The Inevitable Disaster

                            Does Not Have To Happen!                                                 

As this ViewPoint is being written, a huge cloud of volcanic ash is sweeping across Europe after blanketing Great Britain during the past 24 hours. All air traffic has been halted in England, and similar steps are being taken in Germany, with other countries likely to follow suit shortly. It is a major disaster creating havoc for airlines and booked passengers.

One hundred and 27 years ago, another volcano blew its top, totally devastating an island off Sumatra in the far Pacific - and the ensuing cloud of volcanic ash rose thousands of feet, then drifted slowly west, gradually encircling the globe , darkening skies, altering weather patterns in dozens of countries, alarming populations in most of the inhabited world. That was Krakatoa in May, 1883 - and there were no planes to ground, or communications to spread the word a few hours prior to the arrival of the dreaded cloud. Nevertheless, Krakatoa, until now, has been considered the volcano most likely to hold the record for a disaster affecting  the entire globe! It appears that Eyjafjallajokull may become the most disruptive volcano of all time! There has never been a natural event of the magnitude of the Iceland disaster affecting so many people in so many countries. At least, there is no recorded history to challenge that statement!

The terrible earthquakes in Haiti and Chile in recent months are further examples of natures' incredible power to turn mankind, and all living creatures upside down, at will, with no advance warning! Thus, it is apparent that while we can use all of our vast armada of sophisticated electronics to protect, preserve, and advance our ability to keep nature in check, there is no earthly way to escape the ravages of nature - not completely, not yet! Which is where the heading of this piece finally comes into play.

More than once, ViewPoint has advanced the concept of ending the hundred year old method of bringing electricity to the home,office, factory, and public use - by going underground with the cables and wires which carry not only electricity, but phones, cable TV, and other sources of power. Too often storms that ravage vast areas leave behind downed trees and adjacent poles - and along with the poles, all the wires that powered the area. Violent wind storms and heavy rain, like natures' recent target - the Northeast corridor from Washington to Maine - are disastrous to homes, schools, offices, and  all the wired places where electricity is an absolute necessity. 

In recent years we have seen the electronics industry pour out new devices that require power- cell phones are a prime example. What good are cell phones when there is an emergency of some duration and phone lines are down? Today's homes are protected you say? Every member of the family has a cell phone. Sure. And as the cell phones weaken, then die completely, the chargers which must be renewed by plugging into an electric outlet, are dead, dead, dead! So are the cell phones - and the lights one takes for granted, and well water pumps, and electric stoves, and heating systems dependent on electric switches, and computers with limited battery life,  are all useless. 

We are in a long period of unemployment as the recession lingers. Isn't this the time to create a national program of power preservation?  Millions of jobs would be created by such a program. Not just earth diggers, or truck drivers. Factory personnel, clerical help, executive management, people with special skills - architects, surveyors, designers, electrical engineers. In 1956, during the Eisenhower administration, Congress passed a bill creating the Interstate Highway system that spanned 41,000 miles of coast to coast , border to border, network of roads - and they did it without committing a dollar of taxpayer money. Bonds plus revenues from ongoing fees already generating significant funds were the answer.  It took almost 20 years to complete the task, and in tribute to the man who had the vision and guts to make it happen, it was named The Eisenhower Interstate Highway System.

There are few, if any, practical ways to anticipate natures' attacks on planet Earth. But when we can prepare for the worst and fail to do so, we deserve the plight of disaster victims. Electric power may be the only 21st Century absolute necessity for life on  the planet that functions as though it were 1900!  Mr. President: call your top advisers in for a meeting and a call to action. The unemployed cannot wait for 'make-do' projects. America cannot continue to repair the damage wrought by natures' fury when there's a way to prevent it. Mr. President: Imagine Washington with telephone poles down, tangled wires, no electric source, cell phones dying out by the tens of thousands. Mr. President: 'Nuff said!!

Richard Carlton

April 16, 2010

Issue No. 8