What has the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina already taught me?

The almost necessity of having an axe and a gun in your house in a time of colossal emergency.

I mean, a week ago, I never, ever, ever would have stated or typed, "I think I need a gun in my house." However, after reading stories like this, this, and this, it makes me think I need to have something to protect my family and our means of survival in a time of crisis. Living in California - home of wildfires and earthquakes - makes me think a colossal crisis could happen at anytime. I mean, thugs and gangs are robbing hospitals for drugs at gunpoint, evicting members of nursing homes for food and beds, shooting at National Guard helicoptors that are trying to bring help and evacuate the refugees. And this is what is actually getting reported. I can only imagine the carnage taking place that will never get reported, as victims are just washed out to the Gulf of Mexico with the receding flood-waters. Yes, this is a horrible thought, but a reality.

As far as an axe, well, that just comes from reading heartbreaking stories like this one (still looking for the link - I did not just make this up). Can you imagine, going to bed on Tuesday night, thinking that, "See, I knew we could just ride out this storm." Then, all of the sudden, waking up to water at the foot of your bed. So then, you trudge upstairs. Until the water, reaches the second floor. Then you hit-up the attic, thinking for surely, the water cannot reach that high. Well, all of the sudden, the water starts seeping through into the attic. And now, if you only had that axe, you could have at least punched through the roof, to avoid being trapped...