The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (Hardcover)

~ Stephen Flynn (Author)
Key Phrases: Coast Guard, United States, New Orleans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Homeland Security expert Flynn examines the vulnerability of the U.S. to disaster--natural and man-made--and what the nation must do to fortify its security. By exploring several well-documented and frightening scenarios, Flynn exposes our weaknesses and the consequences of our failure to adequately plan for disaster. Among the scenarios he explores: an avian flu outbreak in New York; destruction of a chemical plant in New Jersey; a San Francisco earthquake that compromises levees and leads to massive flooding. Flynn points to threats from our blithe disregard for the dangers all around us, including chemical plants and oil refineries operating in close proximity to crowded communities. We can't plan for every disaster, but the nation can be better prepared, Flynn maintains, and he offers advice on how corporations and the government can reduce the risk of disaster. Among his suggestions: making sure energy management and public-health systems have enough resources and building more power-transmission lines to keep lights on when temperatures rise. Flynn's book reads like a thriller but has the added punch of reality. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Why do we remain unprepared for the next terrorist attack or natural disaster?
Where are we most vulnerable?
How have we allowed our government to be so negligent?
Who will keep you and your family safe?
Is America living on borrowed time?
How can we become a more resilient nation?

Americans are in denial when it comes to facing up to how vulnerable our nation is to disaster, be it terrorist attack or act of God. We have learned little from the cataclysms of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina. When it comes to catastrophe, America is living on borrowed time–and squandering it. In this new book, leading security expert Stephen Flynn issues a call to action, demanding that we wake up and prepare immediately for a safer future.

The truth is acts of terror cannot always be prevented, and nature continues to show its fury in frighteningly unpredictable ways. Resiliency, argues Flynn, must now become our national motto. With chilling frankness and clarity, Flynn paints an all too real scenario of the threats we face within our own borders. A terrorist attack on a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas into Boston Harbor could kill thousands and leave millions more of New Englanders without power or heat. The destruction of a ship with a cargo of oil in Long Beach, California, could bring the West Coast economy to its knees and endanger the surrounding population. But even these all-too-plausible terrorist scenarios pale in comparison to the potential destruction wrought by a major earthquake or hurricane.

Our growing exposure to man-made and natural perils is largely rooted in our own negligence, as we take for granted the infrastructure handed down to us by earlier generations. Once the envy of the world, this infrastructure is now crumbling. After decades of neglect, our public health system leaves us at the mercy of microbes that could kill millions in the next flu pandemic. Flash flooding could wipe out a fifty-year-old dam north of Phoenix, placing thousands of homes and lives at risk. The next San Francisco earthquake could destroy century-old levees, contaminating the freshwater supply that most of California relies on for survival.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The Edge of Disaster tells us what we can do about it, as individuals and as a society. We can–and, Flynn argues, we must–construct a more resilient nation. With the wounds of recent national tragedies still unhealed, the time to act is now.

Flynn argues that by tackling head-on, eyes open the perils that lie before us, we can remain true to our most important and endearing national trait: our sense of optimism about the future and our conviction that we can change it for the better for ourselves–and our children.

“Steve Flynn offers the answer not only to protecting America from terrorist attacks and natural disaster but also to revitalizing our democracy. This book is a must-read for all members of Congress, 2008 presidential candidates, and ordinary citizens who want to build a better and safer future.”
–Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

Advance praise for The Edge of Disaster

“Steve Flynn has done it again. Like America the Vulnerable before it, The Edge of Disaster is the must-read book for every American, elected official, and presidential candidate who is committed to ensuring that our nation continue to thrive in perilous times.”
–Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia

“Since 9/11, protecting our nation against a terrorist attack has consumed policy makers in Washington. What Stephen Flynn points out in The Edge of Disaster is that much of this effort has been directed overseas, often at the expense of our homeland and its much more likely areas of vulnerability. Laying out a series of potential disasters both manmade and natural, Flynn calls for a greater emphasis on preparedness and the ability of communities and the nation to recover. Painting an often frustrating and infuriating picture of missed opportunities, The Edge of Disaster is a call to action. The time to act is now. We can only hope that policy makers are listening.”
–Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and
former administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (2001-03)

“Steve Flynn’s book makes the very persuasive argument that national security preparedness is linked to natural disaster preparedness. By investing significantly in our critical infrastructure, in citizen preparedness, and most importantly in leadership, we can be better prepared for all hazards. A great book that I highly recommend.”
–James Lee Witt, former director, Federal Emergency Management Agency

“Steve Flynn has become a relentless contributor to the dialogue on prioritizing the work of the post-9/11 security environment. The Edge of Disaster calls into question the neglect of domestic preparedness in favor of the Department of Defense-driven offensive in the global war on terrorism. The book offers provocative challenges to both our elected and our private-sector leaders, and both should read it thoroughly.”
–Admiral James M. Loy, former commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, and former deputy secretary of homeland security

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400065518
• ISBN-13: 978-1400065516
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #472,340 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Living on Borrowed Time, March 13, 2007

By	!Edwin C. Pauzer (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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Former Coast Guard Commander Steven Flynn and author of "America The Vulnerable" makes a convincing case that the United States is nowhere close to being ready for the next terrorist attack or natural disaster, which he emphatically states will occur. According to him, we are living on borrowed time.

