I get the phrase “disaster capitalism” from Naomi Klein’s article “Disaster Capitalism: The new economy of catastrophe” in Harper’s (October 2007) [available to Harper's subscribers in their archive].
Guardian Unlimited | Rapture rescue will airlift you to safety. If you can afford it
… In northern Michigan, during the week that the California fires raged, the rural community of Pellston was in the grip of an intense public debate. The village is about to become the headquarters for the first fully privatised national disaster response centre.
The plan is the brainchild of Sovereign Deed, a startup with links to the mercenary firm Triple Canopy. Like HelpJet, Sovereign Deed works on a “country club-type membership fee”, according to the company’s vice-president, the retired general Richard Mills. In exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000 followed by annual dues of $15,000, members receive “comprehensive catastrophe response services” should their city be hit by a man-made disaster that can “cause severe threats to public health and/or well being” (read: a terrorist attack), a disease outbreak or a natural disaster. Basic membership includes access to medicine, water and food, while those who pay for “premium tiered services” will be eligible for VIP rescue missions.
Like so many private disaster companies, Sovereign Deed is selling escape from climate change and the failed state – by touting the security clearance and connections its executives amassed while working for that same state. So Mills, speaking recently in Pellston, explained: “The reality of Fema is that it has no infrastructure, and a lot of our National Guard is elsewhere.” Sovereign Deed, on the other hand, claims to have “direct access and special arrangements with several national and international information centres. These proprietary arrangements allow our emergency operations centre to … give our members that critical head start in times of crisis”. In this secular version of the Rapture, God’s hand is unnecessary. Not when you have retired CIA agents and ex-special forces lifting the chosen to safety – no need to pray, just pay. And who needs a celestial New Jerusalem when you can have Pellston, with its flexible local politicians and its surprisingly modern regional airport? …
