Stop Drop and Roll Fire Campaign

In response to the massive devistation of the California fires, Texas has a new campaign called, "Ready or Not" that encourages Texans to prepare for an emergency. This statewide emergency plan isn't just for fires. The plan extends for hurricanes, terrorist attacks, and disease outbreaks. The Department of State Health Services or DSHS is launching the preparedness campeign. But is is really more like a do it yourself plan in some aspects of the plan. They boast an interactive website TexasPrepares.org. where locals can create their own emergency plan that best suits their needs along with all the necessary supplies. This looks like a throwback to the 50's bunker stock full of canned foods and tang.

The Emergency Preparedness video on the website is pretty funny. It's common sense put into words by Austin's own Ron Olivera. This grade school Plan is all fine and good in an ideal world, however it's a pretty weak response to the massive destruction of the California fires. I guess the message here is one of do it yourself security. This website is pretty handy but it doesnt really make me feel safe. I don't think any website would. What are the lessons we as a state can learn from the mass destruction of the California fires and Katrina? What party is ready to chime in on this debate?

In a recent political poll on CNN.com it looks like Republicans are standing by their man and giving him all the kudos he deserves for the quick response in California. Although Im sure quite a bit of the locals would agree the response wasn't quite quick enough. The people in these ares were loaded. The richest in the nation, so yeah maybe that had sometyhing to do with the respose. I'm not so sure if a national disaster, like a hurricane happend in Corpus Christi where the majority of people are hispanic, the response would be so quick and well orchestrated. So this lame little Texas website is what we have for now. So maybe for those of us that dont have millions should keep some canned foods, maps and water in a closet just in case.

I was living in Corpus when Katrina hit, watching the eye of the storm move away from Texas and closer to NewOrleans. But when all that devistation happend and that poor response was upon us. I couldn't help but think, man those poor black people could have very easily have been man those poor brown people, if the storm had hit Corpus instead. Watching the devistation that is around us in other states should be all the wake up call we need as a state. So maybe the adiquite amount of money will be available to us if this ever happens here.