ARE HIGH TECHNOLOGY NATIONS FRAGILE?

High technology nations such as the United States and a few others are potentially vulnerable to natural disasters of even fairly minor proportions. One quick example is the possibility of a "little ice age" that could cause a severe food shortage. Almost all Americans depend solely on our farmers to supply all of their food needs and never give it a thought in their daily routine. There is little in the way of emergency food stockpiles, at least not enough to handle an extended food shortage. How could a "little ice age" happen? There are several ways, a large volcanic eruption that throws a lot of debris and ash into the atmosphere, a large meteor strike that does the same thing, and oddly enough global warming that could cause the Gulf Stream to stop flowing and warming the North Atlantic nations.

Another area of fragility is our national power grid. What if suddenly most of the electric power in major cities blacks out? How many people in cities are prepared to cope with that, especially during winter time? Almost everything is controlled by electricity now, our heating and cooling systems, refrigeration, communications, etc. An extended period of power black outs would wreak havoc on business, trade, food production, and virtually all of our livelihoods and living conditions. Another danger is the vulnerability of our water supplies to contamination by fallout from the ash of a major volcanic eruption. Where could this happen? Almost anywhere in the world but one likely place is Yellowstone Park where there is a severe danger of a massive eruption. In conclusion, I believe that the government Homeland Security Agency or FEMA should initiate a study of the problem and take steps to provide emergency stores and plans of action in the event of disasters of the magnitude I have mentioned. What can we do about it? Each family and individual needs to think about their emergency preparedness and take actions to provide supplies for themselves to cover at least several weeks of food, water, and heating fuel such as wood for a fireplace or wood stove.