Catastrophes

Happy Friday!

Welcome to this edition on?Catastrophes?(#217)

The week's media spotlight was dominated by the unfortunate incident of the 'Dali' container ship collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, USA. This heartbreaking event not only led to substantial damage to the bridge but, tragically, the loss of six construction workers' lives.

This incident is now at the heart of discussions on maritime safety laws, igniting fervent debates about the increasingly glaring failure to adapt aging infrastructure to keep pace with modern demands. Without taking sides, I'd like to share intriguing facts with you and draw parallels with our individual operations in various aspects of our lives.

• The bridge, constructed in the 70s, had protective measures for its pillars implemented shortly following its inauguration. Sadly, over the past five decades, the size and capacity of container ships have expanded fifteen-fold, rendering the existing protective structures obsolete. Regrettably, the urgent need to upgrade the infrastructure never reached the top of any priority list until this disastrous event unfolded, leading to the tragic loss of life and significant property damage. This highlights the lack of?a?sense of urgency before something becomes a catastrophe.

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• A silver lining in this dark cloud was the Mayday call issued by the ship's crew a few minutes before the accident. It afforded just enough time for authorities to halt vehicular traffic on the bridge. However, this margin proved inadequate for the evacuation of the construction crew from the impending disaster, highlighting once more the need for urgent action when faced with potential catastrophes,??a?sense of urgency with impending catastrophe.

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• The Patapsco River channel is an essential component of U.S. Trade Routes. Its continued closure could severely impact the U.S. economy. According to Reuters, the estimated insured losses, contingent upon the length of the disruption and the nature of the business interruption coverage for the Port of Baltimore, range between $2 billion and $4 billion. This situation underscores the urgency for prompt and decisive remedial actions during disasters,?a sense of urgency in responding to a catastrophe.

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Now, let's explore how these insights extrapolate to our personal and professional lives.

• Most of us are aware of Moore's Law, which states that a chip's processing power doubles every two years. In reality, this means that we seldom use a cellphone for more than four years or a laptop for more than five. Many of the programming languages learned during college years are now either obsolete or on the edge of obsolescence. This begs the question, when does updating oneself become a priority, and?should we wait for a lack of preparedness to escalate to a catastrophe?

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• We often intuitively sense when a project or task is spiraling beyond our control. Despite recognizing the need for help, we are often reluctant to seek it out. Have you ever considered what your 'Mayday' threshold might be, and when it might become too late? Do you have a plan detailing whom to contact and how to ask for aid when help is needed??Should you wait until your hesitation turns into a catastrophe?

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• Even despite comprehensive planning and preparations, life can throw us curveballs. During these times, a contingency plan is paramount. We aim to keep our Run Books and Disaster Recovery (DR) plans up to date, but how often have these truly been capable of successful recovery in the event of a disaster? Remember, 'time is money.' Any delay in disaster recovery escalates the costs.?Should we wait until a lack of efficiency in recovery becomes a catastrophe?

Before I conclude, I leave you with this light-hearted quote by Mark Twain: "It usually takes me two or three days to prepare an impromptu speech."???

Thank you and have a great weekend.