Guided By History began two years ago as part of the centennial of the 1906 SF earthquake and fire. We spent a few months blogging about disaster preparedness, because that was the primary mission of the centennial.

Right now, Hurricane Gustav  is kind of finishing its run on New Orleans. The storm continues, though, prompting bad weather  in Louisiana. Residents of the Big Easy are expected to go home Thursday.

By all accounts, everyone took proper action in advance. Everyone is watching to see that everything goes well and that all those people who live on the Gulf Coast come first. After all, that's why we make the big plans we have to make to move thousands of people to safety — because we all have to make sure our neighbors are safe. We look out for them, they look out for us...that's how everyone is looked out for!

OK, it's simplistic, but you get the point.

Oh, and one more thing. Make sure you are prepared with the right kit   at home and at work. That's the most elemental, organic way to begin to recover if your life is turned upside down by disaster.

Posted by Charles at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Animals, At Home, Environment, Events, Hurricanes, Misc, Natural Disasters, Perspective, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

The Hurricane Season of 2006—in the U.S., that is—was a dud. That is, if you like hurricanes, evacuations, insurance claims ...

The latest  from both government agency  and academic research  sources suggests that 2006 was a no-hurricane year thanks to El Niño. The change in oceans directly affects hurricanes, which are brewed in the air over the oceans. Naturally, next year promises to be a doozy.

The news report added: "No hurricanes hit the U.S. Atlantic coast in 2006—only the 11th time that has occurred since 1945."

Lull before the storm?

Posted by Charles at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in Ernesto, Experts, Hurricanes, Katrina, Natural Disasters, Prepare, Wells Fargo Bank

Wednesday afternoon, Wells Fargo's 40-foot semi-trailer from the Cartwright Ranch in Benbrook, Texas, arrived at Monster Park  in San Francisco. Normally, the truck arrives with the Wells Fargo stagecoach and horses on board, for an appearance at a community parade or other event. But this was a special trip: on board were 80 homeless cats and dogs from New Orleans and the area wrecked by hurricanes Katrina and Rita over a year ago.

Only a fraction of displaced people have returned to the New Orleans area, and there are thousands of animals living on the street .There are few local options for adoption and fostering. There is little for homeless animals to scavenge to eat, and demolition leaves strays further displaced. The only viable option is to transport them out of Louisiana.

Cody Riess of Three Wishes Foundation , a non-profit rescue resource in New Orleans, has organized a national adoption event for kittens, puppies, cats, and dogs rescued from the streets of the city post-Katrina. Animal care groups across the country are taking part.

"The disaster was at such a scale that we are overwhelmed here. By transporting a number of animals out of state, the goal is to save as many animals as possible from having to be returned to the disaster zone of New Orleans' streets," said Cody. "We have been working night and day to solve this problem."

The Southern Animal Foundation  has recently received a HSUS grant to spay and neuter the growing population of strays that are still living in New Orleans. Riess coordinates organizations to spay and neuter dozens of animals EACH DAY. All the animals have health certificates, rabies tags, vaccinations and micro chips, and they are spayed or neutered before leaving the city.

Several Northern California rescue groups received animals that will be offered for adoption at fairs and events scheduled this weekend, including:

• Bay Area Cat Rescue 
• GEPDA USA 
• Homeless Animals Response Program (H.A.R.P.) 
• Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue 
• KATMOM 
• La Honda Mountain Cats Rescue 
• TOPCats on the Ridge, Inc. 
• Purrfect Cat Rescue 
• Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation 
• Town Cats 

Each animal is "sponsored" by a group whose adoption approval processes screen homes that meet their criteria.

Posted by Charles at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Found in Events, Get Involved, Hurricanes, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Today we celebrate the strength of ideas  and offer our own award nominations for Preparedness on a Personal Scale:

Any Preparedness inventions you’d like to nominate? Let us know!

Posted by Charles at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Work, Earthquakes, Experts, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Wells Fargo Bank

In the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, in 1900 , at least 6,000 people perished and most of the city's buildings were obliterated. America had become an industrial power in that era, and the technology of the time—telegraph, newspapers, telephone and telegraph—enabled news and recovery to travel to the farthest reaches. The disaster got a huge response from concerned Americans.

The Salvation Army, 20 years in the U.S. by that time, sent a big delegation to the stricken city to provide relief . "From these beginnings, The Salvation Army has developed local, regional and national disaster services programs," the Army's website states. Today, The Salvation Army has a substantial disaster response program in place  to aid community recovery.

In 1893, Charles Sutro , of the vaunted San Francisco family, gave The Salvation Army a donation of $100. (The check was drawn on Wells Fargo Bank, the vaunted San Francisco institution.)

I salute The Salvation Arny, on scene still in New Orleans, and with a recovery team in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania , to assist those folks how ever they can.

