Still ill-prepared for the ‘Big One’
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Re “Brownie points,” editorial, Feb. 12
The Times’ warning not to ignore Hurricane Katrina’s lessons and to be prepared when disaster strikes comes at a time of dysfunction at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose role was reduced by the Bush administration’s preoccupation with man-made homeland security threats and the urgent need to restructure the operations of the American Red Cross.
The government has acknowledged the crucial need to fund and work at rebuilding communities through other locally based nonprofits and to better integrate state and local government with community-based agencies.
After 26 years of international disaster relief work and five years as a member of the California Health Facilities Commission, I cannot truly say the above institutions are better prepared than they were in the late 1970s for the “Big One.”
Only news reporting of the quake’s likely results has drastically changed with the times. We all still will be basically alone for the first three to five days, and we should prepare for that.
RICHARD M. WALDEN
President and CEO
Operation USA
Los Angeles
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