With the 15th anniversary remembrance of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers coming up Sunday morning at 6:55 at all three fire stations, this is a ripe time to think about putting aside drinking water before the next disaster.
This is National Preparedness month, and City Hall is offering 55-gallon containers at discounted prices (“Hey, Buddy, Can You Spare a Water for Me?”).
Dr. Ira Diamond, Culver City’s busiest water advocate, is laboring to convince skeptical neighbors that in a disaster setting, those without a water supply are vulnerable to perishing.
“People don’t think about it because you can get water everywhere,” he said. “If you are in a situation where there is no water, people can become panicky.
“People don’t think ahead to where they are going to get water.”
When Dr. Diamond asks residents if they have an adequate water source, they consistently answer “Absolutely. We have a few plastic containers that are full.”
Maybe they will have a couple 5-gallon containers. “I tell them that will not go very far,” said the podiatrist.
The plainness of the commodity and the seemingly ubiquitous availability of water lead to a lackadaisical attitude by the community, advocates believe.
“As I am speaking,” said Dr. Diamond, “it is hot outside. I actually am kind of thirsty, and I have a meeting in a few minutes.”
He could stop at a water fountain, a likely unavailable luxury in a disaster.
“People just don’t focus,” Dr. Diamond said, sounding slightly exasperated as he briskly moved toward his next meeting.
