A quick comment on devastation

[oneirophrenia]

Human beings are, collectively, quite stupid. Natural disasters can happen anywhere at any time...and, ultimately no one is 100% safe from, say, flooding or storm damage and so forth--but there's a way to minimize the risk.

DON'T LIVE IN PLACES PRONE TO THEM.

Every year, some part of Florida gets raped by a hurricane. Now it's N'Orleans turn. Every year, tornados rip the hell out of large tracts of the Midwest. Sure, body counts in these situations usually aren't very high, but just think of how many folks have lost all their property, their homes, and--for all intents and purposes--all structure to their lives. The toll is depressingly high.

And yet...folks continue to live in these places. How many times have you heard a tornado survivor, standing in the splintered wreckage of his/her home, say something along the lines of, "Well, I guess I'll just rebuild here, God willing." Yeah...so that next year another tornado can blow through a smash your brand new home to kindling.

Don't be so fucking stupid, people. When the world smashes you flat, it's more often than not because you live in a risky area. That's not always true, of course, as freak weather conditions can happen anywhere...but if you live in an area prone to yearly tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, mudslides, plagues of frogs, or whatever, just LEAVE. It's clear the planet doesn't want you there.

Comments

[absurdkarma.livejournal.com]

AGREED!!!

[theantidj.livejournal.com]

or, just build structures that are suited to the environment. You can build houses that survive high winds, they just have to be shaped aerodynamically. This means that they don't look like normal houses, and neighbors freak out when they're built because they say they're 'eyesores'. I used to have some links to articles with a few such houses, but they're now dead. They also chronicled the fights they had to go through with local governement and neighbors because the others thought their houses were ugly. Staying in these places isn't necessarilly the stupidity... the stupidity is failing to adapt.

Adapt or die. mother fuckin' selection.

[joi-division.livejournal.com]

Maybe we got lucky and Poppy Z Brite stayed and got swept away...

[shimmer-star.livejournal.com]

a good friend in miami wants the hell outta there ASAP. apparently lots of people recently moved to florida because they were in a 10-year-long hurricane lull, and now they're getting pounded. she also doesn't understand why people move there, and is pissed that her family settled there.