Why California should fear the next natural disaster and what you can do

I was standing in a burned-out canyon outside San Diego in October 2003 when I learned what disaster management was really all about.I was the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).You hadn’t heard of me yet.But maybe you remember the Cedar Fire.

It burned over 270,000 acres and over 2,800 structures.At the time, it was “the largest and most damaging wildfire in California’s history.” The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story A woman I had never met was crying in my arms.She had just been let back into her neighborhood to see what was left of her house, which was the foundation and chimney. More than 350 homes on that hillside were gone, burned to the ground.Back in Washington, people were sitting in meetings.

The White House was shaking up the new Department of Homeland Security.I wasn’t there for the drama.

I was not in that room.I could not be.I learned later that only one official was singled out by name for doing their job.

Me.The reason given was that I was in California working the wildfires while everyone else sat in Washington.

I was commended for being absent.For doing the actual job instead of attending the meeting about the job.Two years, later Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

You know how that turned out for me.President Bush told the nation I was doing “a heck of a job.” The country looked at Katrina and came to a different conclusion.You learned my name the hard way.

I own every bit of it.But Washington never says something out loud that I want you to hear. The federal government does not put out your fire.

FEMA does not knock on your door at 2 a.m.and tell you to evacuate.Disasters are answered from the bottom up.

Your city.Your county.

Your state.The firefighter, the sheriff’s deputy, the water in the hy...