." What is BULL is you holding your hand out for food and water when you should have had basic supplies all along if you CHOOSE to stay in town.

“More than 1,300 people, who had spent several nights at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center, complained that they could not get information about how to find food and clean clothes.”

Well current residents of the convention center, I bet there are plenty of hotels in safer areas of Texas and surrounding states that have plenty of food and water to wash your clothes. How about you stop complaining when people are doing their best to help you out. Call me crazy, but I would bring my own supplies when going to a shelter.

“Michael Stevenson, 37, said that at one shelter, he had barely eaten. "They give you a little cup of water every four hours. They feed us one peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We were in there for about 18 hours before we could go outside and get some air," he said.”

Well Michael, I am sure that is one more sandwich than the people who are still trapped in their houses. Perhaps you would be getting more glasses of water if there were less morons who stayed despite the warnings.

“At Texas Southern, LaChandra Noel, 33, came to the line pushing her 11-year-old deaf and blind daughter in a wheelchair. Others in line let Noel go to the front and get water and ice ahead of them.”

Well LaChandra, if I had a disabled child..or ANY child at all, I would not be so selfish to remain in a place that could kill said child. But if I was to be so stupid, I would have supplies to take care of this child.

"We just didn't think it was going to come up like this," said the boy's father, Lee King. "I'm from New Orleans, I know better. I just didn't think it was going to happen."

…Excuse me…you are from New Orleans…and you still took a chance with this new storm?! How many more chances do you need to make the right decisions in life?! Please, why are the stupid not being punished?! Our gene pool is suffering.

“Thenesa Humphrey, 36, waited in her SUV with her husband and four teenage children for supplies. She said that she didn't know what they were handing out but that they would take anything - they hadn't had any supplies for days, and they were hungry.”

The hurricane hit on Friday night/ Saturday morning. This article was posted Monday. This family states they have not had supplies for days. Does that mean this family did not have ONE OUNCE OF FOOD IN THE ENTIRE HOUSE?! What kind of parents choose to stay in a danger zone with no way to take care of their kids?! I think these parents deserve to have their kids taken away, this is child endangerment!

“Ronnie Sharp, 65, and his terrier-mix Princess, had to be rescued from his trailer in Orange County when water reached his knees. “I was getting too many snakes in the house, otherwise I would have stayed,” Sharp said.

….A trailer is one of the most dangerous places to be during a hurricane. How has he lived this long if he is that stupid?! Instead people had to waste their time rescuing him and that poor helpless dog.

““When you stay behind in the face of a warning, not only do you jeopardize yourself, you put the first responders at risk as well,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. “Now we’re going to see this play out."”

I 1000 percent agree with this man and I will pray for all those who have to risk their lives to rescue the idiots who chose to stay.

“Sheronica Smith and her husband stood in line for hours with their hungry babies. Smith said that they have approximately $17 between them."That's it, that's all we have," she said. "I don't know [what to do]. Keep praying."

Sheronica Smith, I will be praying for your poor kids. How did you think you were going to get by with 17 dollars?! Again, where is child service when you need them?! You can stay behind and die all you want, but give the kids a chance.

There are more examples of people who really need a reality check. I tried to find one in particular who had a child with diabetes which I felt handled the situation very poorly, but sadly I could not find it. All states need to pass a law in which if a mandatory evacuation order is in effect, the military has the right to force people from their homes. It will cost too much money, man power, and possible lives to rescue/search for their bodies later. People say that might cause problems with basic human rights. On other forums, I have seen suggestions that if these people choose to stay, they should pay for their rescue. I think that is fair, as people who are in need of an ambulance or a tow truck have to pay for a rescue service. No need to have our country go further into debt due to the stupidity of others. I feel as if people are told to leave or they would face the possibility of death/ struggles at life, they should HEED those warnings. If they decided to go against Mother Nature, they should have the supplies to do so. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that when power is knocked all over the place, it might take weeks for YOUR power to get turned back on. A normal family has food for at least a few days despite the threat of a storm. So it confuses me greatly how many of these people with advance notice did not walk to the nearest store and stock up on food and water. They instead will blame relief workers who are doing their best to help EVERYONE that they are not getting there fast enough, that they not have enough supplies, or the lines are too long. The idea that so many people are that careless with their lives and the lives of those who cannot fend for themselves is mind boggling and sicken. I do want to take this time to thank all those who are placing their lives in danger to help out people who apparently cannot help themselves. I support their decisions to be careful in rescue operations so their men are not placed in MORE unnecessary danger.