In a classic routine, comedian Bob Newhart listens to a response from the complaint department about a toupee he wants to return. Although he knows it’s guaranteed to stay on in a hurricane, he lives in Iowa and doesn’t worry a lot about hurricanes. All he wants is for the hairpiece to stay on when he leans over to put some cheese on crackers.

 

Newhart summarizes the simplicity of being prepared for disasters, whether snacking or nature’s best shot. What we do to prepare for likely emergencies helps us be safe and feel safe. 

 

Charging $99.99 for a six pack of water and tripling the price of hotel rooms, may offend our sense of fairness. A customer who pays because there is no real choice causes us to squirm if called to justify the deal. Philosophers can argue various levels of justice but getting moral resolution would take enough time for the disaster to pass and things to return to victims’ new normal.

 

Of course, “the government” could store sufficient supplies of commodities so that not even the greatest disaster left people in peril. But practical issues of where and what to store and for how long preclude an ability to store enough of everything for every potential victim of every potential disaster. Practicalities of monitoring and delivering needed supplies are complicated by problems of how distribution will be applied in a just and timely manner. 

 

The attractiveness of that kind of storage is preparation rather than reaction. It requires people to plan for worst case scenarios. But when people don’t prepare are they to be cut out of a recovery process, or should they be assisted first because those who did prepare don’t need help? Do we consider differently the person who prepared but lost the stored emergency provisions to the emergency? Who decides what’s fair or just? What happens when repeated storms result in the “donation fatigue” experienced from this year’s series of hurricanes and earthquakes?

 

Catholic Charities is participating in several counties to prepare for the next tornado, flood, fire, blizzard. Emergency Response Teams need to know where victims can be fed or sheltered until a crisis passes. People need to be safe. We need to actively prepare to personally survive the storm, fire, crime, or flood. Think about the recent Gospel and not knowing the day or the hour. This addresses the material side of emergencies.

 

We also need to help someone else survive the storm, fire, crime or flood. Think of the parable of The Good Samaritan. This addresses our readiness to serve others’ needs.

 

We need to come to the aid of our stricken brothers and sisters. If we know we’re prepared and our families are safe, then our focus can be on those who are in need. We may not know the day or hour, but we know we’re prepared and can now be a true neighbor to others.

 

Thank you for helping us be prepared to help others.

 

Happy Thanksgiving from your Catholic Charities.