News Release

Statement by USGS Director Chip Groat: World Disaster Reduction Day

Unnatural disasters, those caused by hatred and intolerance, may seem an even more daunting challenge to our society than the earthquakes and floods we have faced before. However, the lessons we have learned from a century of battling natural hazards can help us in this new fight. Over the past 100 years, we've gotten much better at saving lives. In 1900, a hurricane hit Galveston, Texas, without warning, taking at least 6,000 lives and perhaps twice that many. In 1902, an incandescent cloud of volcanic gas and ash swept down the flanks of Mont Pelee, in Martinique, wiping out a city of 30,000 people. In 1906, a great earthquake struck San Francisco, taking hundreds to perhaps thousands of lives. From those disasters, we learned, and those lessons have saved lives throughout the 20th century.

Terrorism has become another of the hazards we face, and we can use many of our approaches to dealing with natural hazards as we begin to deal with this unnatural hazard--approaches such as monitoring the warning signals, understanding the problem, sharing information, educating the public to take steps that protect themselves and their loved ones. It will take a long-term commitment from all sectors of our society, but we have made progress against the threat of natural disasters with these tools and we can use them to reduce the threat of terrorism as well.

Many of the steps we have taken to mitigate one natural disaster have provided unexpected benefits for others--building codes that protect from ground shaking also strengthen buildings against strong winds and landslides. In the same way, actions to reduce risks and losses from natural disasters-- such as improved communication structures, better notification systems, strengthened infrastructures--can help protect us against attack, and actions to reduce vulnerability to terrorism can help in the fight against natural disasters.

USGS capabilities have already been critically important as we respond to the disaster and prepare our Nation for the future. The USGS geospatial data set is the Nation's only national coverage of our infrastructure--our dams, bridges, highways, airports, and urban areas. These maps and images have contributed significantly to the efforts to understand the scope and focus resources as needed for recovery. Looking to the future, ongoing work on real-time water quality may prove invaluable in monitoring public water supplies to ensure our water is safe to drink. The geophysical techniques used to monitor earthquakes may be useful in response and recovery.

These are only a few of the possibilities that can be envisioned. We need to bring the full impact of science and technology to bear on the hazards we face, whether terror in the skies or tremors in the Earth. The USGS stands ready to play our part in the struggle to ensure a safe and secure future for our children and our world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * USGS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *