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Loose Canons
A Lenny Skutnik Sputnik Moment
Big government evacuations, Washington, D.C. style.
(Page 2 of 2)
Mr. Skutnik was the hero of the Air Florida crash. Seeing survivors flailing helplessly in the nearly-frozen Potomac, he dove in to rescue them. He fit the definition of a hero: someone who acts to save others in disregard of the danger to himself. Not all of us are heroes and still fewer will be called upon to act heroically. But we can all do something that will help train and prepare ourselves to do what is necessary in an emergency and avoid increasing the burdens of our first-responders.
Panic is an emotional reaction to helplessness. The tool you need to avoid panic is a backpack. You should keep it at home, in the trunk of your car or in your office if you commute by train, bus or carpool. Think of it as a wearable version of Douglas Adam’s fictional “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” which had “Don’t Panic” emblazoned on the cover.
In your backpack, you should have the following confidence-instilling materials:
• A highly-detailed map of your area and a compass. You may think you know your way around, but the streets you know may be blocked. A map and compass will guide you around those obstacles. Any Boy Scout can show you how to orient the compass to the map and follow it to where you need to go. Don’t rely on cell phone GPS systems which, in a big enough emergency, may not function.
• Waterproof hiking boots, two pairs of socks, lightweight rain gear and a sweater or polar-fleece pullover to stay warm.
• Six or eight protein bars and two liters of water, enough to keep your energy up and keep you hydrated on your hike.
• Two dust-proof painter’s masks which may reduce the effect of a biological or chemical attack.
• A small flashlight and first-aid kit including a stretchable cloth bandage to brace sprains.
• A multi-purpose “leatherman” tool and a 20-foot length of clothesline.
• If your home is more than ten miles from your place of work, you need a poncho or space blanket to hunker down in overnight; and
• If you can carry it legally, a weapon of your choice be it a can of pepper spray or a pistol. (Don’t leave that unsecured in any office even during the day.)
This is what we call a “go bag”: the ready-to-go kit you grab while rushing out to escape danger, or which can enable you to stay right where you are to wait out a crisis. It’ll be the lightest 20-pound burden you’ve ever carried.
Think about what you’ll do, prepare for it, and you won’t be one of those who die on the side of a road waiting for Janet Incompetano to rescue you.
About the Author
Jed Babbin served as a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. He is the author of several bestselling books including Inside the Asylum and In the Words of Our Enemies. You can follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
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Appleby| 1.31.11 @ 7:00AM
The real problem as pointed out in New York City after the Christmas Blizzard, is unions. Their contracts and their mindset tells them not to let a good crisis go to waste -- use it as a vehicle to treat your ununionized brethren like playing pieces on the cosmic Gotcha Board, in quest of More (see Samuel Gompers, or look him up if you are under 40).
The second cause is the Binkie. Millions of people who should have been paying attention long before the situation reached Gridlock were busy texting, or convinced that there was an App that would save them. In the days before the SmartPhone, people were not dialing, but doing.
And the third problem is the impulse to get in your car and go somewhere regardless of whether or not this actually makes any sense. 14 people were killed in the Buffalo Blizzard of 77 -- ALL of them because they suffocated in their cars. They were safely indoors (the blizzard started at 11:00 am on a weekday) and the ones who died were at work; however, they piled into their cars and went tearing off to get their children, who were safe at school, and were buried on the Niagara Parkway and other four lane highways and died stupid, needless deaths.
The same lemming-like behaviour is leading idiots to move into 300 square foot boxes atop massive high-rise buildings on the lakeshore in a city whose infrastructure is 50 years old and fails every time it gets either very hot or very cold -- meaning that they are increasingly likely to be trapped on the 66th floor without heat, air circulation, water, or any way down but the stairs. Oh, and the phones and binkies if the system is still up, will be jammed, and nobody will come to save them. And they are mainly too stupid and helpless to save themselves.
