Bottled Water

So I've refrained from posting about the hurricane. Alas, I cannot continue.

Here's what I don't get. Why are we stuffing people into convention centers and sports arenas? If you've kept up with the news you've heard about a little something called BRAC, which decides on the military bases that need to be closed and decommissioned. And, wouldn't you know, this commission just decided to close a bunch of bases. I'm not sure if they have been cleared out quite yet, but if you've ever been on a military base you know where I'm heading with this.

Most bases have "real" housing, supportive surrounding communities, adequate bathroom facilities, open space, and (in some cases) airstrips.

Why not put these displaced people in real houses, where kids can get out and play, where there are other buildings in which to conduct school or job training or counseling, or whatever these folks may need? Supplies could be flown or trucked in. These bases are designed to support lots of people in a living capacity -- rather than the three-hour entertainment capacity of a sports stadium.

There will be a time, very soon, when just having bottled water and a cot will not be enough. People, and rightly so, are going to want a bed, four walls, clean bathrooms, and some semblance of a future. I'm not sure the AstroDome screams hope.

I realize my idea sounds a little like the plot line from Blindness, by Jose Saramango, but I just don't think the current plan looks far enough ahead. In fact, the way we're setting up these refugee camps speaks to the overall planning and preparation for this disaster: softly and unsure, if at all.