Anger over Beijing’s flooding response. Details of recent flooding (CNN, July 26)  indicate that more than 800,00 people were affected. Bad planning for infrastructure construction seems to be the root cause, but the response and recovery apparently are as disastrous as the flood waters. Here is a example noted in the article:

Zhang and her neighbors alike remember a fearful night spent in dark attics or higher ground after carrying the elderly and children out of fast-rising water — all the while unable to reach anyone at the city’s flood control hotline.

One neighbor, Gao Liying, added that she feels even more shaken by the village officials’ response when she told them the flood has ruined almost all her worldly possessions. “They actually said: ‘If your house didn’t collapse and nobody died, then you’re not a victim,'” she said, raising her voice. “I asked: are you still human?”

Related articles

• Rumors swirl over flooding death toll in Beijing (utsandiego.com)
• Fury after 37 killed in Beijing floods (edition.cnn.com)

Tom Ridge, former Sec. of DHS

Reliance on imports leaves U.S. vulnerable to disasters, according to a new report.

An increasing reliance on imports, combined with the fraying of the nation’s power grid, highways and rail lines, leaves the United States more vulnerable to the damage of natural disasters and terrorist attacks, according to a report to be released Wednesday by former homeland security secretary Tom Ridge.

The report, which Ridge shared with homeland security officials Tuesday morning, warns that the offshoring of U.S. factories means that rebounding from a catastrophe will be more difficult because so many critical supplies would have to come from overseas

The authors are two former DHS executives. A press release and video are available.

The report raises some interesting points, including where and when will the needed reconstruction materials come come. The report was sponsored by the Alliance for Manufacturing, which suggests domestic manufacturers have an obvious concern about the topic.

Image by martinluff via Flickr

The title of this article in the HuffPost on August 24 is somewhat oblique, but the article does make the key point that our nation’s infrastructure is in bad condition and the stresses of disasters will make matters worse.  See: What Do the Earthquake, Infrastructure and Antiquated Accounting Have to Do With Jobs?

The earthquake yesterday was the largest east coast trembler in 67 years. But earthquakes of moderate intensity are not rare. The U.S. Geological Survey counted an average of 1,300 earthquakes each year that range in magnitude from 5 to 5.9 on the Richter [Sic] Scale. Yesterday’s was on the high end, at 5.8. Earthquakes — even in areas like the East Coast that is the middle of a tectonic plate — happen regularly and should not come as a surprise.

The same is true of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and huge snow storms. Natural disasters don’t happen every day or every year, but they are definitely going to happen.  And when they do they test our infrastructure. If, as a society, when we let our infrastructure deteriorate — or cut corners to build  things on the cheap — it often turns out that the cost of our neglect is much greater than if we had taken a more responsible, prudent course and built roads, and high rises, and levies and nuclear plants that are designed to survive the natural disasters that
are all but certain to happen some day.

Editor’s Note: Many people do not realize that the Richter Scale is no longer used; the 5.9 magnitude cite is on the Modified Mercalli scale, the one currently used by geologists.