Received the following email from a prominent Pakistani-American based in Houston, Texas, USA. Katrina, FEMA, and the White House taught them a lesson that every Boy Scout learns. Be Prepared. The contents of his email are: "Just so you know.... There is a strong possibility that Galveston-Houston area is going to get hit by Hurricane Rita. Landfall is expected late Friday.
We are located 45+ miles in land so we will not be getting the storm surge but we are expected to get winds of up to 100+ mph. We are also expected to lose power for up to 3-4 days. We are very well prepared. We should have all our supplies by 8:00 AM. As I write this my wife is at the grocery store purchasing supplies (Its 5:35 AM)?
We are expected to get 100 mph+ winds and large amount of rainfall. Cars are gassed up, Bath tubs are filled with water (for use in toilets) Cell phones is fully charged. My Internet connection is through a cable company.
My wife has attended many hurricane preparedness seminars during her work in the radio news. She was the primary hurricane anchor at her station. She knows the drill. Our closest evacuation shelter is Waco, Texas.
My father-in-law lives there. FEMA seems to have learned from its lousy experience with Katrina and so have we. Tonight we are also securing patient's files and records at our Shifa Clinic. Do not panic if my replies to your emails are not as prompt as usual. I will stay in touch as long as possible."
That is the message from Houston. For people living in Karachi and the administrators of the City District Government of Karachi, the message is loud and clear. Are we prepared for such a calamity?