Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
der the city resulted in far greater destruction than Japanese officials had anticipated, devastat-
ing Kobe's roads, buildings, and infrastructure. Initial relief efforts progressed at a painfully
slow rate, taking as long as nine days for supplies of food, medicine, and water to reach many
of the city's residents. After Hurricane Iniki ravaged the Hawaiian island of Kauai with sus-
tained winds of 145 mph and recorded gusts of up to 175 mph, most island roads were blocked
for several days with downed trees, and it took four weeks to restore electricity to just 20 per-
cent of the island.
Many of us live in areas that are prone to natural disasters. For example, I live in the moun-
tains of the High Sierra, near Lake Tahoe, California, in the town of Truckee, located where the
infamous Donner Party resorted to cannibalism after being snowbound for months in the winter
of 1846-47 while attempting to cross the Sierras on their way to central California. My town is
known for its severe winter storms and deep snows, but it is also threatened by wildfires and
earthquakes. Other locales may be similarly threatened by intermittent floods, hurricanes, or
tornadoes, but what about the millions of people who live in the multitude of towns and cities
that don't appear to face significant threats from natural disasters? Should those people be con-
cerned with being prepared?
The Fragile Web of Today's World
“
Tens of thousands of northwest Queens residents suffered through a sixth day without electricity
yesterday, and any hope for a full restoration of power this weekend was shattered by new barrages
of severe thunderstorms and the discovery of more extensive damage to the underground power
grid. As Consolidated Edison crews struggled manhole to manhole, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said
that 15,000 to 20,000 customers—an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 people—remained without power in
darkened, sweltering homes and apartments with spoiling food, no air-conditioning or elevators and
no immediate relief in sight.
”
—Robert D. McFadden and Winnie Hu,
New York Times
, July 23, 2006
On the surface, our modern world appears to be superabundant with an almost unimaginable
array of foodstuffs and consumer goods available twenty-four hours a day at our supermarkets
and superstores. Behind the facade of this consumer fantasyland is an incredibly complex sys-
tem that electronically and mechanically ties, tracks, and coordinates suppliers of raw materi-
als, farmers, miners, factories, and shippers from around the world to grow, manufacture, ware-
house, and otherwise produce, stock, and sell the products that we consume everyday as we
keep ourselves clothed, fed, sheltered, entertained, and employed. However, this great com-
plexity and convenience also comes at the price of great fragility.
