Here are some reasons why people won’t evacuate when told to do so under Catastrophic Code Red Classifications
Where do they go ALL day, or for the period declared unsafe to stay at home?
It is recommended people make their way to shopping centre, what do these people do with their animals during that same period?
When the shopping centre closes and it is still 40’c outside, where do they go?
The property once evacuated is prime target for burglars
Some people don’t have insurance and can’t be convinced to get insurance.
Some people are already turning a blind ear to the warnings, they have a wait and see attitude, rather than panic and react.
Some people have large animals that can’t be moved for long periods of time into someone’s backyard, so they opt to stay
Some people’s livelihoods are tied up on that property and can’t be removed, like grapevines, raspberry canes. People have no choice but to remain at the property.
When you run cattle and they are your life, your income, your family’s income, you can’t just up and move them, you have to stay and protect them.
I could go on and on and on – but it would be pointless – the Code Red Classification in 1-2 years will no longer mean anything to most people, other than the inconvenience of the local childcare, kindergarten and schools closing, That will be the only reminder.
Here are some very early thoughts when the Code Red Classification was thought and talked about.
Children in the Care of Others During Code Red Days
Code Red Affected Suburbs
Are You Prepared to Stay and Defend?
Can the Council Close your Business on High Risk Days?
Failure of Last Resort Fire Refuges and Code Red School Registers
Why Must Government Save People from Themselves
Victorian Public Lives at Risk #5
Victorian Public Lives NOT at Risk
Code Red Affected Schools
Once you become self-aware and you listen to the world around you – no longer do you need affirmation that it will be a BAD DAY – you KNOW IT WILL be a BAD DAY the MINUTE you get out of bed.
That is what is missing these days – people lock themselves in front of the play stations, in front of DVD players and the Xboxes and the Air Conditioners and think Well I’m fine – stuff the rest of the world.
All of the above is WHY people won’t leave on a day deemed to be Code Red – they’ll wait until someone calls them, SMS’s them, or the neighbour advises them – by then it could be too late and then those same people will blame everyone but themselves.
Those that are prepared will manage, they will acknowledge that they failed, but they did the best they could and move on with life.
That is human nature and the human spirit. We win some, we lose some.
2 comments:
Twenty years ago the city of Mississauga was completely evacuated. There was not one person left, they used infer red cameras in helocopters to locate "strays" arrested forced evacuated everyone. Canada knows how to evacuate, a city. I understand not being able to evacuate a State or several citys, but a town or city can be done. Personal freedoms over personal safety, Canadians choose safety.
HI Karen,
I would agree with you IF it was a matter of isolating one area from another. But imagine trees everywhere, with clearings (some clearing could be 1,2,3 miles wide) that is where the houses are.
For example I am 100km from where my parents are, yet the fire crossed that distance in less than 2 hours. the only thing seperating me from my parents was trees.
You can eveacutate the state, then add to the mix people's livilehoods, their animals, they still need to be milked twice a day, regardless of the temprature. The ramifcations of wholesale evacuation would NOT work in VIctoira or Australia for that matter.
Evacutation has to be an individual choice, allowing those without ties or those wishing NOT to defend to go - BUT they must have somewhere safe. At the moment there is NOWHERE 24/7 open/available for these people to go.
There is no answer - therefore common sense on behalf of the individual must be used. If you refer the heading 'fire' in my blog, you will see my arguments, for and against.
Even with Black Saturday still fresh in my mind - I would still choose to stay. I am prepared, the property is prepared.
We stay.
Post a Comment