Katrina: Lessons Learned on the Nature of Man

Article by: Jonathan Merritt

For many years, novels and films have given us apocalyptic views of how easily mankind could disintegrate into ruthless barbarity once removed from the constraints of law and order, and the comfortable smooth machinery of "civilization"Â. But all that was just fiction, right? Not really. The reality is in the news.

While the people of New York City responded predominantly with goodwill and a heroic attitude to the World Trade Center attacks, it is important to keep in mind that the basic structure of the city - the services, facilities, and general day-to-day functions - were still intact. The disaster , Safes Keep Things Safe that has befallen the gulf states is an entirely different kind of animal. The entire city of New Orleans has been utterly devastated. Many peripheral communities and cities have been essentially washed away. There is no source of free-flowing fresh water, , How to Find the Best Home Security Products food , Stand-by Generators - Security & Comfort sources have been severely depleted, virtually no energy , Home Security Tips To Help Prevent Crime infrastructure remains, although line crews from neighboring states are working feverishly to get power , Ready for Emergencies? Five Simple Steps to Prepare for Disasters restored to critical facilities like the water , How to Make Your Apartment Safe supply system. Tens of thousands of people have lost their possessions, their homes, , Don't Wait for a Hurricane Katrina to Do Your Inventory! their jobs, and their entire way of life. As some of the survivors have put it, they are literally "adrift"Â.

While many people do have a positive, strong mental and psychological orientation, allowing them to forge ahead and find a way to carry on within the boundaries of law and moral principles, many others do not.

Poverty-stricken communities already have a tendency to have higher crime rates under normal conditions, due to obvious environmental , Tropical Hurricane Beryl factors. Many people in this environment , Arson Watch Program Agency Interaction often become dependant on the "welfare-state"Â, deriving some of their income, access to services, and food , Tropical Depression and Tropical Storm Joyce allowances from government-sponsored systems. In a "civilization-destroyed"Â scenario, these systems cease to function. In times like this, people who ordinarily would not resort to outright theft or robbery do so, and the more violently criminal-minded become even more ruthless and barbaric.

A disaster , Safe And Sound, Wherever You Are on the scale as that of the gulf states, where the ability of the government (local, state, or federal) to control affairs is seriously diminished, creates a ripe opportunity for the desperate and the criminal to exploit the misfortunes of others. And they're doing it. Armed gangs roaming the demolished landscape, , Warning - You Have Been DataMined! reports of rape inside , Home Security System Considerations for Your New Home the overwhelmed astrodome, boundless pillaging of every storefront or home , Facts And Misconceptions Of Pepper Spray left standing; these are the stark images that tell us just how fragile our domestic , Body Worn Cameras at Height of Miniaturization peace really is.

America is truly a great nation, populated by many great people. But there is bad among us, too, waiting for the opportunity to seize upon the misfortunes of others, whether for profit or just for plain pathological gratification.

For more information , Document Shredding: Destroying The Things That You Value on what you can do to be better prepared to protect yourself , Ready for Emergencies? Five Simple Steps to Prepare for Disasters and the ones you love, visit http://www.1stdefenseproducts.com .

Jonathan Merritt has over 20 years of experience in the security , Emergency Disaster Planning - Building a Reserve industry, and has written numerous articles on personal, family and home , CCTV Video Equipment Surveillance security. His company site, http://www.1stdefenseproducts.com, provides links to government and community security , Is Your Burglar Alarm Accredited? information, as well as access to his newsletter 1st Defense Network.

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