What Happened to "Be Prepared"?

I live in Northern Virginia and this week has been hot. So hot in fact that when it finally rained the other day, the streets were steaming. Now, I heeded the warnings that were announced via the media-newspapers, radio, television-all warning to STAY INSIDE because of dangerous weather conditions. Why on earth did the Boy Scouts decide to continue their Jamboree in record setting heat? Could they not have moved to an indoor location with the hope that the conditions would improve? Surely one of the military bases in the area, or a hotel even, would have given them some appropriate shelter. So why then did the adults in charge not take charge and decide to take those children in from the danger? I've been camping and I am no whimp when it comes to roughing it, but this is a far different situation from trying to assemble a tent in a run of the mill downpour. It doesn't take long for children to overheat. Intermixed with the heat, there were thunderstorms. Hell, even the President of the United States determined he should not be out in dangerous weather conditions and postponed his visit to the Scouts' Jamboree. If there is ever a next time, the President should take an extra step and invite the Boy Scouts to come and say at his place until the weather is better.
Aviva and I spent many summers in Colorado at camp and we both remember being sent back to cabins when the weather conditions were considered dangerous. While parents want our children to learn how to get along without us, to survive in the wilderness if necessary, a part of survival is also understanding the need to get help when you can. Scouting programs do provide that kind of preparation. They are famous for it and have an excellent reputation when it comes to being prepared. However in this particular situation, it was the adults who may have failed to "Be Prepared" and the end result was a lot of sick children. While I do not know the specifics of why decisions were made as they were, I do know that there were adults there who did not follow their gut. Our intuition as parents is better than we may realize. Please take from this that if you feel your child, or a child you are supervising, is in a dangerous situation, listen to your gut and take action. When people are under stress and faced with unexpected circumstances it is easy to become distracted from what needs to be done. Try to find a way that works for you, yet keeps you in touch with what is going on around you. For me, taking a deep breath works very well because it doesn't take a lot of time, and if in an emergency I'm ready to act quickly.
What happened at this Jamboree could have happened at a summer camp, it could have happened in any number of situations where bad weather occurs. I don't feel this is a "scouting" issue, and dumping on the Scouts is not my intention. Let's all try to keep on the look out for dangerous situations, weather related or not, and "Be Prepared" to take action to keep each other safe.