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Yes

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I write on the side of yes for two reasons. One is a simple case of numbers. If a major hurricane hits a major city, the loss of human life can be staggering. Hurricane Katrina showed us this when it destroyed New Orleans. I am not saying that the people that live in the cities are more important. Not at all. It is just that they are more closely packed together so a concentrated storm will cause the casuality rate to go through the roof.

The second reason has to do with the fact that the people that live in a rural setting will usually have better survival skills. They don't always rely on the supermarket for their sole source of food. People that live in the country often supplement their diet. They can hunt and fish to get food. Since the beginning of time animals have been able to survive such storms. There is no reason that this should change. Of course some of the animals would not make it, but those that do, that is a food source. It seems to me that the people that live in the country would have a better chance of using this resource to survive the aftermath of the storm.

Another thing that people in rural communities and on farms tend to do is put up food. By this I mean they grow food in their gardens every year, then use different methods to preserve it. Canning is a very popular method. While the storm may destroy the current crop that is being grown, food that was canned in seasons past can still be edible. It is usually put in a cool dark place like a cellar. The containers that are used are both air proof and water proof. This would make them immune to one of the major dangers of hurricanes, flooding.

The fact that people in rural communities tend to be more self supportive would give them a better chance of both survival and recovery. They also tend to know their neighbors and care about them. You don't the situations that you find in the major cities where people don't even know the people that live in the very same apartment.

I do not put the lives of those in the city over those in the rural areas. Quite the opposite, I think that the people in the rural areas have a stronger moral fiber. They don't rely on others for their basic needs. They know how to survive without the "modern conveniences". They help each other out in a time of need. No their lives are not less valuable, their lifestyle just make them more prepared for just one more kind of hardship that may be thrown their way.

Learn more about this author, T. Scott Randolph.
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