Author Archives: William Hooke

“If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound if no one is around to hear it?” The previous LOTRW post noted that nations institute public weather services not just to provide forecasts, but to save lives … Continue reading →

Meteorologists are hardly celebrities. They’re not visible on the world stage in the same way as entertainers or political figures or the wealthy. Fact is, their work is often most successful when their accomplishments are least noticeable: a forecast of … Continue reading →

In 2010, Laura Hillenbrand[1] published her biography of Louis Zamperini, entitled Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. According to Wikipedia, the book spent more than four years on The New York Times best seller list, including 14 … Continue reading →

This past week, the five living former directors of the National Weather Service issued an open letter to the American people. Their letter makes a powerful statement on an unfolding national risk, and a moving tribute to unsung NWS employees. … Continue reading →

The previous LOTRW post, occasioned by the conjunction of Easter, Earth Week, and the passing of Pope Francis, took a brief retrospective look at his climate-change encyclical Laudato si,’ published in 2015. As noted many times in this blog, I … Continue reading →

Praise be to you! Pope Francis died this morning. The news media are saturated with material and that material is being augmented and updated so rapidly that there is no need to offer a single link or two here. Much … Continue reading →

The previous post revisited resilience to hazards and hazards recovery, LOTRW topics covered multiple times over past years. That reflection prompted a thoughtful comment from John Plodinec, who offered a range of reasons why FEMA needs a rethink, and a … Continue reading →

Hmm. Why does the question seem familiar? Oh yes! The same idea is enshrined in NATO treaty article 5: The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered … Continue reading →

In 1999, D. Allan Bromley, a former science advisor to President George Herbert Walker Bush, wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post by this title. He opened in this vein: America is on a roll. We’re balancing the federal budget, … Continue reading →

Tell me something I don’t know, Bill. Most of us consider this is something we’ve always known – innately, or learned at home or elementary school. But I remember a refresher in this, as an adult, more than a half-century … Continue reading →