Don't leave

That's the lesson I'm taking away from the unfortunate flooding situation in Iowa. In this disaster, as in just about every other recent one, once homeowners make the decision to evacuate, they are prevented at every turn from returning to salvage what they can, even days later, as bureaucratic "authorities" erect roadblock after roadblock:

"At another checkpoint, Rhonda Boots said she had waited much of the day to walk to her rental home.
She had managed to get there earlier and see that her basement walls had caved in, but officers wouldn't let her past the checkpoint Sunday afternoon."

Verify that they live in the affected area, and then let them in. Time is critical in rescuing pets, saving family heirlooms and protecting vulnerable personal property.

It's a real Hobson's choice, but one that every person has to make for themselves: Bug out and save your skin for sure, or stay and risk it, but manage to keep control over your property and belongings so that they don't get illegally confiscated, forcing one to attempt to meet impossible requirements in order to get them back, as what happened during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Me? I'm rolling the dice. Freedom to do so is what this country is all about. If the cops don't have a warrant, I'm telling them to move on and save someone else.