America, Please Upgrade Our Infrastructures
We Need to Be Proactive not Reactive
Being proactive is highly underrated.
Americans tend to procrastinate. Yet, spending money upfront to be prepared for catastrophes can save lives and money.
Last year, the US spent $145 Billion on weather-related damages. $145 Billion! Lord have mercy.
Currently, our infrastructures are antiquated.
They’ve needed attention for a long time. Now, however, they’re not only crumbling but need to be updated to meet the demands of our swiftly changing climate. Remember when New York City experienced unprecedented flash floods during Hurricane Ida? Not only are storms dropping more rain on regions but the amount of rain being dropped in an hour is historic.
New York City is finally beginning to prepare for these powerful weather events. Better late than never. I’ve read that humans are wired to respond to the wolf at the door. We aren’t that good at preparing for future predictions.
I just experienced one of those storms.
Nine inches plus of rain in a matter of hours had devastating consequences, not to mention the brutally high winds and nonstop lightening. Three weeks prior to this event, we experienced a derecho that knocked out power for days. I live in the upper Midwest. I can’t imagine the cost of repairs to the region.
Why?
The old systems, designed for different times, are no longer adequate for the kind of weather that is becoming the new norm. The Biden administration has directed substantial sums of money toward helping cities to upgrade their water systems, however, Americans are still struggling with understanding how much rain is coming. That needs to be clearly defined by regions with the projections available.
Why this bill isn’t more celebrated, I have no idea.
We’ve been waiting for decades to repair and upgrade. While waiting and waiting, we’ve spent billions and billions on repairing damages that could’ve been avoided.
This seems to be our preferred course of action. I’m not sure it was always that way, but over time, it became the standard procedure to do nothing.
Americans are complaining procrastinators. CPs are people who rip anyone in sight a new ***hole for not getting things done but when solutions are offered find fault with every damn idea. So, we have trouble fixing things no matter how badly they need fixing or upgrading. Our crumbling and inadequate infrastructures include roads, bridges, electric grids, public transportation, water systems, storm drainage systems, and cybersecurity upgrades to name a few. If you’ve ever traveled abroad, it’s surprising to see what’s happening in other countries.
Americans think that the US is first in everything, but that’s just not true.
Being proactive is one of my biggest strengths. I’m not bragging. I think I was born that way, and then my experiences in life sharpened and intensified my proactive gene.
I hate cleaning up messes that might’ve been avoided altogether with a little forethought.
Granted, my type can be hyper-vigilant which is exhausting at times. When everyone around you is cleaning up after themselves, it feels damn good to sit back and enjoy a glass of wine instead.
Americans don’t think ahead.
They buy beautiful houses with three car garages and then store so much junk in the garage that there’s no room for their cars. Along comes the next violent storm and a tree falls, crushing their expensive vehicles. I’m like, duh, what gives bro? Park your damn car in the garage. The two most expensive items that you own, car and house, need protecting.
Our country is full of people who hate any federal program designed to improve our lives. It’s hard to help people with that attitude.
It’s even harder to believe that at one point in our strange history we successfully built roads from coast to coast with the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956: Creating the Interstate System. I highly encourage you to follow the link below. This is a very interesting piece of American history. I was four years old when this massive project was started. It’s not ancient history. It happened in my lifetime.
Because Americans THINK that they prefer to fend for themselves and everything is so heavily politicized, we can’t join ranks to get things done.
I contend that our rugged individualism is a fraud, because whenever we’re hit with a regional catastrophe, we run to the Federal government with our hands out. We have become our own worst enemy.
The Biden Administration has made a worthwhile effort, but to deliver what’s needed is largely unappreciated and even resisted by many.
Meanwhile we continue to throw tons of money into rebuilding antiquated systems after damages occur rather than upgrading in advance.
An ounce of prevention may be worth a pound of cure, but Americans wouldn’t have anything to complain about if we were cured.
Teresa is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
