by admin | Oct 8, 2021 | Books, Chicago, Climate, Disaster, Geography, Hazard Mitigation, History, Journalism, Natural Hazards, Public safety, Resilience, Science, Weather, Wildfire
Back on August 11, during a family vacation that involved circumnavigating the shores of Lake Michigan, my wife and I and two grandsons visited the small town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and spent an afternoon at the Peshtigo Fire Museum. It is housed in a former church...
by admin | Jul 29, 2021 | Activism, Aging, Chicago, Christianity, Crime, Medical, Personal health, Personal history, Public safety, Volunteerism
We are probably all born with a certain focus on our own needs. The first job of a baby is to survive, but ideally, we learn from parents, especially, but also from others around us that somebody else cares and takes care of us when we most need the help. With any...
by admin | Feb 28, 2021 | Aging, Chicago, Coronavirus, Education, Government, Healthcare, History, Medical, Personal health, Personal history, Public health, Restaurants, Weather
I am not a doubter when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccines. All I want to do is sign up and let them put a sharp needle in my arm and inoculate me. Do it twice if the vaccine demands it. Even my experience in early February with the shingles vaccine cannot deter me. On...
by admin | Aug 30, 2020 | Agriculture, Chicago, Climate, Disaster, Emergency Management, Geography, Government, Hazard Mitigation, History, Natural Hazards, Public safety, Resilience, Urban forest, Weather
What in the U.S. Midwest would spur comparisons to a hurricane? What could spread damage over an equally wide area? It is a good bet that most people are unfamiliar with the word “derecho,” which comes from Spanish, meaning “straight,” but such a storm made itself...
by admin | Jul 20, 2020 | Activism, Business, Chicago, Coronavirus, Disaster, Disaster policy, Government, Healthcare, Natural Hazards, Politics, Public health, Public policy, Racism, Resilience, Transportation, Urban Planning
In recent years, the development of local or regional recovery plans following major natural disasters has become increasingly common. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has long encouraged such planning, and I led the production of two major FEMA-funded reports...
by admin | Jun 14, 2020 | Chicago, Civil rights, Coronavirus, Parks, Personal history, Public health, Racism, Restaurants, Weather
People in the Chicago area, and many beyond, some well beyond, are familiar with the city’s decades-old Taste of Chicago, featuring booths in Grant Park from dozens of the city’s iconic restaurants. Wandering the closed streets within the park, you can get pizza, jerk...
