Tag Archives: hazard mitigation
Hurricane Season – Part 2
Sometimes we humans aren’t too smart. We don’t use our God-given intelligence. In the 21st century, with satellite technology and weather sensors, we see a hurricane forming, building, and strengthening, and can easily track direction and progress. As the hurricane grows nearer, we are forewarned to leave an area. Sometimes we are ordered to evacuate. […]
The Blessed Alternative to Irrigation
We take a lot of things for granted in this life, especially in our convenient, 21st century society. A society where food somehow miraculously appears before our eyes – whether on the grocery shelf, kitchen counter, drive-thru window, or restaurant table. Many of us, mostly the Gen-Xers and younger, are oblivious to where this amazing […]
Unplugged
For a few weeks, I have left British Columbia and visiting my home state of South Carolina. Along with reconnecting with family, I am checking on two properties in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina that have been in our family for decades: our family’s vacation cabin and my cabin, to which I hope […]
Snow and more snow
We’re snowed in! This isn’t earthshaking news for Canada but in our part of the country, it is. Fifteen inches over three days and most everything has stopped in its tracks. Only essential travel is recommended. So we have little movement at the end of our dead-end road to the farm. The dynamics are interesting. […]
Observe Shmita! Be Prepared!
In the great scheme of life, I’ve come to realize that I know little about emergency preparedness. And, although a Christian, even less about religion. This may be my only blog that intersects these two, so please bear with me. I work in risk and emergency management. Cycles of emergencies or disasters are well documented…i.e., […]
Avalanche!
The season is here again, when the local news gives a tragic story of another death from an avalanche. As I write this, the hourly news from my trusty radio just reported two deaths in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Avalanches kill more than 150 people throughout the world every year. Here in British Columbia, the toll averages 11 deaths annually. The 2008-09 winter was especially tragic, with […]
Drought – The Silent Disaster
A drought is an extended period of deficiency in water — either surface or underground. Drought is a normal, recurrent feature or climate. It occurs almost everywhere, although the features vary, depending on location. Defining drought is therefore difficult. It depends on differences in regions, needs, and perspective. A lack of water in Vietnam is […]
Defining Risk
My consulting company is called Risk Reduction Strategies. I gave it this name after careful consideration. What is risk? Risk is the probability of something negative happening in the future, which will cause loss, harm, or suffering. Although risk is part of everyday life, risk can be “managed”. Risk management is the identification and prioritization […]
Disaster Risk Reduction
Because of my interest in “Disaster Risk Reduction”, I am often asked its meaning. DRR emerged from the 10th anniversary of the a deadly Kobe, Japan earthquake, held in early 2005 only a few weeks after the devastating SE Asian tsunami. There was renewed emphasis on reducing the impact of disasters, rather than only the […]
The Season of Wildfires
All of us were shocked and saddened by news of an elite crew of firefighters in Arizona who died on July 2 when the wind suddenly changed and they were trapped. It is a reminder of the deadly danger that wildfires pose, and the risk that is taken by both homeowners and those battling the flames. Virtually every summer, […]
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