As a recent transplant from Utah to England, I try to remain in touch with my hometown. Lee Davidson's splendid series on earthquake preparedness reminds me of what Gene Whitmore, one of my professors at Salt Lake Community College, taught as part of his political science class.

One of the concepts he focused on in disaster response politics was the often unrealistic expectations of a community in times of catastrophe. It was refreshing to see that Davidson included information about realistic expectations for the resumption of utility services in his series. Davidson correctly points out that to get water and power restored, it may take weeks and even months. If readers don't find a reason to prepare for a catastrophe now, shame on them.

Hanford Giles

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London, England

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