i am going to admit something personal about me. i am a closet doomsday-survivalist nutjob. when i lived in Florida and dealt with the horrible hurricane season of 2005 (year of the Katrina hurricane that devastated New Orleans), i spent half of my time glued to the weather channel, and the other half terrified of economic, infrastructure and - eventually - social collapse. 2 of the 5 major hurricanes blew right over my county, and the others made their presence known. my neighborhood didn't experience more damage than power outages, broken windows and dented cars from flying debris, but i know friends who lost their entire homes.
what was the most surprising thing to discover about what happens during extended periods of natural disaster is the extreme mental stress one goes through. when a hurricane approaches, all one can do is sit and watch the news and make sure one's prepared if it hits. it's like seeing someone shoot power a cannon in slow motion: it's coming, you just don't know how bad it's going to hurt. you worry about protecting your loved ones and possessions and your personal safety. in my circumstance, i was a single female living alone in my own house, with a father in poor health in another house across town, and my aging grandma and disabled aunt in still another home. when you have so much responsibility, the fascination and excitement of a big storm quickly turns to prolonged fear and stress. it was a difficult time for everyone.
don't worry, i'm going to tie this into my title soon.
when a hurricane makes a direct hit, high winds knock down trees onto power lines, causing power losses. depending upon the length of the storm, amount of debris on the road, and the number of power lines down, it can be a significant about of time before power is restored. as a rule, we always expected power outages. the first day is exciting, a bit like camping. when the storm quiets and the power is still out, then you start to get out your survival kit and feel pretty proud of yourself. by the third day, you get really bored. the fourth day is when social collapse sets in. people aren't eating decent food, the perishables are all perished. water may be running low. no one is working or making money. and the lights are off. when the sun goes down, the creatures of the night come out.
when you see people on the news who are standing in front of their shops or homes brandishing their weapons, yelling that they will kill looters, they are not isolated extremists. they are people who know from experience that there WILL be wolves at the door. during a 3-day power outage in my small Florida city, we debated taking shifts to watch over a friend's restaurant for fear of it being broken into and looted - because it had happened before.
when any disaster strikes, there are stages that occur. there will be loss of communications, damage of infrastructure, possible health pandemics and societal upheaval. but there are things you can do to be prepared. the first thing takes very little time: prepare your emergency kit. make sure you've got first-aid, water, and non-perishable food. the second thing takes a little more time: plan your response. how will you contact your loved ones? do you need to evacuate or remain at home? what is the route to the nearest evacuation shelter and how do you get there? and the final thing to can do to prepare is something that takes more time, and you can never have enough of it: personal defense.
see? i told you i'd get around to it.
if you're reading this blog, you most likely do martial arts and you agree with me. however, you probably know some friends who stick their head in the sand and refuse to take responsibility for their own well-being. they say things like "MMA is barbaric", "i would never carry a knife because someone would use it on me", "i don't like to get all sweaty", and "i'll deal with it when it happens, but it's not likely". and the BEST one "that crap won't work on the street".
the very first step to survival is physical and mental toughness. sure, you can get this from many sports. if disaster strikes and you have to walk 8km home over a mountain, you'll be fit enough to do so. if you need to help others, you'll be ready and able. but think what happens in that final phase of disaster - when society begins to tear apart and the wolves come out. this stage separates the sheep out from the flock and culls the weakest. if you haven't dedicated a good amount of time to your training, you will lack the situational awareness and ability to respond and you will become a victim. look at the videos from the disaster in Haiti. the wolves smell fear and it makes them stronger.
will your martial art work on the street? i believe that any martial art is better than none, provided you train correctly and honestly assess your own weaknesses. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will make you familiar with an opponent in your personal space, thus allowing you to react more clearly if you are attacked. Muay Thai will make you strong and give you good offense should you be forced to use it. Kali will teach you all about angles and distance and disarms. and for personal defense, Krav Maga will put you in the perfect position to learn to defend yourself in real life "street" situations.
if you are a fighter, you walk into a room and naturally assess the people in it. you do it on the street too, even if you don't know it. human facial recognition is faster than any computer, and that process involves body language too. people who do not practice martial arts - and even many non-serious martial artists - have a wall up in front of this ability. societal rules have forced us into "polite ignorance". we tolerate people invading our space, and become numb to it.
but true martial artists are aware. the other day, I saw Joe, the Triquest Krav Maga instructor, walking towards me on Queens Road at night. he had his hands in his pockets, which is a big no-no. i was about 50 feet away from him, so i decided to see if i could sneak up and surprise him (this was probably a really bad idea, in hindsight). well, when i got about 40 feet from him, he'd already assessed me as a threat, pulled his hands out of his pockets and assumed a VERY offensive stance. then he recognized me and smiled. i was impressed! at least Joe's not going to be jumped by any short drunk women any time soon.
i decided to write this today, because i've been fixated on Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption, and seeing how a natural disaster in an isolated country can affect the entire world. the latest news says that it hasn't subsided, and if it continues for another week, the economic impact will be $750billion USD. enough to topple many nation's economies. a collapsed economy means more people turn to crime. i know it's a big jump to be talking about societal collapse just a few days into a volcanic eruption on the other side of the world, but if you were half as much of a nutjob as me, you'd be worried too.
TRAIN HARDER!
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