Posted by Charles at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Hurricane experts have lowered expectations  for the remainder of this year's season in the Atlantic. Hurricane John , on the other hand, has been upgraded to Category 3 and looms over western Mexico. The upshot is it's hurricane season—some are rougher than others. One year Carolina, another year Baja ...

Are there lessons here? This week has seen a glut  of "Lessons of Katrina" media. The biggest issue is still the slow pace of rebuilding, and anger at government  as a result. But as I've written, there is another movement of people rebuilding their communities through communication as well as hammers and nails. The blogosphere from the Gulf coast  is thriving and doing great things bringing people toward a common goal .

Today I discovered HurricaneMind , whose aim is to collect people's thoughts as hurricanes threaten—and in real time, too. The blog is trying to build a wiki resource and real-time action and news. As people reckon their actions, they go to the blog and see what other people are thinking and how their choices are taking shape. It's instant communication with neighbors in the region. Movement to hardware stores, to evacuation routes and to shelters are spontaneously coordinated as a community of informed, prepared people forms.

It's "buzz." Not buzz about soft drinks or celebrity fashion, either. It's buzz about getting the kids to a safe place, about getting plywood or a hotel room. It's buzz about keeping the community whole, even as a Cat 5 comes howling in.

It could redefine the community and go macro, couldn't it? After a world community begins to emerge, we all band together with professor E.O. Wilson , whose new book  calls for a world community of science believers and non-believers alike to organize preparedness against man-made environmental tragedies . Wilson's call is this side of Utopia—salvation of endangered species means salvation for all life. And salvation is important to most every belief.

Think of it: a new paradigm for life on earth based on disaster preparedness. It's way too simple, isn't it?

Guided By History will take a break over the long Labor Day weekend. We'll be back Tuesday, September 5th.

Posted by Charles at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, Ernesto, Floods, Get Involved, Hurricanes, Katrina, Natural Disasters, Participate, Prepare, Wells Fargo Bank

The National Hurricane Center  has declared a "Hurricane Watch"  (scroll down page) for the Carolinas as Ernesto gains momentum.

Then, about 6,500 nautical miles west, Hurricane John  continues its assault on Mexico's Pacific coast.

The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies  operates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center. CIMSS develops techniques to improve forecasting tornadoes and hurricanes. The scientists there play "a major role in the transfer of new technology into operational practice," according to their Mission Statement.

Jen O'Leary adds, "SSEC is helping out as one of the US geostationary weather satellites moves to Latin America...the satellite is in such a position that we can see Ernesto dissipating along the seaboard with one minute imagery. Usually we get imagery every three hours. It's really amazing." 

The work they do is daily, ongoing and dedicated to making all the complicated gear tell us something. As scientists, they also get the opportunity to do groundbreaking stuff—satisfying to them and valuable to us. In sum, they do cool stuff that makes property more secure and helps saves lives, darn it.

But enough formality—let's look at cool science! (CIMSS helps you enable JAVA for their rippin' movies here .) Here's Ernesto (image  and movie ) and here's John (image  and movie ).

And meet Kristy (image  and movie ). She's on her way...

Posted by Charles at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in Ernesto, Experts, Hurricanes, Wells Fargo Bank

One year after Katrina  overtook the Gulf coast region and submerged New Orleans, media are rabid to do Anniversary pieces. (Guided By History was first with the story last week. Ahem.) As everyone seeks the high road, the upshot of all this reporting is the courage of the people and their rebuilding efforts , and the singular importance of preparedness .

New Orleans and the other Gulf areas slammed by Katrina a year ago get two anniversary visits this week   as the cameras roll. While the president appears there, Ernesto is expected to arrive in Florida by Wednesday .

Maybe all the attention is our best gift to Katrina survivors. It reminds us to keep an eye out for our neighbors as a major part of our preparedness kit. We simply can't let this happen to each other. It also reminds us that our situation is precarious, wherever we live—on the fault line, in tornado alley, at the base of a volcano. We all could be the next New Orleans with little warning.

Posted by Charles at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Found in At Home, Ernesto, Floods, Hurricanes, Katrina, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Tropical Storm Debby  is gaining strength out there in the Atlantic. News and weather agencies are watching it, as they tend to do. nola.com  is on it as well, with links to evacuation and preparedness right there with storm tracking. New Orleans is justifiably antsy—no other North American place is a better study in the hows and whys of being ready.

I can't get over New Orleans. After a year of being knocked about by storms from the ocean and from various capitals, the city is doing everything it can to put itself back in place, step by step . It's a real study in the resiliency of people, too. Lots of people from outside the Big Easy are coming in, as we've posted. And a lot of evacuees from last year are staying away for whatever reason—a chance to start fresh , or maybe no other option . New Orleans, nevertheless, rolls on .

