Examples of significant issues in community preparedness
Issues about administering local resources
If there is a stockpile of anything, it has to be administered. Some of
the considerations or issues have to be who gets what, when and how much?
What are the criteria to receive something from someone else who has it?
I think the questions are appropriate to contingency planning,
especially for those planning to operate at the community level rather
than depend on government (a more impersonal administration and larger
scale of operation). Is there a value assigned to different functions
whereby one can earn or receive a greater portion of what is available by
virtue of performing certain types of functions needed by the community
or by performing functions longer or more often than others? How do you
handle or do you handle some having more than others? Or does everyone
share equally no matter what? If so, are some more equal than others?
I am not trying to get philosophical here. Our current society has set
up ways and means to handle this. Government already has its structure
and rules in place. Different levels of government may or may not be
prepared to handle all the implicaitons of Y2K at once, but most of the
rules and regulations and structure to administer its various progams are
in place.
Those who are planning to operate at the community level, which I am
understanding to be smaller than city level, often the size of a small
village or neighborhood, need some mechanism, whether called a government
or administration or council or whatever. It has to be set up to
administer whatever programs and resources are on hand, or developed or
received by the community. The communities are expecting to have to
operate outside of or independent of the governing structures they are
used to but in some fashion taking those same functions normally
performed by government and bringing them down to a much smaller group of
constituents. The questions are related to the operation of that
community. The longer it operates, the more issues will have to be dealt
with. If there is a supply of food, or blankets, or warm clothes or
money, someone has to protect that supply from thievery (internal or
external). Someone has to decide who gets what and how much. If someone
violates the rules, some discipline has to be imposed. What happens if
supplies run low?
Someone has to mediate disputes and disagreements. If there is an
expectation of continuing on a somewhat long term basis, arrangements
must be made to replenish supplies that are depleted, whether thru normal
use, damage, theft, etc. so that the community can continue. Competition
vs Cooperation. Will there be a levy against what is produced by or
within the community to support the administration of the community or
will it depend entirely on donations from its constituentcy?
These are just some ideas to explore regarding community preparedness.
There may not be a single correct answer. Different communities may
operate different ways, but the issues will likely be the same or
similar.
Dave Hunter
dhunter@revenue.state.il.us