Booger | 1.31.11 @ 10:05AM
If you cannot carry a weapon "legally" a tire tool or an ice scraper can be a weapon. A can of high-velocity wasp spray (10 foot range) is more devastating to an attacker's face than pepper spray, and not "legally" a weapon (until used as such). In the meantime, vote for people in your district who respect your right to bear arms. They're the same ones who will help prepare local agencies to actually deal with an emergency.
Too Many Tims| 1.31.11 @ 1:03PM
A nine iron in your car is good too, also a bucket of balls. In the event you actually defend yourself with said nine iron, you can show the police your bucket of balls as evidence of your harmless intent. " I was planning on going to the range".
JMM| 1.31.11 @ 10:18AM
A well concealed small pistol in your go-bag will likely never be found and could be a lifesaver.
egoist| 1.31.11 @ 9:31PM
I can't imagine bring a pistol onto the work parking lot, let alone inside the building. It'd be certain termination.
Ken in Tyler| 1.31.11 @ 10:48AM
The veneer of civilization in our country has grown so thin, the messy droppings will sooner or later hit the rapidly rotating blades and those who have lived in unsustainable places will not like the outcome. I'd rather live in a tent here in rural Texas than in one of our large cities with a six-figure income.
WRTolkas| 1.31.11 @ 10:55AM
I read this and laughed. I am, my family is, my close friends are American Colonial Era re-enactors. We just finished a winter re-enactment. My wife had a great time. Why do I laugh? Because we take whatever the weather throws at us in stride. We've camped through gales, tornadoes, blizzards, you name the weather except hurricanes. Not many of them in Michigan. We learn survival, we have the basic tools, food, and the willingness to use them. Ate beaver stew last Saturday; tastes like beef. Also, we are armed to the teeth. OK, it maybe a flintlock; however, I can make gunpowder, the mountains are full of flints, and because my Tulle is a smooth-bore whatever I ram down the barrel will be shot out. If you want to learn to live simply and survive, join a re-enactment group. You will be surprised to learn you can trap, hunt, preserve food, blacksmith, make shelters, and sew warm clothing. I'll return to that lifestyle someday.
And to you governcrats in D.C. let me tell you a little secret known only to us people who live in the flyover country. You ready? We can live and live quite comfortably without you.
Best regards and stay warm,
WRTolkas
Tim the Enchanter| 1.31.11 @ 1:45PM
Would have been more amusing if you would have said "tastes like chicken". I thought everything that wasn't beef or pork tastes like chicken.
Louis Jenkins| 1.31.11 @ 12:26PM
Wow, an end to the world as we know it article in the middle of calm, collected writings. I'm not going to add or detract from it, as it does have some good advice. I too, re-enact on occassion, and it helps with preparedness. Don't be mislead, however, the golden hord will be out there, and every step you take may be your last without pre-planning, and most important of all, using your head. So Jed, your article is great. Maybe you should do another.
Ken (Old Texican)| 1.31.11 @ 12:33PM
Jed,
evacuate NOW!
skedaddle| 1.31.11 @ 1:00PM
Good article. A wind-up flashlight is best so you don't rely on batteries. Those small hand-warmer things they sell almost everywhere can be very helpful if you're stuck in an unheated car or making a long, cold trek home. Warmth is extremely important if you typically have a young child in the car with you.
