E. M. Forster

I want to tell mayors, county chiefs and heads of big companies: don't just chase GDP growth; don't chase the biggest profits at the expense of our children and grandchildren and at the cost of sacrificing our ecological environment.

I used to think that, by the 21st century, cars would run on electricity rather than gasoline and would have guidance systems so that they actually drove themselves. Specially equipped roadways would transmit instructions to the cars, telling them where to go and how fast. I figured this would be in the lines painted on the roads.

The best way to get a sense of what kinds of emergencies might present themselves in your community is by contacting local chapters of the American Red Cross or offices of emergency management in the region or state. Most large cities will have their own offices of emergency management.