Can the US Afford a Mega-Disaster?

[Junkdrawer]

The San Andreas is over due, the weird weather this Spring foreshadows more and more weather disasters, and Lord knows if or when Yellowstone or Mt. Rainier will erupt. We survived mega disasters in the past, but that was when we had a vibrant and growing economy.

But now that we mortgaged our future with Tax-Cuts-for-the-Rich and Bank Bailouts, now that Japan and Europe are on the ropes and China is saying "No more T-Bills unless we can buy US Infrastructure", how will we handle the next (and there will be a next) Mega-Disaster?

Perhaps that explains the ramping up of Homeland Security's quasi-military capacity.

See:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002565995

Hint: Remember FEMA's initial response to Katrina? They blocked the roads and let no one in or out. Quarantine.

[Johnny Rico]

1. Mt. Rainier is one thing, but if the Yellowstone caldera goes up...game over, man, game over.

[XemaSab]

2. Seriously

I think we'd get around 6 inches of ash here in Northern California.

It's probably technically survivable, but definitely a hugh bummer. In a situation like that, it's every man for himself.

[Johnny Rico]

4. I live in the mountains west of Denver...we'd probably get 6 *feet* of ash.

If it did go up, I'd head west at the first opportunity. Anything east of the Continental Divide would toast.

[wandy]

10. I live in the foothills N/E of denver.............

Yup. Game over!
Even if we aren't covered in 6 foot of ash. Society holds at best a three day food supply.
Won't matter if the freezer is full. I don't expect their will be electricity.
Driving distance would equal, gas in the tank times MPG.
Communications? The laptop has about three hours of battery power.
Who ya gonna call?
Not a pretty thought.

[anti-alec]

15. Ugh.

That would be me.. *sizzle* *crackle* *pop*

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. The world would be in peril, not just the US.

[Johnny Rico]

8. Granted. I don't think it would be (quite) the end of civilization, though.

All things being equal, I just as soon be on another continent if it does go up.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

17. I doubt there would be time for an evacuation.

I wish I had the money to move to a different continent, honestly, but that's probably not going to happen anytime soon, unfortunately.

[Odin2005]

16. I'll be burried under mountains of ash (Fargo) if that happens.

I remember seeing a chart showing the consequences of Yellowstone erupting and the Dakotas would be buried under tens of feet of ash.

[RB TexLa]

3. Of course we could. Just treat it like Katrina. Hot air costs nothing.

[FarCenter]

5. It depends on what "afford" means

Portugal survived the Lisbon earthquake, but its imperial pretensions waned in the aftermath.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1755_Lisbon_earthquake

[Initech]

7. Katrina doesn't count?

And as far as "the big one" is concerned - I live on the San Andreas fault - and I've been hearing about "the big one" since I was a kid - we've yet to experience it but if Japan is any indication it will suck. As far as recovery is concerned - it will happen only if it's profitable to do so.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Compared to a few Katrina would be pikers game

that said, THAT showed the US cannot afford a mega disaster.

To be fair, no country can.

[Initech]

12. Hell no - look at Northern Japan.

[Johnny Rico]

11. Here's one that could be worse than Yellowstone going off...EMP.

There's a rather depressing novel about it which I recommend:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Second_After

An electromagnetic pulse cripples virtually every electronic device (note that this includes 99.9% of vehicles) in the United States. A year later, 80% of the population of the US is dead.

[countryjake]

13. Yup, I thought of that as soon as I read Junkdrawer's post...

for instance, the 2013 Solar Storms that are nearing a peak-cycle:


http://www.space.com/12586-solar-storms-intensity-2013-peak-nasa.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7819201/Nasa-warns-solar-flares-from-huge-space-storm-will-cause-devastation.html

[neverforget]

14. Megathrust earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of OR and WA

will kill thousands along the coast with a tsunami while destroying infrastructure farther inland in Portland and Seattle. This earthquake will do hundreds of billions in damage while killing tens of thousands.

The money will be found because there will be no other choice. People's lives and the economy will depend on it.

[zorahopkins]

18. The World Will End on December 21, 2012

The world is going to end anyway.

On December 21, 2012.

So relax and enjoy things while you can.

[longship]

19. Everybody knows how it all ends

2036, Apophis hits the Earth.

Be scared! (just kidding)

[Junkdrawer]

20. Consider Family A and Family B....

Family A has 6 months salary in the bank, almost no debt, equity in their home and a great credit rating.

Family B has nothing in the bank, is maxed on it's credit cards, and is underwater in its mortgage.

Serious illness/accident hits both families (as it almost always will - humans are mortal).

Which family survives the storm? I'm saying the US used to be Family A. We're now Family B. And flu season is coming.