JimP| 1.31.11 @ 1:24PM
I have great respect for Mr. Babbin. I have a somewhat different take on this recent storm. Northern Virginia's road network is not efficient at moving traffic even in ideal weather. DC is similar to Manhattan. Going in and out of DC from VA requires crossing bridges. A bridge is a natural choke point. Throw in the overpopulated VA suburbs of DC, that pols and developers let run wild without building adequate roads first, and you get a bottleneck combined with a clusterfark. Also add the atrocious DC metro drivers who are clueless about driving in snow and who panic even when the roads are merely damp from rain: = Exponential clusterfark. (Note: these aren't Southern drivers either. Very few Southerners live in the DC Metro area. Apparently the Northerners are sending their imcompetent boobs to DC to become bureaucrats. Makes sense they'd want to be rid of bad drivers). Lastly, once the roads are in gridlock there is no way any agency, anywhere can ride to the rescue. That's what gridlock means. Maryland's roads are better suited to mass exodus from DC, but still not adequate to the volume. DC itself is hamstrung by L'Enfants original street design. Real cool for the 18th C. but not for cars and several million people. IMO, DC's traffic situation is unsolvable and is a prime example of why government should be cut to the bone. Hey, if they didn't see and plan for the traffic mess they can't do anything right-ever. Having suffered through numerous DC area storms in the past myself, I laughed when I heard people were stuck on the roads for 12 hours and more. Serves them right in a way. I agree with Ken (Old Texican) GET OUT, JED, WHILE YOU CAN. Maybe you can telecommute to work.
Ned| 1.31.11 @ 1:55PM
If you want incompetent boobs behind the wheel, come to Seattle. We have the perfect stew of stupidity... a large smattering of Californians who don't even know what that white stuff is ("Ooo, pretty!")... numerous hills... severly limited routes with geographical choke points in every direction... utterly incompetent government (the mayor's route to work is always cleared, but little else)... all topped off with snow that is infrequent enough that nobody is prepared... last year's fiasco was typical, but set a new low-water mark, when I observed a car (a front wheel drive Honda) abandoned in the CENTER LANE of I-5 southbound, right in the middle of downtown. It was stopped on a flat stretch of freeway, and had been there long enough that it was just a big hump of snow... no flashers, no lights, no driver nearby, no tow truck to remove it... just a panicked moron who got out and walked away. Once I got past that fool I drove at 35 mph all the rest of the way home, since everyone else was still stuck in the jam behind the Honda...
Ned| 1.31.11 @ 2:10PM
this is Portland footage, but the same foolishness applies there as here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaksWCnHaDM
KTinLA| 1.31.11 @ 6:00PM
The merest drizzle gridlocks Southern California - what am I saying? gridlock is our status quo - but actually we do disasters fairly well in California, if you don't count the state government. Every town and city fire and police department has cooperative agreements with nearby towns, we fight brushfires like nobody's business, we can handle earthquakes pretty well and our emergency preparedness folks drill regularly. The point about having a go kit is well taken. I have two quake kits, one in the garage and another in a kitchen cabinet, which include camp stoves, plenty of charcoal for the BBQ, and lots of water. The FEMA website has a guide to preparing a family emergency plan... too bad nobody ever reads it.
Paul A'Barge | 1.31.11 @ 6:43PM
Snowpocalypse. Not Snowmageddon.
joe in houston| 1.31.11 @ 7:28PM
i would also include a can of jellied alcohol or some candles for warmth
Kingofthenet| 1.31.11 @ 7:58PM
This is a good idea, i would if you live in a large city that might be paralyzed a BIKE, say a good mountain one, so you can go 'offroad' and cut thru uneven ground.My mom lives in a suburb about 35 miles from my location in Jersey City, worse case it's a four hour ride. Oh and i thing GPS is safe, i don't see terrorists taking out satellites in Geo Sync orbit.
MarkD| 1.31.11 @ 8:48PM
Come to Syracuse. It snows all the time. We know how to drive in it. There aren't enough people left upstate to create a traffic jam. The summer is great - both months of it.
Oh, if a blizzard is in the forecast, go home before it is forecast to arrive. Even we have problems with three feet of snow in 24 hours.
Swen Swenson| 1.31.11 @ 11:44PM
Excellent advice! Just a couple of additions: First, the hiking boots are a very good idea, many disasters may require that you walk when the roads are clogged. So make sure your first aid kit contains some moleskin. When was the last time you schlepped 10 miles? Moleskin will save you, just be sure to apply it at the first sign of chaffing, don't wait until you have a blister.
