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While this verges on a rant, it's more about what will probably be our source of problems in any natural disaster-'other' people. While some, or even the majoritiy won't be a problem, there will be some out there who will cause everyone difficulties.
In Washington, we had some uncommon but not rare, low temps following a light snow but it came down fast. For example, we went into a building and came out maybe 30 minutes later and there was a inch and a half on what had been merely slick asphalt...but it mostly stopped. Instantly we had problems, mostly from public transport. We saw where a bus slammed into a pick up and put it into a concrete wall, and we turned just shy of where a bus flipped onto it's side with twelve injuries. People abandoned their vehicles in the middle of the street and on the side of the road on hills. Having lived in other parts of the country, this area has many people who don't know how to drive in the snow! The roads, in many cases, aren't made for snow. The DOT is always reactive, not proactive.
It was a mess!
What is wrong with people?
I can see this happening in a natural disaster, when things really count because I'm seeing it now when there's minor problems.
People will go out when they shouldn't. They will run lights when scared. They will freeze up from a little slide and simply sit in an intersection and not procede. They will make a turn and just stop. They will try to drive with frosted up windows and snow on their windshields. They will rush trying to make up time. They will slow or stop unnecessarily on a slick hill.
I've driven in Upstate New York during white outs. Everything is fine if folks keep moving, but they will often panic and simply stop on the road rather than get off the road to stop. It happens here with less going on. Even through I've experience driving in this stuff, there are trips that aren't worthwhile. You'll see people who can't drive going out to do stupid unnecessary things.
In a natural disaster, like many suburban and rural folks, I want to get away from other people.
I'm trying to anticipate some of their behaviors in other situations.
If you've got some other examples of silly or panic behaviors to worry about in a natural disaster, please share them.
I think it was in Portland where a guy set himself on fire. A female officer grabbed a canister from her trunk and sprayed the guy down while others did the same. Later an other officer found an empty RIOT OC DISPENSOR on the ground. In her panic, this supposedly trained woman grabbed a black cylinder with a red label instead of a red cylinder with a white label and emptied it on a self immolated guy! Totally different handle, totally different spray pattern, yet she did it. This can happen even with trained folks.
In Washington, we had some uncommon but not rare, low temps following a light snow but it came down fast. For example, we went into a building and came out maybe 30 minutes later and there was a inch and a half on what had been merely slick asphalt...but it mostly stopped. Instantly we had problems, mostly from public transport. We saw where a bus slammed into a pick up and put it into a concrete wall, and we turned just shy of where a bus flipped onto it's side with twelve injuries. People abandoned their vehicles in the middle of the street and on the side of the road on hills. Having lived in other parts of the country, this area has many people who don't know how to drive in the snow! The roads, in many cases, aren't made for snow. The DOT is always reactive, not proactive.
It was a mess!
What is wrong with people?
I can see this happening in a natural disaster, when things really count because I'm seeing it now when there's minor problems.
People will go out when they shouldn't. They will run lights when scared. They will freeze up from a little slide and simply sit in an intersection and not procede. They will make a turn and just stop. They will try to drive with frosted up windows and snow on their windshields. They will rush trying to make up time. They will slow or stop unnecessarily on a slick hill.
I've driven in Upstate New York during white outs. Everything is fine if folks keep moving, but they will often panic and simply stop on the road rather than get off the road to stop. It happens here with less going on. Even through I've experience driving in this stuff, there are trips that aren't worthwhile. You'll see people who can't drive going out to do stupid unnecessary things.
In a natural disaster, like many suburban and rural folks, I want to get away from other people.
I'm trying to anticipate some of their behaviors in other situations.
If you've got some other examples of silly or panic behaviors to worry about in a natural disaster, please share them.
I think it was in Portland where a guy set himself on fire. A female officer grabbed a canister from her trunk and sprayed the guy down while others did the same. Later an other officer found an empty RIOT OC DISPENSOR on the ground. In her panic, this supposedly trained woman grabbed a black cylinder with a red label instead of a red cylinder with a white label and emptied it on a self immolated guy! Totally different handle, totally different spray pattern, yet she did it. This can happen even with trained folks.