Disasters Waiting to Happen

How prepared is your community for a Katrina-scale disaster? That's what Greg Bruno of the Times Herald-Record in the Hudson Valley and Catskill region of New York asked. In his investigative story "Local disaster plans lacking," he found that three-quarters of the communities in his area would be unprepared if a catastrophe struck. He discovered that of the 75 community plans he reviewed, the majority "are outdated, incomplete and vague." In an area that is prone to flooding, has a large nuclear power plant and houses prime terrorist targets such as West Point, this is no idle threat. Bruno's story is an example of the kind of journalism that can save lives if it is heeded.
www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/09/25/gbevacw.htm