Originally posted by WPRESTO Truth is that preparations, like government regulations, are primarily reactive: something goes wrong, and after the horse is gone you bolt the barn door, or make a law that it must be done.
That is how it is today, but not how it has to be.
People don't want to spend money or effort unless the risk is proven. We're greedy and we're lazy. Usually that means someone loses an appendage or their life before someone acts. Because often money matters more than person to government and definitely to any corporation.
Look at the automotive industry for plenty of proof. (One example -- A neurologist in the 40s apparently worked to create retractable seat belts and a host of other safety mechanisms that are commonplace today. But only after he noticed an influx of head injuries from traffic collisions. Sure didn't come from the automobile makers. Yet it is obvious that an untethered object riding on a larger object that stops suddenly is going to cause the smaller, untethered object to continue moving. They could have easily been proactive and introduced the same safety mechanisms decades before the neurologist's work)
We are generally the more expendable resource.
That is why it is smart to prepare yourself -- You don't step into traffic, I suspect. You are proactive and look both ways before stepping off the sidewalk. We don't need another law to make it illegal to step into traffic. Laws don't stop stupid actions. We need some level of sense that this is a bad idea by being proactive to the situation versus reactive and trying to dodge the oncoming car or sue the driver for striking you.
I see the same follows for most situations... power lines, crime, work, raising children, dating, drinking milk a week past expiration date, etc.
In the case of the power lines around here, the local power company crunched the numbers and determined it is more cost effective to keep putting up new poles and restringing some of them each time a major storm comes by versus burying the lines and avoiding any disruption for good. I'm at least glad they are now looking at the trees but that should have started long before the major outage occurred.
Apparently that was bad for business. Plus, the upside for them is, they can continually restore the utilities and look like a hero.