Monthly Archives: September 2017

“Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice.” – Will Durant “Recovery starts from the darkest moment.” – John Major “Forget past mistakes. Forget failure. Forget about everything except what you’re going to do now – and do … Continue reading →

The existential human challenge? You might have your own candidate; here’s one to chew on: Thriving on our generous, dangerous, fragile planet. Of course, an assertion like that deserves a bit of justification. Again, chances are you can write a … Continue reading →

Prologue: With each passing day, the Puerto Rican disaster reveals its true extent. It’s no mere disaster (a word cheaply tossed about), but a dire – and deepening – humanitarian crisis. Three million islanders need help now with food, water, … Continue reading →

Prologue: The daily news from Puerto Rico is excruciatingly tragic. A week after Hurricane Maria’s passage, some 3.5 million people are still picking their way through 3000 mi2 of debris in a search for food and water, and despair mounts. … Continue reading →

“A banker lends you an umbrella when the sun is shining but takes it back when it starts to rain.” – (origin debated) Let’s get one thing straight: in the face of natural hazards, the individual- and the societal policy … Continue reading →

Here is America’s weather-hazards policy in a nutshell[1]: React at times when weather outlooks and forecasts indicate danger. Shelter in place where practical; otherwise, save lives through emergency response, primarily evacuation. Start with action at the local level. Call in … Continue reading →

“Forecasting the weather” vs. “protecting life and property?” Hurricanes Harvey and Irma reveal important policy implications. An earlier pair of LOTRW posts introduced this subject. They argued that the shift from merely predicting the state of the atmosphere to use … Continue reading →

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he … Continue reading →