On disasters - natural and unnatural

Jun 1, 1998 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson

In this year of El Nio, we find ourselves looking again and again starkly in the face of tragic unpredictability - and unpredictable tragedy. Sadly, it doesn't begin or end with the weather. I had occasion recently to take a driving tour of an area of Atlanta hit by one of the recent waves of tornadoes. I was awestruck by the scope, scale and randomness of the damage. The ubiquitous television reports on the tornadoes did not begin to communicate what it's like to drive through an upscale suburban neighborhood that was almost wiped from existence - not leveled but destroyed randomly by a schizophrenic storm that rushed through in the course of minutes, taking down trees, crumbling walls, and lifting roofs neatly from houses to show the rooms underneath still methodically arranged. Houses were spared, but often their next-door neighbors were among the hardest hit. We drove along street after street of damaged houses, some weakened beyond repair as designated by a red "X" spray-painted on the front door. Hand-painted signs - proclaiming State Farm and Allstate - helped overburdened workmen determine which insurance companies would pay the bills. Which is not to say they will pay the cost, which is way beyond any company or individual's ability to pay. Blue plastic tarps covered what was left of the roofs, keeping out moisture. At one location, you could see rolling hills of blue tarps extending into the horizon. The news coverage didn't nearly capture the scene - and there were some areas that were even harder hit than the one I visited. Just as scary as the tragic randomness of such forces of nature are the random personal tragedies we also see on the news. Children shooting guns in the school yard is an extreme example, but not the only one. Children killing children - how do you even comprehend such a thought, much less prevent it? Where are the assurances it couldn't happen at any school in the country? Is security the answer, or would the necessary precautions to prevent all random acts of violence destroy in the process the freedoms we treasure, indeed destroy life as we know it? Another reminder of the randomness of tragedy comes in the story of Kenneth Kuck, a top-notch security professional at Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. He was beloved by his family, friends, co-workers and community. A Certified Protection Professional and active in the California Reserve Police Officer's Association, he was also a member of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS). Kenneth Kuck was shot lastJanuary as he came out of the campus security office. A disgruntled former employee allegedly raised a .357 and fired point-blank into his face. Kuck was the first member of the IAHSS to be killed in the line of duty in the organization's 30-year history. And it could happen anywhere.

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