The city was so completely savaged by Katrina  and the aftermath . And while it will take time, rebuilding is going on daily: People live in New Orleans and are working to get their home in order. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the next "Big One"  is a long way off.

And when it comes, we'll all be prepared and ready for it.

Posted by Charles at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, Floods, Hurricanes, Katrina, Prepare, Remember, Wells Fargo Bank

Is New Orleans becoming a frontier?

Reuters has a story today  about regular folks moving to New Orleans to help the city rebuild. But it's not just Good Samaritans. They are entrepreneurs, people with a sense of adventure, and value hunters. These people are moving there to carve out a little piece of the future for themselves.

"The largest contingent of new Reuters piece continues, "are Latino workers who are ... doing much of the city's renovation work." And if these new residents generally conform to statistics , they are young men with families, ready to work hard and get a piece of the "American Dream."

Ernie the Attorney  writes about this also—bloggers (and other important New Orleanians) are gathering this week for the Rising Tide Conference . The conference is an event for organizing people, to help them connect via the blogosphere and within neighborhoods. The people of New Orleans—native AND new—are putting the city back together in two important ways: structurally (natch) and through the creation of an organic, self-generated voice. The voice will try to take back the story of New Orleans' tragedy and heroism, and have it be the first resource.

Posted by Charles at 01:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in First-hand Accounts, Floods, Hurricanes, Katrina, Participate, Wells Fargo Bank

Nationwide Insurance won a federal court case yesterday  that frees the industry from paying certain claims against damage by Hurricane Katrina last year.

The gist of the ruling(PDF) is that the damages were from flooding, and the plaintiffs did not have flood insurance. The plaintiffs argued that their policy covered wind damage, and the flooding resulted from a wind storm—a hurricane. The judge decided a flood's a flood, no matter how it gets to you.

Opinions  will certainly run the gamut . For now, both sides claim victory: Nationwide for saving money and the plaintiffs because the judgment concluded that provisions for denying coverage are ambiguous. Judge Senter , who ruled in the case, is presiding over a huge number of suits brought against insurers by Katrina's victims.

(One of the more interesting pieces of Leonard v. Nationwide is the Leonards' complaint that the insurance agent told them they didn't need flood insurance. Good advice or bad, the guy is on the hook for keeping their premiums down.)

Whatever the outcomes that follow, it is imperative that you get knowledge about insurance in general, as much as getting knowledge about the insurance you need for your situation. Insurance Consumers  has a very helpful website to help you look deeper and ask the right questions. It reminds us that it's not just about cheaper rates.

And governments might actually help you . The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (yes, really) has this contact map  to help you find the people whose job it is to look out for your interests.

Posted by Charles at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, Floods, Hurricanes, Katrina, Wells Fargo Bank

The National Weather Service has a pretty benign set of warnings  today. Watch out for fires in the Northwest and in the Plains, it’s hot in central regions, and there are thunderstorms expected in many areas. All in all, just another day across our continent .

So why prepare?

The obvious is, well, obvious. You can save your own life by having the right implements and the right knowledge. The right tools and supplies  will get you through the days without access to food, water and shelter. First Aid  is critical if trauma happens and access to care is impeded because of disaster conditions. You prepare to get through The Big One.

Keep in mind, though, that preparation lasts longer than the event and its aftermath. Preparedness is an important feature in community response to crisis. When you are prepared, and prepared as a group, your community gets through it better and recovers faster.

New Orleans might never get back on track, or take a long time getting there, but it will be only because of physical changes to the place. Many people have returned after a long year away and those who have not returned are still part of that city. "Voices of Katrina" from the New Orleans Times-Picayune  displays letters of support and affection between neighbors far and wide. The spectrum runs from bittersweetness  to dogged persistence , but it’s all the same thing. A city getting its life back.

Posted by Charles at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Found in At Home, At Work, Earthquakes, Events, Fires, Floods, Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Prepare, Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Wells Fargo Bank

Meanwhile, back at the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade, Chris Landsea will publish an article in Science  this week that challenges the connection  between climate change and hurricanes. Basically, Landsea claims, the changes in hurricane strength reflect changes in measuring hurricanes. In short, maybe the planet isn't so crazy as all that, and some years are just worse than others.

Good, bad or in-between, storms affect the environment where they hit. Last year's 'canes affected birds to be sure, which has an effect on those microbial environments that ride aboard migrating and displaced birds. Spread of the dreaded West Nile virus is affected in turn , and the recent heat might make this a bad year for it . But the good news is that bird flu, which had newscasters in a tizzy last winter, might not be so bad after all . Turns out a little bug spray is a strong personal act in disaster response.

Ah, balance . ...

I myself am more concerned with reactions to events by human organisms. Heat, displacement, and too much TV takes its toll after a while. Or maybe we are just the strangest creatures in the habitat! 

Posted by Charles at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Found in At Home, Experts, Hurricanes, Wells Fargo Bank