Disasters Happen
4 years after Katrina, I want to focus on one of the mantras that people used when they griped about “those people” for not only staying in the face of a storm, but for living and building in what was an “inevitable disaster area.’
In the past four years, our nation has seen first hand that disaster can strike anywhere, from the Midwest to California’s wildfires. As a matter of fact, looking at the following chart might make it seem like the southwest states might be the place to live. I would postulate however, that since this chart is driven by money damage, that those less populated states would have lower potential damage from any given event.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/...
Since 2005, if you do a search, you will find tremendous examples of FEMA acting properly. I am sure there will be diaries on this subject.
But, apart from the billion dollar events above, I am sitting in Louisville, Kentucky. We are 629 miles from the nearest beach. We’ve never seen the wildfires, earthquakes, or tornado outbreaks that plague other regions. In the last twelve months, we have been hit with the following national disasters:
Hurricane Ike: Two hours of sustained winds of 40 or more miles an hour, gusts of 90mph led to 500,000 homes without power. Schools were closed for a week.
January Ice Storm: A freak ice storm knocked out power to about 450,000 homes in Kentucky. Louisville schools were closed for a week.
Flash Flood: In August of this year, 6.5 inches of rain fell in two hours. The University of Louisville had several building closed, the Main Public Library was closed from damage, and enough homes were damaged that Louisville was again named a Federal disaster area.
So… Four years after New Orleans, the lesson is disaster is not prejudiced. It does not care where you live, or what you do to prepare for the next disaster.