Without political partisanship, the author states that our whole policy and reaction to terrorism since September 11, 2001 has been in the wrong direction, and the wrong place using the wrong rationale. Flynn challenges Mr. Bush's policy of "Fight terrorism abroad so we don't have to fight them at home." He discounts this for obvious reasons: 1) by virtue of 9/11, they have already found their way here, or know how to get here. 2) He shows that many of the terrorist attacks worldwide have come from natives, not aliens 3) The military is not the way, nor has the means to fight terrorism.

Policy is not the only gripe that Flynn has with the federal government. It is their lack of priorities, secrecy, and failure to rebuild our aging infrastructure, or partner with private industry in creating more secure plants, docks, ports, airports, rail yards, etc. Without government incentives or suppport, there is little likelihood that private industry will invest in security that will make their product or service less competitive and cost more unless the government provides industry-wide incentives.

He rails against poor prioritizing aided by a lethargic federal government mired in indifference. He provides countless examples of aging, obsolete, and decaying infrastructure that are ripe targets for a population that mostly lives near coastlines, or places prone to forest fires, tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters. All of them are being ignored and underfunded by a complacent population that doesn't realize that taxes they complain about, are used for maintenance of the infrastructure that keeps them safe. One of his more compelling arguments is that one of every dollar spent on preparation and maintenance saves seven dollars in reaction to catastrophes.

A prime example of neglected infrastructure and ineffectual response is Hurricane Katrina where an enfeebled F.E.M.A. came off performing like the Keystone Cops on Prozac. The Coast Guard, was the only agency that swung into action, thus proving that people can act responsibly without waiting to be told what to do. (Semper Peratus!)

Flynn contends that an informed public will react far more responsibly than one that is kept in the dark through secrecy and lack of trust. The most obvious proof of this was United Flight 93 on 9/11. A secretive and helpless governmnet was unable to protect its citizens, or do anything to prevent the plane from hitting its target. When the passengers realized that they were going to become a missile like the planes before them, they took matters into their own hands, and prevented further catastrophe by retaking the plane.

This book is a siren song for the federal government to cease chasing the tail of one endless study after another, and take action by reshaping policy, informing, and trusting our people, rebuilding our infrastructure, and working with private industry. It is also short, readable, and makes you wonder why no one in the government has adopted this man's ideas. It is also a wake-up call. An informed public needs to wake up a somnambulistic government, and shake them into effective action. Or, maybe it's time we kick them out if they don't.

Actually, all are highly recommended while the clock is still ticking.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent--A must read, March 1, 2007

By	Toby Scammell (CA, United States of America) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an exceptional book. This should be required reading at FEMA, in Congress, and the White House.

I've admired Flynn ever since I read America the Vulnerable a few years ago, and he continues to impress me with his pragmatic approach to homeland security. While his first book dealt primarily with hardening America against terrorism, this one takes a wider view and deals with the full spectrum of disasters--man made and natural--that could befall us.

His basic arguments are simple--that most measures taken since 9/11 have been largely for psychological benefit and that major vulnerabilities still exist because of failing infrastructure, misallocated funds, poor city planning, lack of leadership etc. He argues that the federal government has missed an opportunity to lead a national effort to prepare for future disasters (instead it has passed responsibility to state/local officials), failed to engage America's most important resource--its citizenry, and avoided working with the private sector. His arguments are well-supported and convincing.

Flynn is also highly critical of the current administration's "the best defense is a strong offense" strategy. Here he will be criticized by some, but as the Islamic terrorist threat continues to evolve from the 9/11 model (foreign groups with direct connections to key leaders) to the 7/11 model (homegrown radicals who are simply inspired by foreigners), his argument will become all the more prescient. Flynn represents the other end of the spectrum--"the best defense is a good defense"--and perhaps there is room for a more balanced approach. Maybe: "The best defense is both a strong offense and a strong defense"?

