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    <title>Hurricane Harvey Demonstrates Critical Value of ‘Big Government’</title>

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<p>Deloitte has centered on two key areas where it can leverage its strengths as a business service provider to have a positive impact for the long term on the communities in which it operates: education and workforce development.</p>
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<p>Monsanto presents a series on what it means to be “Climate Smart” in the world of agriculture. The series will cover the role of climate change in impacting food security, agriculture, weather patterns and society at large. </p>
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<p>In this editorial series we’ll explore the role of business in supporting access to education and opportunities, and consider the best way to prepare a generation of leaders who understand the importance of sustainable development.</p>
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<p>In this series sponsored by Procter and Gamble, we’ll explore what it means to practice “responsible forestry” and how trailblazing companies can lead the way.</p>
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<p>So, your company wants to reduce its landfill waste. Now what? As sustainability reaches top of mind for investors and customers, more companies are beginning to tackle waste in their supply chains in order to boost their green cred.</p>
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            <article class="post-267694 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-climate-environment category-policy-government tag-big-government tag-climate-disaster tag-disaster-relief tag-epa tag-fema tag-flood-damage tag-flooding tag-floods tag-houston tag-hurricane-harvey tag-leon-kaye tag-nasa tag-natural-disasters tag-noaa tag-texas tag-walmart">
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            <h1 class="entry-title">Hurricane Harvey Demonstrates Critical Value of ‘Big Government’</h1>
      			<p class="byline author vcard"><a href="http://www.triplepundit.com/author/leon-kaye/" rel="author" class="fn" data-wpel-link="internal">by Leon Kaye</a> on <time class="updated" datetime="2017-08-30T03:00:22+00:00">Wednesday, Aug 30th, 2017</time>

		      	      		      		<a style="color:#ff4500; padding-left:15px; padding-bottom:0; margin-bottom:-4px; font-size:0.9em;" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/category/climate-environment/" data-wpel-link="internal">      		  <i class="fa fa-globe" aria-hidden="true"></i>
      		      		<span style="text-transform:uppercase;">Climate &amp; Environment</span></a>
      	

