"It will never happen to me."
It's easy to have that thought when you are reading these articles about how coastal resource management staff members and their agencies on the Gulf Coast were impacted by hurricanes over the past two years.
But it had never happened to these coastal managers either.
Sure, they had been through hurricanes or tropical storms
before, but never so many in so short a time and never with the destructive consequences felt from the
Caribbean to Texas .
Hurricanes, typhoons, and nor'easters have the potential to
impact almost the entire U.S.
coastline, as can other natural
disasters, such as tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, landslides—the list is long and frightening.
I would encourage every coastal manager to learn from the stories of their colleagues in this special hurricane edition of Coastal Services . To think about how you and your family, co-workers, and community would be impacted by a major disaster. To develop a plan so that if the worst—whatever that may be—does happen, you can pick up the pieces and jump into your role as quickly as possible.
Your ability to do this is just one of your many contributions to creating resilient coastal communities.
Creating resilient communities goes beyond just being prepared for hurricanes or other natural disasters. Resilient communities are able to adapt and maintain an acceptable level of functioning and structure in the face of adversity in all areas—economically, culturally, socially, and environmentally.
This requires all levels of government and society to work together to learn from the past and each other to reduce risks, to plan and prepare for a better future, and to be ready to respond and rebound if the worst does happen.
The well-being of the coast is a national issue. We have not done a good job of representing it as such, but the issues that are important for our coastal communities are important for the nation.
-- Margaret A. Davidson
