I was thinking about this again this morning, and it occurred to me ... WWASD if he got a bit lazy about the evac order and found himself in the NO flood zone? And I don't think we'd find him sitting on the curb at the convention center, complaining that no one was taking care of him. I think anyone who could/would become a SEAL would either find a way out of the city or else gather up a team of like-minded people and find themselves a job that needed doing.
I refuse to speculate on how much of it is nature and how much nurture, 'cuz I honestly don't know, though I tend to suspect nurture has the greater role in this case. (Hmm did I just make a liar of myself and speculate a bit?)
But the more interesting question is how we change the odds. I agree with your gross generalization that some folks will emerge stronger and others fall deeper into blaming the system for their troubles. What can we as individuals and/or the system (government, society) do to help more people go in the stronger direction? Or is this a struggle that goes on inside each of the victims and we are powerless to intervene?
I saw a young woman interviewed last night. Single mom, two kids, could have been the classic victim. But she was a nurse, and she had evacuated in her mini-van to Houston. All her little family had was the contents of that van and a bit of cash, but she had already started the paperwork to get her nursing cert for Texas. Though shook up, she was clearly determined and fully expected to survive. That nursing degree -- and more importantly, the courage, tenacity, faith she had in order to have gotten the degree in the first place -- made all the difference between her future and that of so many folks stuck in NO.
Some of the evacuees were unemployed and some for all practical purposes are unemployable. But most were working at something. Once the immediate needs of food, water, shelter are met, these people are going to need jobs, which in many cases will mean relocation, training and/or apprenticeships. Not just for the money, but for the self-esteem that comes with earning your way in the world. Let's hope that we (individuals, businesses, government) can rise to meet this need.