Are We Ready for the Big One?

In the wake of the awesome damage Hurricane Katrina unleashed on the Gulf Coast this month, the City of Oakland has joined many other communities across the nation in offering emergency personnel, food and supplies to the victims of this disaster.

Oakland rescue workers are already on the ground in the affected areas and have been active in rescue operations. Allen Temple Baptist Church and Acts Full Gospel Church are leading local churches in a sustained effort to aid those left homeless. Bay Area health care professionals have also answered the call for help and are streaming into the Gulf region as needed.

Even as the waters recede in New Orleans, the political blame game has begun. Some blame the President, some blame the Governor, some blame the Mayor and some blame the victims.  It’s easy to point the finger, but in a disaster of this scope it’s obvious that the system broke down on many levels. The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has resigned in the wake of this scandal and the President has taken full responsibility for the ineffective response.

The failures illuminated by this disaster must inspire leaders and emergency officials across the country to re-examine their emergency preparedness plans. We will definitely take a harder look at our emergency response capabilities in Oakland.  After all, we live atop several fault lines and scientists say devastation is inevitable.

According to the US Geological Survey, there’s a 62 percent chance of a big quake occurring in the Bay Area in the next 30 years. Experts say up to 360,000 people could be left homeless.  We can’t prevent the Big One, but we must work to prevent the kind of social disorder and interagency confusion that gripped New Orleans.

We must also invest in preparedness. The California Legislature recently passed up the opportunity to survey the century-old levee system in the Sacramento Delta, which supplies water to 22 million Californians and many farm Central Valley farm operations. A 1995 law requiring California hospitals to retrofit their facilities by 2008 is now being pushed back by 12 years.  More than 70 percent of school buildings in the state are expected to fail in an earthquake.

Hopefully, our tectonic plates are shifting at a slower pace than our bureaucracy. Emergency preparedness plans must be constantly reviewed and improved by those in charge. Citizens must also expect to be responsible for their own food and water for their first 72 hours following a major seismic event.

The lessons of New Orleans should not be lost on us. Disaster will strike here and we must be prepared. After Hurricane Katrina, none has any excuses.

A final note: our vulnerability here at home is obvious. Under the rubric of “Superpower,” America’s people and treasure have been spread all over the world.

Before it is too late, let’s secure the American homeland.

Weakened levees…

Shockingly inadequate resources for schools…

Growing immiseration…

All this calls out for investment in matters domestic. Where is Roosevelt when we need him?

Wake up America!