Disasters. That's what my company does: we learn about them and then offer lessons for dealing with the variety of crises. Sure, we focus on international work and not domestic, and most of our recent work is conflict related, but disasters - of all sorts - is what we do.
One of my older colleagues is an expert on disasters, on both humanitarian relief and the transition to development - one of the real, knows her shit and has forgotten more than you will ever know, experts. She's as level headed as they come and is always working her way through events, analyzing, picking things apart and finding the good, the bad, the opportunities and separating them for action.
On the Wednesday after Katrina hit, we were discussing the response and this colleague began to rail. She never rails. She was spitting furious at FEMA, at Blanco, at Bush, at Nagin, at the Red Cross. It was shocking to see her so angry.
In the weeks since, I've heard the same fury from colleague after colleague, across organizations.
This wasn't supposed to happen in the US.
Posted by Martial