In the final chapter he presents ten ideas that should be adopted to strengthen the country. Some of these will sound familiar to those who read his first book. This is less an indication that Flynn can't come up with new ideas. Rather, it is proof that the government simply isn't acting.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Major Contribution That Congress is NOT Paying Attention To, March 4, 2007

By	Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

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This is a major contribution to national security & prosperity that is being actively ignored by Congress. We must all buy the book and force the issue. HR 1 from the House purports to implement the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission but does so in a shoddy, incomplete, and largely anti-democratic fashion, imposing the secret stovepipe model of one-way federal to state communications, without any respect (or understanding) of what this author recommends instead, which is to add the public to the loop, and also create localized means of facilitating communications among all the leaders--county government, law enforcement, business, academic, labor, religious, etc.

This book is every bit as good-even better--than the author's first book, "America the Vulnerable," which I reviewed and rated very highly. I recommend that both be bought, and then waved in every public meeting possible.

The major leap forward in this book is the juxtaposition of localized resilience to disaster of any kind (not just terrorism), with the very pointed and strong dismay about how we are wasting $700 billion a year on a heavy-metal military to fight (and anger) people overseas, while spending less than $70 million a year on key infrastructure and homeland defense needs. While the Department of Homeland Defense now has roughly $36 billion a year (perhaps even more), they are giving waste, fraud, and mismanagement a completely new meaning, taking pathological irrelevance to new heights. This is especially true of their antiquated approach to intelligence and not sharing information nor being receptive to bottom up non-secret information.

I especially respect the author's detailed cataloguing of our infrastructure vulnerabilities that are of our own making. Badly patched dams, high-rises built on sand, hospitals with no excess capacity, power grids over 50 years old that a single tree can bring down, waterways that are broken, and that if broken any more cannot deliver coal to run power plants essential to Middle American commerce, the list goes on. Especially frightening in the concept of the firestorm, which I first encountered in the 1980's when a newspaper looked at the NYC water mains, most built in the 1920's (that's the nineteen TWENTIES). If they break in a certain way, and a fire starts, NYC gets burned to the ground.

The author is gifted as both a former Coast Guard officer, and as a serious and articulate scholar that has done his homework. Especially valuable to me was his citation of a 2005 series of studies done by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in which our Nation received 4 C's, 10 D's, and one Incomplete. That alone is grounds for the impeachment and dismissal of every Governor and every Senator and every Congressman. These people are not minding the public interest in a substantive sustainable way.

I have the word "holistic" written in my notes. This author provides in this book both a "big picture" and a whole range of vignettes that drive home the fact that the devil is in the details, and no one, at the Federal or the State levels, with a handful of exceptions, is actually minding the public interest.

He offers specific recommendations for the local level including improved webcam surveillance of ports and waterfronts, a bigger COPS II program, infrastructure committees with weight, a tax on the wealthiest beneficiaries of the public infrastructure, and his older recommendation from the first book, pushing cargo inspections overseas and incentivizing those that comply with Green Lanes that save hundred of thousands in ship and crew time.

Two success stories are Project Impact, and the Disaster Resistant Business (DRB) Program.

The Coast Guard is under-funded in all respects and I agree with this. As one who designed, with Norman Polmar and Ron O'Rourke, the 450-ship Navy for global coverage, I absolutely agree that we can afford to scrap plans for more nuclear carriers and B-2 bombers, and instead fund the resilience and disaster relief and waterway safety needs of the Coast Guard.

The author concludes that our top priority should not be a heavy-metal military global war, but rather a focus on being able to weather the age of terrorism (that I would add, Bush-Cheney have done more to exacerbate than anyone else--Cheney started this war, not Bin Laden, and Larry Silverstein murdered most of those who died at the World Trade Center, not Bin Laden. For these two individuals to not have been indicted, along with Rudy "scoop and dump" Guliani, tells me that our entire government is corrupt and inattentive to the public interest. It is time to either reconstitute the entire government, or break up into the "Nine Nations" and stop giving Washington money to waste on Dick Cheney's favorite crime syndicates).

The author ends very persuasively with the admonition that the Federal Government is totally out of date and unable to shift from stovepipe secrecy to networked information sharing and shared bottom up resilient decision making. He recommends that we begin at the home and neighborhood level, and then work up to the village, county, and state level. He does not suggest what can be done to beat the Federal government back into affordable utility.

Here is an abbreviated version of the ten recommendations at the end of the book:

1) Force Washington to build national resiliency at home
2) Put terrorism in the context of the other threats (see Wikipedia, "Ten Threats")
3) Fix the infrastructure now
4) Inform the American people, they are our greatest asset
5) Tap the ingenuity and resources of the private sector
6) Do not underestimate the value of individual preparedness
7) Do not allow government to pretend the pandemic will not happen
8) Discourage construction along vulnerable coastlines and in flood plains
9) Properly fund and support local police and emergency responders
10) Promote the concept of resiliency as a global imperative.

The author's bottom line is clear: the Federal Government is in denial, and also ignorant. We can do better. Public anger needed NOW.

Related Helpful Books on Collapse of Federal Government:
Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency
Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy)
Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders