Looting after disaster - interesting article

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lukus

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May 30, 2007
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Kind of an interesting article about looting after a disaster.

http://www.livescience.com/culture/natural-disaster-earthquake-looting-100303.html

In a nutshell, the conclusion is that reports of looting after a large scale disaster is way over reported; that altruistic behavior outweighs lawlessness. I believe it. It's a double whammy - people like to sensationalize things going on around them, and news reporters want to sensationalize things for ratings.
 
Looting is looting. Whether it is 'over reported' or not, its still wrong.
It will still get you arrested or shot too.

Any one that lives in an area prone to natural disaster, and had not provided the basics to see them and their family through at least the initial stages of the event and recovery, is already guilty of failure.
"Having" to loot as a result does not mitigate stupidity and procrastination.
 
right or wrong would be a very difficult thing for me to judge-beings ive never had to survive any sorta disaster so far(other than the ones of my own making....:o) feel like im ready for lots of things-but even thats hard to know without a doubt not having any experience in a disaster situation
 
sadiejane said:
right or wrong would be a very difficult thing for me to judge-beings ive never had to survive any sorta disaster so far(other than the ones of my own making....:o) feel like im ready for lots of things-but even thats hard to know without a doubt not having any experience in a disaster situation
Click to expand...


+1 i'm more prepared for an earthquake in BC than 95% of the people, yet I know that those preps are only good for a week of disaster living/rationing
/before i need to resupply.

HOWEVER that being said.....would i loot? depends......food/water, YES, tv's, etc etc NO NO NO NO.

BUT i would have to completely exhaust my preps, and head to another safe house (the GF's house) before i would even consider looting food/water.

part of me thinks looters should be dealt with with a bullet, but not if they are looting food/water to survive.............loot tv's, and other NON ESSENTIAL goods, you get a bullet.
 
shlda been more clear-yup i was talking essentials-ie food, water, medicine


(beer, whiskey, rolling papers...:D)
 
I recently read an author who stressed "its not looting if you leave a note". Clearly this applies only for physical necessities and is still not a good plan.
j_d
 
here is my view on looting....
I think its wrong and dumb for people to loot tvs,electronics,jewlery,and all non survival items....but I can tell you this if I was forced to I would take food,medical items,paper items,batterys,water,fuel... in a heart beat if I needed them....food will spoil anyway if not eaten so everyone may as wel have a go at it and I am going to do everything in my power to help my neighbors and my famely in a time of need....but looting crap you dont need it wrong and dumb...what are you ging to do with a 62 inch plasma tv with no power....dummy
 
One negative thing can outshine all the positive things that happens and this is the case for sales, cases like this and more as we all know. We've seen it in sales threads here where someone in great standing suddenly ended up in the good the bad and the ugly with one negative comment or sale and next thing you know the entirety of our paid membership is there checking it out. Keeping that in mind and broadening the scope some to encompass a minor or major catastrophe if one or two cases of looting in a particular end of a town or city after a catastrophe takes place that will be more talked about, noticed and focused on than all the well behaved people and positive things that take place regardless of how many there may be. Its not surprising really that this takes place. The media plays on sensationalizing everything hyping it up when needed because negative stories improve ratings and that doesn't help.

STR
 
I think generally most folks do pull together during a crisis. Think what you will about NYC, ( I'm not from there ), but for the most part the citizens came together admirably during the dark days after 9/11. There wasn't lawless panic in the streets.

Looting is a matter of perspective : it's wrong to take something that doesn't belong to you when everything is perking along fine, perhaps excusable when it involves "providing" the essentials for your family by breaking into a grocery store during a disaster....and might be a "shooting offense" when someone is attempting to steal my stores of food and water that I've prepared for my family's well-being during a crisis. ;)

I don't ever think trying to "enrich" your circumstances during a catastrophe by looting a wide-screen or new lap-top can be justified.

- regards
 
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I think it's important for some of the responders in this thread to actually read the article or the synopsis before responding. STR and Gramps certainly did. The OP didn't start a free for all thread entitled "what do you think about looting". Read the article. Apologies to the OP for the sideline.

Speaking to the subject: I believe the article that instances are over-reported. It's scandalous and sells more papers or stories. I think some places or areas might be more prone than others to looting in a disaster though and I would rather err on the side of caution than expect the most civilized of exchanges in that scenario.
 
The article just made me think about the more altruistic actions of people in these types of situations.

People tend to be protective of their family first and then their immediate neighborhoods. And when you think of the smaller natural disasters like floods and ice storms and the like, you always see neighborhoods banding together for sand bagging, chainsawing dropped trees in roadways, and even neighborhood cookouts. Whole towns will break up into little "fiefdoms" (for lack of a better word). It makes perfect sense: you have something in common, smaller area easier to protect, many hands to help you in return, etc..(so it's not really altruism either). You normally just see the sensational blood and guts side of these stories. Just interesting to see the good side too.
 
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