it also puts those people to shame who would rather disobey orders to leave town than get to safety. it also puts to shame mayors and governors of various towns that would rather sit back on their haunches and say it was FEMA's fault for not moving when their own city and state plans were not followed, which would have saved many lives. in the US, the federal government is second in command in internal dealings of any sort, that includes disaster preparedness and disaster relief. it is the local and state governments that are supposed to be on their toes to kick these processes into action, to be prepared and to execute the functions necessary to get localities back on their feet as quickly as possible. apparently, someone did not get the memo. marshall law is declared as a last resort.

i applaud your citizens for listening to their government, or scientists, whomever made the call. this shows a good and healthy instinct for survival, which is something that fades rather quickly when so much is handed to you for such a large part of your life. it also shows that the world has learned from the mistakes of others and that is positive.

but- sorry to hear about all the loss. money's not easy to come by these days, especially a billion dollars worth. hope all goes well in the clean-up and reconstruction.