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There is an ongoing controversy over how leftist educators are indoctrinating children as young as six years old in human sexuality and all its variants, including details about intimate acts that past generations characterized as depraved. All that is done in the name of inclusivity, so that children will not only learn to accept such behavior as normal, but will, in the minds of leftist educators, embrace it too at some point.
There was a time when schools were meant to educate children, make them better citizens, better human beings. These days they are used as centers of indoctrination for the cult of political correctness as defined by left wing educators and politicians. Inclusivity, for example, now automatically excludes conservative views. Tolerance is extolled, except for people with traditional values.
And the latest environmental tragedy in Texas reminds us once again how schools have utterly failed to prepare individuals to save themselves. We have watched hours of TV reporting on the tragedy affecting Houston and other localities submerged under water. Although there is no denying the personal suffering of thousands of people, you may have felt curious about a few issues that the media chooses not to discuss.
There was too much blind trust on authorities, not enough independent thinking.
Harvey was expected to be huge, that much we knew, and even worse than it actually turned out to be. However, people chose to obey instructions that told them "to shelter in place" regardless of where they were. The mayor of Houston said it would have been impossible to evacuate six million people. However, it would have made good sense to evacuate a few thousand, particularly vulnerable folks such as people in nursing homes.
If you live on a third floor or higher, have plenty of food and supplies, and are well acquainted with survival skills, then it makes sense to shelter in place. But if you live on a first or second floor, if you are fragile due to old age or a medical condition, if you are pregnant, if you have children with serious health issues, and if you don't have the money to purchase essential supplies for at least a couple of weeks, then it makes sense to evacuate ahead of time.
There were many cases of people who were perfectly safe but had to be rescued because they ran out of food on the third day of the storm. Even under normal conditions we should have enough food supplies for two weeks or more. Not items that will spoil in case the power goes off, but canned food, crackers, peanut butter, health bars, and such. And lots of drinking water.
People had not prepared a BUG OUT BAG
Time and again you would see people carrying nothing with them as they were being rescued. Nothing! A bug out bag is essential and should be ready at all times. Some items can be left there permanently, such as extra clothes, while others should be on a list to include before departure, such as medications, pet food, health bars, important documentation, money, credit cards, and so on. There are websites that specialize on bug out bags, and how to prepare for a disaster in general.
Some people drowned or risked their lives because they did not know how to swim.
Swimming lessons should be mandatory for all able school children. No one should lose his life because of the lack of such a basic skill. But then educators are told to spend time teaching about kinky sex instead.
Warnings about water infections should have been given from the start.
People wading in water should have been aware of the many germs lurking in that water, and how dangerous they are if you happen to have a scratch on your skin.
Texas had at least two weeks to prepare but there was no well organized plan to save pets and other animals.
Some loyal pet owners made sure that their pets went with them no matter what, but many others left them behind, to maybe drown or starve. This is a situation that unfortunately repeats itself in every single disaster.
Washington Post: Experts talk about the flood's collateral damage
Excerpts:
Short term - Water injuries
The majority of people who die during floods drown: About 75 percent of the fatalities are drownings, per the World Health Organization. Two feet of rapid floodwater will sweep away an SUV. Just six inches of water, if it moves quickly enough, can knock over an adult, according to the National Weather Service.
Floodwaters can also draw out unwelcome wild animals. Images of stinging fire ants clumped together as large floating rafts set social media abuzz on Monday. Snakes, too, are a concern. Storm activity definitely increases the potential for snakebite as the snakes get flooded out and seek higher ground.
Short term: Infectious diseases
A flood contains more than rain. Sewage systems spill their guts. And the water can dredge up things more disturbing, if less infectious, than human waste. In New Orleans in 2005, the flooding from Hurricane Katrina exhumed corpses, sending coffins afloat through neighborhoods.
It is not easy to predict the nasty microbes that will strike. But Hurricane Katrina, which hit land at the same time of the year as Harvey, could offer some lessons. In September 2005, the CDC reported 30 cases of MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus bacterium, among a group of New Orleans evacuees sent to Dallas.
And Vibrio pathogens, bacteria popularly described as “flesh-eating," sickened two dozen people and killed six. There were also scattered reports of skin rashes, from infections and heat, as well as red marks blamed on biting mites. Texas health officials are urging people to get tetanus booster shots to protect themselves against the disease, which enters the body through cuts.
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