Grassroots Disaster Response: Harnessing the Capacities of Communities

I may not necessarily agree with the Heritage Foundation, but I do indeed believe
in the libertarian ideal of self-sufficiency. I find this report to be important and well-supported in terms of documentation. And this concept of personal/family preparedness is of paramount importance as far as I am concerned:


After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the summer of 2005, Washington was justly criticized for the shortfalls in federal assistance.[1] However, too much attention was given to the role of government and too little to the efforts of those who can and should make the biggest difference in the critical first hours and days of a crisis—people in the communities themselves. The greatest advance that America could make in preparing for catastrophic disasters is to build better individual-based programs, a culture of preparedness, and resilient and self-reliant communities.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/bg2094.cfm