Cummulative Snow Storms Are a Disaster for Boston Area

Posted on by
Reply

From a writer in the NYTimes: Boston’s Winter from Hell.  Here are two excerpts:

But for those of us living here, it’s not a pretty picture. We are being devastated by a slow-motion natural disaster of historic proportions. The disaster is eerily quiet. There are no floating bodies or vistas of destroyed homes. But there’s no denying that this is a catastrophe.

Where are the federal disaster funds, the presidential visit, Anderson Cooper interviewing victims, volunteers flying in, goods and services donated after hurricanes and tornadoes? The pictures may be pretty. But we need help, now.

Problems with Emergency Management in the National Capital Region

Posted on by
Reply

A recent Metrorail accident has brought to the fore a host of major problems regarding the coordination of emergency management in the National Capital Region.  Lack of money is not one of the problems. From the WashPost, see:  Metro Failed to Notify Fire Officials That Radio Alarms Were Not Working. Here are two excerpts:

The Yellow Line accident on Jan. 12 is the latest example of the Washington region’s continuing struggles with emergency response, despite spending nearly $1 billion in federal homeland security grants since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in order to be nimble in a crisis.

The region’s challenges in emergency response arise not from a shortage of money or high-tech gear but from human, bureaucratic and training failures, according to local officials, industry experts, and current and former emergency responders.

 

Observations on the Size and Effectiveness of the Federal Government

Posted on by
1

In a blog by conservative pundit Michael Gerson in the Washington Post today:
Our Large but Puny Government.  He comments on a recent book titled Bring Back the Bureacrats. There are lots of interesting facts in there, like:

Since the 1960s, the federal government spending has increased by more than five times in real terms, but the number of federal bureaucrats in 2014 was smaller than at any time since Dwight Eisenhower was in office.

Gerson welcomes better public administration and supports the book’s advocacy for fewer contractors and more public servants. He takes a swipe at FEMA, which I do not agree with. But on the whole his points are interesting and provocative.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Reply

Is There a Megadrought in Our Future?

Posted on by
Reply

From the Washington Post: Today’s drought in the West is nothing compared to what may be coming.

The long and severe drought in the U.S. Southwest pales in comparison with what’s coming: a “megadrought” that will grip that region and the central plains later this century and probably stay there for decades, a new study says.

Thirty-five years from now, if the current pace of climate change continues unabated, those areas of the country will experience a weather shift that will linger for as long as three decades, according to the study, released Thursday.

 

Better Pet Disaster Relief – by the Red Cross

Posted on by
3

Red Cross trailer would serve stranded animals in disasters

The American Red Cross wants to make sure pets don’t get stranded if the New York area goes through another disaster like Superstorm Sandy.

The Red Cross and the Westminster Kennel Club unveiled a trailer Saturday that would make it easier to rescue animals in the aftermath of tornadoes, floods, wildfires and other natural or civil disasters.