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<figure id="attachment_267695" style="max-width: 768px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-267695" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28.jpg" alt="Houston, Texas, Hurricane Harvey, floods, flooding, climate change, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, EPA, Leon Kaye, big government" width="768" height="489" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28.jpg 768w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28-150x96.jpg 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28-300x191.jpg 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28-262x167.jpg 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28-165x105.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Texas Army National Guard soldiers move through flooded Houston streets on August 28</figcaption></figure>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090501598.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Walmart’s actions</a> during and after Hurricane Katrina have long been described as one of the few bright spots during that agonizing relief effort, as well as a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-scott/how-hurricane-katrina-cha_b_8043692.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">transformative event</a> for the world’s largest retailer.</p>
<p>Another outcome apparent after Katrina is that federal government agencies, and the presidents ultimately responsible for leading them, have been far more proactive when disasters strike, as they have wanted to avoid following in George W. Bush’s footsteps. Fair or not, that administration came across as ham-fisted long after Katrina slammed into Louisiana and neighboring Gulf states. As a result, it is doubtful there will be any room for a company to shine through in Houston as Walmart did 12 years ago – though Walmart itself has been <a href="http://blog.walmart.com/community/20170828/the-latest-on-hurricane-harvey-support-and-response" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">updating stakeholders</a> about what the company is doing to support Hurricane Harvey recovery across Texas.</p>
<p>While companies have a critical part in assisting relief efforts with their supplies, staff and facilities, Harvey reminds us of the role that “big government” has in preparing, notifying and helping citizens during this time of need. Many of these agencies, from NASA to NOAA to the EPA, have come under scrutiny – or more accurately, attack &#8211; in recent years for their various roles in researching climate change, boosting environmental protection efforts, or both.</p>
<p>The timing is also prescient considering the sniping that is already underway between Texas Senator Ted Cruz and his critics. Cruz obviously supports aid efforts for his home state, yet he voted against federal Hurricane Sandy relief packages during his first year in office. He <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/28/rep-ted-cruz-on-hurricane-harvey-focus-is-search-and-rescue-not-political-sniping.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">claims</a> he voted against the $50 billion Sandy relief bill because it was loaded with “pork” but that claim has been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/08/29/ted-cruzs-claim-that-two-thirds-of-the-hurricane-sandy-bill-had-nothing-to-do-with-sandy/?undefined=&amp;utm_term=.867292c6c2dd&amp;wpisrc=nl_most&amp;wpmm=1" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">proven untrue</a> by many. Cruz even got a <a href="https://twitter.com/RepPeteKing/status/901824286754791424" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">rebuke</a> from New York’s Peter King, a Republican representative from Long Island.</p>
<p>And as Cruz <a href="https://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=press_release&amp;id=3315" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">announces</a> how and where Texans can receive state and federal assistance, we at 3p thought we would point out the role “big government” has in warning, protecting and helping citizens during catastrophes such as Harvey. As the recent viper pit of a debate over healthcare has proven, many of us are against government in any form – until we need it or there is a risk a program will be taken away from us, even if what is available is imperfect.</p>
<h3><strong>National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)</strong></h3>
<p>This scientific agency tucked under the Department of Commerce’s wing gauges the conditions of both the world’s oceans and atmosphere. Its tasks (despite <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2016/08/congressional-climate-witch-hunt-reaches-impasse/" data-wpel-link="internal">ongoing distractions</a>) include developing technologies and systems that can help scientists understand tornadoes, hurricanes and the health of coastal ecosystems. Currently it <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2017/HARVEY.shtml?" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">forecasts</a> Harvey’s strength and issues advisories. Divisions such as the <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?cone" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">National Hurricane Center</a> provide data to anyone who needs it, from local meteorologists updating local viewers and listeners, to <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/benefits.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">insurance companies and utilities</a> trying to price their services and products based on weather variability.</p>
<h3><strong>NASA</strong></h3>
<p>While NOAA gives us the view of climate events from land, sea, as well as the air immediately hovering over us, NASA (an independent agency, designed in part to stay free of politics like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve), manages and operates the tools that can help us observe <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/harvey-atlantic-ocean" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">what is going on from space</a>. NASA’s satellites and its partnership with the International Space Station provide real-time data and images that can be harnessed by the agency’s friends monitoring the situation on the ground. Measuring and predicting those sudden shifts in wind, or estimations of upcoming rainfall gleaned from several days of satellite data, are amongst the ways in which NASA contributes to monitoring Harvey’s constantly shifting patterns.</p>
<h3><strong>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)</strong></h3>
<p>Even under Scott Pruitt, the EPA offered to take a <a href="https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=12353" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">leadership role</a> as Harvey eventually dissipates. Houston is known to have more than its fair share of energy and petrochemical companies. Assessments of the greater Houston region’s 300 water systems, the securing of Superfund sites and <a href="https://response.epa.gov/sites/12353/files/EPA_H_Harvey_Press_Release_LA_Fuel_Waiver_8_28_2017.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">fuel waivers</a> allowing for emergency supplies of gasoline are among the tools that the EPA’s regional office in Dallas has at hand if needed. EPA employees may have already been called to action by the time of this writing.Two ExxonMobil refineries have reportedly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/08/29/exxonmobil-refineries-damaged-in-hurricane-harvey-releasing-hazardous-pollutants/?utm_term=.3220e241b09e" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">suffered damage</a> and released hazardous chemicals already and more damage is likely to come to light as waters subside.</p>
<h3><strong>Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)</strong></h3>
<p>Estimates of the costs resulting from Harvey are all over the map, from <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/29/16215012/hurricane-harvey-congress-funding" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">$30 billion</a> to even <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/29/total-harvey-cost-insurance-texas-tropical-storm-hurricane-sandy" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">$100 billion</a>. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-27/harvey-s-cost-reaches-catastrophe-as-modelers-see-many-uninsured" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Bloomberg</a> has concluded Katrina’s damages amounted to $160 billion. Insurance companies will pick up some of that price tag; <a href="https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-harvey" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">FEMA</a>, which faces a budget cut of as much as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-agencies-respond-to-storm-some-face-cuts-under-trump-budget-proposal/2017/08/29/0fbbd6ca-8cc8-11e7-84c0-02cc069f2c37_story.html?utm_term=.8474e9f56bf3" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">9 percent</a> in recent proposals, will in-part contribute to the costs of clean-up and recovery. Since the late 1970s, the agency’s mandate is to send staff to coordinate with overwhelmed state and local officials as they cope with natural and made-made disasters. And that list is long, from the 1989 <a href="https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2009/10/17/fema-leadership-honors-anniversary-1989-loma-prieta-earthquake" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Loma Prieta Earthquake</a> in California to the horrific 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Experts from FEMA work with local officials on recovery efforts. The agency also helps fund infrastructure repair and directs citizens to <a href="https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/74764" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">resources for low-interest loans</a> (a program <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/harvey-shows-federal-governments-flood-insurance-program-not-sustainable/" data-wpel-link="internal">currently struggling</a> due to a mounting deficit) so they can rebuild homes and businesses. Day in and day out, FEMA also provides <a href="https://training.fema.gov/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">online and live training</a> for disaster preparedness.</p>
<p>These agencies are just a few of the moving parts that manage recovery when disaster strikes.</p>
<p><em>Image credit: <a href="https://www.dvidshub.net/image/3712840/hurrican-harvey-response" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">DVIDS</a></em></p>
<span itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Article" class="itempropwp-wrap"><!-- ItemProp WP 3.5.201706131 by Rolands Umbrovskis https://umbrovskis.com/ --><meta itemprop="name" content="Hurricane Harvey Demonstrates Critical Value of ‘Big Government’" /><meta itemprop="headline" content="Hurricane Harvey Demonstrates Critical Value of ‘Big Government’" /><meta itemscope itemprop="mainEntityOfPage"  itemType="https://schema.org/WebPage" itemid="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/hurricane-harvey-big-government/"/> <meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/hurricane-harvey-big-government/" /><span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject"><meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Texas-Army-National-Guard-soldiers-move-through-flooded-Houston-streets-on-August-28.jpg" /><meta itemprop="width" content="768"/><meta itemprop="height" content="489"/></span><meta itemprop="author" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/author/leon-kaye/" /><meta itemprop="description" content="While companies have a critical part in assisting relief efforts with their supplies, staff and facilities, Hurricane Harvey reminds us the role that “big government” has in preparing, notifying and helping citizens during emergencies." /><meta itemprop="datePublished" content="2017-08-30 03:00:22" /><meta itemprop="dateModified" content="2017-08-29 20:45:00" /><!-- ItemProp WP 3.5.201706131 by Rolands Umbrovskis https://umbrovskis.com/ end --></span>  </div>


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        <p>Based in Fresno, California, Leon Kaye has written for TriplePundit since 2010. He has lived across the U.S., as well as in South Korea, Abu Dhabi and Uruguay. Some of Leon's work can also be found in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/profile/leon-kaye" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> The Guardian</a>, <a href="http://www.sustainablebrands.com/user/79655" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> Sustainable Brands</a> and <a href="http://cleantechnica.com/author/leon/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">CleanTechnica</a>. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/leonkaye" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">(@LeonKaye)</a> and Instagram <a href="http://web.stagram.com/n/greengopost/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">(GreenGoPost)</a>. </p>
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