"....the cornerstone of preparation is individual preparation. Have a plan, know how to get the information about what you need to do in the event that a hurricane looms on the horizon. Have some water and food and medicine and a radio, so if you wind up getting caught in a situation where there aren't supplies for 48 or 72 hours, you have the capability to sustain yourself. None of this is rocket science. It's the same steps you would take to make sure your house is prepared against a fire or some other kind of more predictable problem. And if people will make individual preparations, they make it easier for the responders, who then can first focus on people who can't help themselves, either because they're sick or old or poor. And those people need to get help first. So people who have the wherewithal and the capability to help themselves, I think have a civic responsibility to do it". (DHS, Remarks by Chertoff and Paulison on Hurricane Preparedness, May 20, 2008)