Second, a Swiss Army knife is essential. You don't need one with every tool under the sun, just make sure it has scissors -- for cutting the moleskin -- a knife, can and bottle openers, tweezers, and a corkscrew. After all, the point isn't merely to survive, but to survive in style and you wouldn't want to be reduced to drinking cheap wine.
SC Mike| 2.1.11 @ 1:00AM
Lotsa good suggestions. I sometimes work for several-week periods in VA and can’t understand egoist’s comment. I have a backpack go bag with a poncho, first aid kit, flashlights, lighters, batteries, a.38 spl revolver, a .380 semiautomatic, and non-essentials. I also have water, a blanket, and other stuff in the trunk of my car, along with a .45 Colt / .410 in the pouch behind the passenger’s seat. (While my employer rightly frowns on firearms in the building, the parking lot is another matter. Heck, the NRA range is two miles away and I like to go there at lunch, especially before a big meeting.)
After going thru a six-hour trudge back to lodgings in DC some years ago, I took the tack of either leaving really early or really late. Both work as long as you have a sense of the traffic patterns and where and when to cross the durn bridges.
Keith_Indy| 2.1.11 @ 9:25AM
Out here on the fringe of tornado alley, most of us stay prepared year round. Let's see, besides tornado's, there's always blizzards, wind storms (had an 80 MPH wind gust hit us this year,) sever thunderstorms, ice storms (like we are having today.)
So, go to www.ready.gov and you'll get all the tips you need for the bare minimum. Oh, and that website, they built it up after 9/11.
People need to take responsibility for their own lives and safety, not just in emergencies, but ALL THE TIME.
Ole_Sarge| 2.1.11 @ 12:07PM
Ah... the days of being hunkered down in the commode post, er, command post and watching the officials spinning. No actually there would be about three or four people. A cop, a Fire Department guy, someone from Air Field management and usually the Commander or his deputy from the Civil Engineering Squadron.
Germany 1996 - Major Snowstorm before Christmas, preceded by an Ice Storm.
KMC (Kaiserslautern military Community) a series of several large and small U.S. military installations around Kaiserslautern Germany.
Massive snowstorm with intermittent ice, had the major roads on the installations cleared, assisted the local German crews (getting from one site to another) on main roads, on the first day. Second day, they had all the base road ways and many parking lots cleared, as well as the main runway and some of the the aircraft parking ramps on Ramstein Air Base.
This was MORE road way than many communities around the District, and in 3 days, despite mountains of snow, all facilities were fully functioning, including some on hill tops, away from the main base.
Oh, it was all done by military personnel, some of whom had other "day jobs" but were trained in how to plow snow. It was done 24 hours a day, in shifts, and started before the storms even ended.
The equipment was older, and did "act up" but crews were ready to repair as things occurred.
Why can't local governments, or bases in the U.S.A. do it this 15 years later???
Ole_Sarge| 2.1.11 @ 12:22PM
Oh, I forgot a couple things. We had a plan for how to deal with the event, that including what equipment did what, and where the people to operate the equipment came from, how they were trained ahead of time and where were people to go for shelter, food or to find a bed at the end of their shifts.
This included just who is Emergency Essential Personnel. Note, it was not the commanders or other high ranking officers usually. It was that airman one striper that stood sentry duties, and that NCO that drove the snow plow, or that captain over at the base clinic that was the medical officer on duty.
And about twice a season we would "pretend" it was happening, and "play games" moving big pieces of equipment and having loudspeaker announcements.
I've done some "volunteer" stuff in my local communities and NO ONE HAS THE TIME to train and practice, or that's the excuse given. It is NOT a priority and until Emergency Preparedness is a priority..., Well folks, follow the Boy Scout and Girl Scout Motto "Be Prepared."
Reebok | 8.11.11 @ 4:22AM
is good
العاب بنات | 4.11.12 @ 4:17PM
thank you