1. Why Didn’t Hawaii Evacuate Sooner During the Fires?[NYT, 최진우]
- Maui Island, Hawaii
- Hawaii has one of the most sophisticated tsunami warning systems in the world, fine-tuned over the course of almost 80 years, ever since 1946, when a 55-foot wave hit the island chain, killing 159 people.
Islands are at a particular disadvantage because of their insularity: Reinforcements have to be flown in and may take too long to arrive. But there is a better way. Europe has had some success in recent years prepositioning firefighters in high-risk areas, like the Greek islands, during the hottest and driest summer months. Hiring seasonal firefighters has also helped some communities there and elsewhere prepare. Hawaii, with help from the federal government, could improve its firefighting resources in these ways, too.
Administrators can also do more to anticipate the worst-case scenarios and plan for the aftermath, using technology and real-time simulations for evacuations. With enough practice, they can improve their response times and decision making, just as they have for tsunamis so they’re better prepared for episodes when every minute counts. These tools can also be used to calculate how much shelter and disaster relief will be needed.
Emergency management is the business of saving lives, and this is why planning ahead for the worst but realistically possible situations is so crucial, particularly as we brace for the full impact of climate change. It was not raining when Noah built his proverbial ark. But if all else fails, you warn people and you evacuate them.
2. Inside a ‘Nightmare’ Lockdown at a Wisconsin Prison [NYT, 최진우]
- Waupun wisconsin state prison
- With its 53 percent staff vacancy rate, Waupun is the most short-staffed facility in a chronically understaffed state prison system. Supplemental correctional officers come in on a rotating, two-week basis to provide relief for full-time staff, but the help may not go far enough.
The exact number of lockdowns that occur in federal and state prisons is not clear, because there is no national tracking system. There are no standards for how lockdowns are implemented or how long they can last, Ms. Gregg said, and there is little oversight for the practice.
Mr. Flemming, the Waupun inmate who described how prisoners were threatening suicide to get medical attention, said his biggest fear was not being able to summon help in a medical crisis. He said he recently had trouble breathing and requested immediate assistance, but it took four days for a nurse to see him. When she came, he said, she charged him $7.50 for a medical co-pay, took his vital signs and told him he was on a list to be seen by a doctor. His breathing problems continued. “There’s no ventilation in these cells,” he said, adding that there was no way to call out to staff in a medical emergency. “We shouldn’t have to live like this.”
3. With TikTok and Lawsuits, Gen Z Takes on Climate Change [NYT, 최진우]
- United Nations General Assembly(유엔총회)
- Young people are helping organize a climate march in New York next month, during the United Nations General Assembly. And their force is being felt even in deep-red states like Montana, where a judge on Monday handed the movement its biggest victory to date, ruling in favor of 16 young people who had sued the state over its support for the fossil fuel industry.
In the Hawaii case, the youths have sued the state’s Department of Transportation over its use of fossil fuels, arguing that it violates their “right to a clean and healthful environment,” which is enshrined in the state Constitution. The state filed two motions to dismiss the case, but this month a judge set a trial date for next year.
Climate change is a growing political priority for young people. It was one of the top issues among a third of young voters in the 2020 presidential election, according to Tufts University. But while the Biden administration has passed sweeping laws, including the Inflation Reduction Act, designed to speed the development of clean energy, it has also angered young environmental activists by approving new fossil fuel projects.