Anyone who lives in a city of 500,000 or more:

[tk2kewl]

Do you think that your local government could successfully respond to a disaster of this magnitude? Or might your city need to rely on the federal resources that we have all paid for with our tax dollars?

[Katha]

1. I spend half the year in LA, the other half just north of San Francisco

and so I live with the knowledge that The Big One may come at any time. Here in CA, most of us know what to do in the event of an earthquake, and many have supplies -- but if a 10 pointer hits, it will be chaotic, no doubt.

I know that Katrina has seriously made me reevaluate my earthquake prepareness. I have a huge box in my car's trunk with supplies, food, blankets, flashlights, etc. Hopefully I'll never have to use them, but it makes me feel better to know they're there.

God knows that the government isn't doing anything to safeguard us. We have to do it ourselves.

[brazil]

29. Maybe it's time to stop paying taxes then...

...if we don't pay taxes for this sort of thing, what do we pay them for?

Oh wait, we've gotta fight 'em over there so they don't fight us over here. Um, never mind...

[NYC]

2. I can't answer.

But, NYC would do a better job than Homeland Security, even if it was a self-service evacuation.

Homeland Security should be disbanded. Imagine if it had been a terrorist attack without warning, instead of a hurricane followed on radar for several days. If most of New Orleans had not evacuated, this disaster and "bureaucratic murder" (as Aaron Broussard calls it) would be far worse.

[me b zola]

20. Homeland Security is a sham. It should be disbanded....

Along with everything else that jr. has touched since he proclaimed himself (idiot)king.

[NYC]

27. Even Tim Russert asked what has Homeland Security done for

the last 4 years.

Bush's pet project. Concentration of power. Well, the power was concentrated. Look what we got. Billions of dollars wasted. We could have just burned that money, and not given people false hope that Homeland Security would in any way help them.

[osaMABUSh]

3. In Pittsburgh we had a water main break recently and it shut down

half the downtown. I'm talking about a puddle compared to NO.

[NYC]

28. Be glad Homeland Security didn't come to help.

You'd be living in a Utah detention center now.

[pstans]

4. I live in a central Iowa

No towns over 500,000, but I graduate from college in December and my wife and I are considering moving to Kansas City or Minneapolis. This is one reason to stay safe here in Iowa. My confindence in the government has diminished. I knew the President was a totally slack-off, but I didn't know that every person in his cabinet were useless.

I think I will stay safe in friendly old Iowa.

[tk2kewl]

5. I want my 40 acres

a mule and a shotgun

[kedrys]

6. We survived Tropical Storm Allison without problems

We totally lucked out to live in a part of Houston that doesn't flood, on the highest corner of the intersection. I can't imagine what it would have been like if we'd been flooded, had to evacuate, or anything of the sort. :scared:

[noahmijo]

7. well there is near zero chance of any disaster happening here in az

but if one did everyone can fit hop into my truck we will loot wal-mart for all that will fit and it's off to Mexico (just bring your passport!)

[titoresque]

8. I'm in Az.........I disagree

What about the Nuclear facility? What about two major dams breaking?
Here in the *valley* I fear we would be in deep trouble!

[walldude]

10. I think he meant natural disaster..

I thought the same of Colorado then I realized I'm sitting on top of NORAD and SAC...

[noahmijo]

13. you're right I meant natural disaster

oh well tell you what you can jump in anyway :)

[titoresque]

19. sorry

I misunderstood. And thanks for the ride.......if and when I ever need it. :) I hope we'll never have to run for the hills!

[Der Blaue Engel]

15. Don't forget fire

And the occasional tornado. And flash floods. And, oh, btw, you do have faultlines there and long dormant volcanoes.

To name a few.

[titoresque]

18. Yikes well I suppose

the sky could fall too....I cant tell if you're being sarcastic with that post or not. I do think the Nuclear facility and dams are relevent. After 9/11 both dams and the Palo Verde Nuclear facility were guarded heavily. People traveling to Las Vegas were detoured hours out of the way because the dam was closed....I guess they thought it was a threat.

