Natural Disaster Review Board: Let's Get This Done!!

By -
It is said insanity is doing the same thing 
over and over and expecting a different result. 

The largest wildfire in the history of Texas has been 90+% contained. 
To give you some perspective, this fire would extend from New York City to nearly Baltimore!

Now, consider:
  • February, 2024. The Smokehouse Fire, largest in Texas' history.  √
  • August, 2023. Fire on Maui kills more than 100 people and obliterates the historic town of Lahaina. √
  • December, 2021, more than 1,000 homes burn in Boulder, CO.
  • November, 2018, 86 killed, 17 injured, and $16 billion in damage in California's "Camp Fire." √
√ = suspected or proven involvement of utility wires. 

Prior to 2018, when did you hear about catastrophic wildfires that killed scores of people?

Whether these are random or part of a trend, they have one thing in common: they are still more reasons why the United States desperately needs a National Disaster Review Board to immediately swing into action to investigate what occurred and why, what best practices for prevention, firefighting and evacuations may be, and to get that information quickly to practitioners across the nation so as to mitigate these mega-disasters in the future. Otherwise, the "insanity" (not investigating, etc.) continues. 

While essential to the future of our nation, the bi-partisan legislation in Congress is moving only slowly, in spite of its considerable support. 




While there is a great deal to like in both bills, there are things that need to be amended -- which can be accomplished via hearings (standard procedure) in both houses of Congress.  

Other nations, like Great Britain, have a a board that investigates disasters. People should not have to continue to die and billions of dollars should not continue to go up in smoke because the USA lacks a board like England's. It doesn't matter if it is a wildfire, a tsunami, a tornado, an ice storm, or a hurricane. We need a Natural Disaster Review Board. 

Please contact your congressional delegation today. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hilary's Forecast Path Shifts West; Updated 9:20am PDT

By -
Image
The forecast path of the center of Hilary has shifted a bit to the west. This increases the threat to the Southland, especially in terms of flooding.  Rainfall Note the heavy rains are forecast for Los Angeles County. Serious flash flooding may result. Because the forecast path has shifted to the west, that increases the threat of serious flooding in Los Angeles County north into Yosemite and the southern Sierra. It lessens the threat in Utah and western Arizona. While the threat of widespread flooding in Utah and Arizona lessens, note that some thunderstorms with localized heavy rain show up on the map.  In Nevada, the more western path increases the risk of serious flooding around Mt Charleston and into the central part of the state.  Here is the updated  (9am PDT) flash flood risk map. Wind There are already about 40,000 people without power in California, mostly in the center of the state.  The maps above are the peak gusts forecasted with the storm. The highest winds, in general,
Read more

Dangerous Travel Conditions - People Reportedly Stranded

By -
Image
-- Note, more current info available. Scroll up. --- Updated Information as of 8am PDT You are risking your life if you attempt to travel through the purple area.  While the rain has not begun in coastal California, I would urge you to use this time to make any preparations. Power outages have occurred already in southeast California. Here is the latest radar as of 7:55am PDT. As of 6:40am PDT , the radar indicates moderate to heavy rain falling over desert areas of Southern California and far western Arizona (click to enlarge).  Rainfall amounts for the 24 hours ending at 7am PDT show more than two inches have already fallen. There are reports from reliable sources that roads are already washed out and that people are stranded in isolated parts of the desert.  Below is a high-resolution computer model's rainfall forecast from 5am PDT to 11pm PDT Sunday. More than a foot of additional rain is forecast to fall. This will lead to catastrophic flooding.  Here is a map of current watc
Read more

Update on Tornado and Wind Potential; 12 Noon PDT

By -
Image
There was at least one tornado and at least one funnel cloud yesterday.  --- original forecast --- Hilary (the swirly symbol) continues to move NNW paralleling the coast of Baja California, Mexico. The area outlined in red has a significant risk of tornadoe s the rest of the afternoon.  Below is a list of peak wind gusts so far.  Peak winds may increase farther north as the afternoon progresses.  Addition at 12 noon PDT: Sure enough, winds have increased.  Note: If you are in the San Diego area, I recommend not  traveling east on I-8. Heavy rains may cause flash flooding that will involve the highway. 
Read more