| US unprepared for wide-area ‘mega-catastrophes’
The Blue Ribbon Commission was formed to develop a comprehensive report and to make recommendations to reduce the impact of mega-catastrophes (mega-CATs) on human life and the economy, pay for the costs of rebuilding and reconstruction after mega-CATs in an efficient and equitable manner, and improve immediate responses to and recovery from mega-catastrophes. "We urge policymakers at all levels of government to take prompt action to implement the recommendations," said Edward Rust, Jr., chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance Companies and chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission. "We must learn lessons from previous disasters. We must apply those lessons to minimize the consequences of future mega-catastrophes." The report includes 25 recommendations for how the United States can best prepare for and recover from mega-catastrophes. The recommendations are divided into the following three areas: - Reducing the human and economic impacts of future mega-CATs "Above all else, we certainly know one thing from past such events: preparation makes all the difference," said Kerry Killinger, chairman and CEO of Washington Mutual Inc., and vice chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission. "Although events never unfold exactly as we have planned, having no plan is simply a plan for failure." The report describes the potential impact of mega-CATs on the United States, including the following: - Hurricane: A Category 5 storm in Miami would destroy 1.6 million homes. - Pandemic. The death toll from a pandemic virus outbreak could be 2 million in the US (300 million worldwide). - Terrorist attack. A New York terrorist attack could result in losses of over $700 billion. - Earthquake. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake in Los Angeles would destroy 700,000 homes and cause $700 billion in damage. A full copy of the report is available at http://www.fsround.org/media/pdfs/FINALmegacat4.pdf
•Date: 9th May 2007 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Wide area disasters
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