back on the grid-hurricane sandy

I have been gone for several days.
I will not recount any of my problems since those of the people of the northeast are greater.
Hurricanes are time of great hardship where the majesty of nature is pitted against our marginal grasp of the very outer surface of the planet.
While many people do not recognize anything past the "short term" ramifications; immediate devastation, recovery, higher sea walls for the future, insurance rates, insurance availability, my personal opportunity to help and make a few dollars by assisting with adjusting of insurance claims and the appraisal process, hurricane clean up and the like, for me it is also an opportunity to reflect on the need for a long term intelligence approach.
For those of you who have an interest, I am still expecting a November release date of "World War C" which is the second edition of "Trust-How we lost the war with China".  It is also the month when I expct the essay behind the Trust to be released and I will be speaking in New Orleans early next month on this release.
Now, you might say "what does Huricane Sandy have to do with the war with China?"  The answer is that Debt and Manufacturing are directly related to the war.
In fact, the storm has more to do with the need to have long term intelligence.  Since only China is currently looking towards that as a country, at least between ours and theirs, some explanation is in order.
Long Term Intelligence and Hurricane Sandy (in 3 paragraphs or less):
Every natural disaster (and every manmade disaster) which does not wipe out civilization is a wake up call that civilization exists only on the outer surface of the crust.  Of course, as long as hate groups throw acid in the faces of women attempting to get an education, the argument can be made that civilization does not exist even there.
Every natural disaster is a minor disturbance compared to the possibility in our life times that a more global catastrophe will happen.  There are so many possibilities, that the application of statistics makes some catastrophic even inevitable in the foreseeable future (since that term can apply from 5 days to 5 millenia.
While bringing normality to those affected is certainly the only humane first priority, it is not my place to focus on the humane where so many others do a better job.  Instead, these are natures reminders that if we do not plan for global catastrophic events, then the message of localized catastrophic events is lost.  The examination of how long term intelligence might affect our response is covered in the essay.
That was my 3 paragraphs
So, my thoughts go out to those who are affected by these events here and in other parts of the world, and I hope that we can focus on developing policies which will allow more people to live productively worldwide and to increase our chances of playing a role in the immediate, short term and long term prospects for a continued future.