Many of them feel better just for having talked to someone about the issue, Smith says. But others don't believe what the operators tell them. There's a measurable number of callers who say, 'I know that is not true. You're just trying to make excuses for the government. I don't think it's nearly as high as it used to be.
People do believe a little more that the government can do some things effectively.
What we heard more than anything is that the biggest concern is public information making sure people know about it, know what kinds of steps they can personally take to avoid any major disruption in their own lives. John Miller, FEMA regional director in Kansas City, Mo., agrees. We, on the other hand, are working with the states and the locals to try and counter that. The Internet, especially, is rife with warnings of food shortages, power blackouts, water supply cutoffs and other disruptions of basic services that allegedly could go on for months or longer. Those messages often are accompanied by sales pitches for survivalist supplies and even gold bullion.