[Der Blaue Engel]

30. No, I'm not being sarcastic at all

Guess I can see from rereading how you might have thought that, but I was just replying quickly.

I used to live there, and there were plenty of natural disasters. I wasn't trying to predict that any of those things will happen, just trying to point out that one can't assume they're in a "safezone" just because Arizona's disasters are on a smaller scale or not as publicized.

Living in San Francisco, I hear a lot of "how can you live there with all those earthquakes? I'd be too afraid to live there!" from people in Arizona. But serious quakes happen much more rarely here than the many smaller or less scary seeming disasters in inland states where people think they are safe.

I don't think anyone in America can count on being safe anymore, and I don't mean terrorism. :(

[HawkerHurricane]

9. Not quite...

San Diego does have a aircraft carrier (USS Midway museum), plus plenty of helicopters...

Heck, there are so much federal stuff here already, it would be impossible for the Feds NOT to be involved.

[tk2kewl]

12. yeah, but would they get the orders?

there were plenty of resources available in the gulf too

[HawkerHurricane]

21. I'm not talking about 'in driving distance...

The Marine Corp Recruit Depot is right downtown. There's a couple thousand half trained Marines there.

Across the bay from downtown (about a mile) is Naval Air Station North Island... and Naval Amphibious Warfare Base Pacific. Enough Helicopters and boats to land a regiment or two. And 4 carriers based there.

A couple miles Northwest: Naval Sub Base San Diego. Not that nuclear powered submarines would do much good, but you could probably plug the city's electrical grid into one... (and yes, they can do it.)

Five miles south of downtown: Naval Base San Diego (32nd St. Naval Station). Couple thousand sailors, a hundred ships easy. And USNS Mercy, a floating 500 bed hospital.

Mile east of Downtown: Naval Hospital San Diego (Balboa Medical Center). Thousand Bed Hospital.

10 miles north: Marine Corp Air Station Miramar. More heliflopters.

Up the coast 50 miles: Camp Pendleton Marine Base. A division of 20,000 marines calls that home.

Disaster hits San Diego, the military will be involved from day one... if only to get thier own people and families to safety.

[tk2kewl]

22. they might come running, but without orders they're not flying

just ask Lt. Commander Sean Kelly about the USS Bataan

[meisje]

11. You ask abo ut local, but only only give option blaming it on federal

A poll such as this would not even make it on Fox

[tk2kewl]

14. the poll says nothing about blame. It's about who has the resources...

and thus the responsibility. Get it? :shrug:

[Tesibria]

16. Chicago - it IS the city that works....... nt

[preciousdove]

24. We wandered into the loop on July 4th and almost didn't make it out...

That wasn't even a panic situation. (LOL)

[Tesibria]

25. :-)

it was a PICNIC ... :)

[Der Blaue Engel]

17. I live in FEMA's #3 likely disaster city: San Francisco

I am surfing the web for survival supplies.

[preciousdove]

23. Judging by what Governors came up with for Katrina we are in deep dodo

Please post only links and info not commentary. Thanks.

Katrina Evacuee Relocation Thread (for reference)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4657680#4662127

[LuCifer]

26. No way...not here in Okeechobee...

...where we STILL have countless BLUE or WHITE tarp roofs. You'd think DUMBya and Jeb!® BUSHitler would do all they could for a small town/rural area like this. I guess we didn't go RED enough for them in 04.

Lu

[OhioChick]

31. There is absolutely NO WAY

that Cleveland could handle this on a local level. They can't manage anything here now much less throwing a diaster into the mix.

[momisold]

32. And one thing to remember.

No matter HOW PREPARED you are, or your city is, we are dealing with Mother Nature. We think we are so smart with computers, technology, electricity, cars, roads, big skyscrapers, etc etc etc. But all of that is at the mercy of Mother Nature if she so choses to wipe it out.

I think sometimes we forget that we are not invincible.