by Kenzy England

Created on: September 18, 2008   Last Updated: September 19, 2008

The need to bring up this question is a little unsettling. Who are we to determine who will be rescued and under what circumstances? Has society gotten so petty that we have lost touch with our own conscience?

Just because someone chooses to stay when he or she know their lives are in jeopardy does not give the rest of us cause to judge them or insinuate that they aren't worth the effort of our government to go in and rescue them. I don't believe that I would be able to rest easy knowing that so many people needed help and didn't get it because there are those who have decided they should live with the consequences.

In the wake of Hurricane Ike, it was discovered just how many chose to stay on Galveston Island in my home state of Texas. These individuals were in desperate need of rescue, and our local, state, and federal governmental entities met the demand. Though I am the first to admit that they weren't exactly smart in staying, they do deserve the help. We learn from our mistakes and I'm sure that those people will think twice before they allow themselves to go through something so catastrophic again.

One reason people don't leave when in the face of danger boils down to economics. Not everyone who lives on the coast is financially secure. There are many who live paycheck to paycheck and simply don't have the funds to locate somewhere else, if only for a few days. It is a huge impact on them.

There are those with disabilities who are unable to leave their homes, elderly or not. Everyone needs to understand that sometimes, family members are just too far away or don't have the financial means to get to them and help them to safety; others don't have any family whatsoever and quite possibly no one else they can rely on to help them. Those who aid in evacuating residents don't go door-to-door during these efforts. One must be able to get to the point of debarkation in order to get on a bus to safety.

Sometimes those who choose to stay have reasons that go into the realm of ridiculousness. They have it in their head that it would be "fun" to go through a hurricane, have a hurricane party; they lose all reason they have. They stay for the "thrill of the ride", tossing out the common sense given to them. Even they deserve help in their time of ignorance.

There is yet another reason why some people stayed knowing that Ike was heading their way: Some people were actually helping others get loaded and on their way to safety. Time was not on their side, and these kind

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