Big City

Paranoid or well prepared?Mumbai may be one of India's richest and most progressive cities. But living as we do in a poor country we assu...

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Paranoid or well prepared?

Mumbai may be one of India’s richest and most progressive cities. But living as we do in a poor country we assume many discomforts as a given. Dirty streets, crowded public transport systems, unpainted road signs, badly maintained public urinals. It seems churlish almost to complain about such things when thousands are dying of hunger and disease just miles away. Why, even grave problems such as clogged drains and the unavailibility of drinking water provokes little protest from affected citizens. Most people find a way to manage, quietly and without seeking help from municipal authorities. The reason usually is of course that officials tend to be corrupt and completely unresponsive to complaints, but there is also an underlying consciousness that this is a poor country and there is only so much that can be expected from the state. The contrast when one lives in a city of far greater means, as I have been doing for the last few weeks, is enough to arouse a large dose of envy, if not resentment. Motorisedstreet sweepers, air-conditioned trains, buses with extendable stairways to allow the disabled to embark and disembark freely, escalators, parks, etc. etc. Washington D.C. is by no means the world’s most exciting city but just a glimpse of its public conveniences makes one realise the difference between a place rich in resources and one lacking in the same.

Yet, believe it or not, having too much can also bring with it certain problems. One being the problem of overreaction, particularly when faced with a situation of potential crisis. Just last fortnight, for instance, a part of America was threatened with devastation from a hurricane. The onslaught of Floyd, as this not-so-friendly monster was called, created total panic. Authorities issued storm warnings and ordered the largest evacuation in American history. Parts of Florida were boarded up and deserted and about two million people left their homes. Evacuation is not an easy affair. In the affected areas, hotels filled up fast reportedly at hiked-up rates and several families were left without food or shelter. As it happened, the hurricane passed over without incident. And the whole episode evoked a huge debate on whether the authorities had overreacted.

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There is no easy answer, of course. To us in Mumbai the idea of ordering a population out of their homes on the basis of a possible hurricane attack would seem difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. Can you imagine emptying all of Mumbai? Could everyone leave their homes and their earthly possessions unguarded? How would they leave town? On normal days our highways and trains are filled to capacity, in an emergency the situation seems unimaginable. So, did the authorities overreact? It can of course be argued that the hurricane could have hit. There was no way of knowing. It was better to be safe than sorry.

On the other hand, a few days ago I found a printed leaflet from the mayor in my mailbox. The subject was: Home Guide Emergency Preparedness. Preparing a Plan for Emergency Events and Y2K. I quote:

“The six basic items that should be stored in your home are water, food, first-aid supplies, clothing and bedding tools, emergency supplies and specialty items. Keep these items in one easy-to-carry container such as a trash can, camping backpack or duffel bag. Store it in a convenient place and keep a smaller version in your car… rotate the food supplies every six months (place dates on containers). Check the supplies and rethink your needs every year. Examples of appropriate types of food include: `jelly, low sodium crackers, granola bars, hard candy, instant coffee.’ If required, the leaflet claims, the D.C. Emergency Management Agency will establish community-based warming shelters for residents. There is also half a page on what to do about pets. The suggestions include locating a shelter, finding a person to care for your pet if you have to relocate, a basic disaster kit for your pet, which should include an airline-approved carrier, vaccination records, an extra supply of pet food (`for dogs alower protein dog formula will produce less stool, a benefit when kept indoors’) etc. There are also instructions on Y2K planning at home, at work, and while travelling.

Paranoid or merely well prepared? You decide.