Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Issue link: http://dysoncollege.uberflip.com/i/128987
will be the big moment during primary season, but hurricane season, not so sure. Well with Mother Nature we often know that there is going to be a lot of grandstanding and posturing on her part and they'll be no chads left hanging. But frankly, whether it's a hurricane or a biochemical attack, whether we're speaking of a major weather event or the resolve of someone's evil intent, we can generally conclude that the impact will be consequential. And just as important, if not more important to our discussion today, we can almost always conclude that somewhere along the line, there was a disaster that occurred well before the levee ever broke, or the tornado touched down; well before someone wishing us harm ever boarded a plane, configured a bomb, or loaded a weapon. The tragedy before a tragedy is that it just might—not always—but it just might have been prevented or its consequences mitigated, damage lessened, or lives saved; because somewhere before the point of impact, we were not ready. We missed something in the communication, the collaboration, the coordination; something somewhere went awry. Of course each time that happens, we need to identify what that something was and hopefully correct it. We have to do better. I am intrigued by the discussion from the second panel, and I think it's really true: The public will forgive accidents but not arrogance, not complacency, not bureaucracy; and certainly, the public will never forgive a lack of preparation. I cannot help but think as I was watching Mayor Bloomberg last year talk about the precautions they were taking in anticipation of the hurricane [Irene]—that it was pretty bold—that there was a lot of leadership there. And then Mother Nature kind of twisted around and took the wrath in another direction. And what was absolutely astonishing afterwards was some of the commentary: "Well, he probably overreacted." No, his job was to be prepared and he was. I wish the folks who had been involved in the planning, the exercise in New Orleans six or seven months before Katrina, would have applied some of the lessons they learned during the exercise at the time Katrina hit. They were not prepared—what a difference. I just was fascinated by the criticism that came [Mayor Bloomberg's] way. So I'm very pleased to join you today for the discussion on how we can improve America's state of readiness—specifically by pursuing public-private sector partnerships as aggressively and as resourcefully as we can. We do know that in America, there is first, in all of us, as individuals, as communities, before we even start rebuilding—there's a resiliency of spirit. If nothing else, what we've learned over the past 10 years is that America is a pretty resilient country. We can take a hit. We saw it after 9/11. We saw it after Katrina. We see it throughout American history, after the Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania, after the Northridge earthquake, after the BP oil spill. We're pretty resilient. We've got this "can-do" attitude. From community to community, within the much broader community of the United States, we have this desire, this commitment to go on. It is ever-present. It is kind of in our DNA. We have never thrown up our hands and given in, given way, or given up. That's just not what Americans do. I have held a lot of government jobs in my life, from the time I was a soldier to the time I was a Cabinet Secretary. But I've got to admit, I really enjoyed being Governor. It is a good gig. I was governor for six years, nine months, and five days, and every day was a good day. In Pennsylvania, there is a strong, and very much admired tradition, and it is the same in other states as well. It's the barn-raising tradition of the Amish. It's reminiscent of farmland communities, not just in Pennsylvania, but in Amish and Mennonite 10