It appears that Nature delivered a not-so-gentle tap on the shoulder of the Bush Administration yesterday. An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale occurred in the Seattle area. Interestingly, the quake came just a day after Mr Bush made his speech before the Joint Session of Congress which outlined his tax and budget proposals for the coming fiscal year. His speech was largely an advertisement for tax and budget cuts.

Among the programs slated for elimination in his proposed budget, is something called Project Impact. Project Impact is an effort, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to reduce the terrible cost of natural disasters both in terms of property and in terms of lives. Under this program, local areas are selected as "Project Impact Communities" and are offered grants which allow the assessment of vulnerabilities to natural hazards. The local governmental agencies are then given money to implement actions that protect families, businesses and communities by preparing for and reducing the damaging effects of natural and technological disasters.

In Seattle, initial funding for Seattle Project Impact was through a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the City of Seattle, as well as other local communities. Under the program, schools and homes were retrofitted to make the structures more resistant to earthquake damage. The same for the infrastructure such as bridges, airports and other public buildings.

The program certainly paid off. By all accounts, despite the seriousness of the ground movement, only one fatality and comparatively few injuries were reported to have occurred because of the earthquake. And yet, and yet, when pressed as to the reason for wanting to eliminate Project Impact, the Bush Administration simply stated that the program "had not proven effective." A mistaken response, to put it mildly.

The experience in Seattle should give pause to those who advocate program cuts without thinking through the consequences. Nature does not care about tax cuts, program cuts or the like; She is more powerful than any president or any ideology. But She can give us warnings; warnings which allow us to prepare for her deadly visits. Hopefully Mr Bush and his advisors will put their ears to the ground.

And listen.

Punditwalla--