The Natural Disaster

     Hurricane Sandy has been a big topic in the U.S. lately, especially along the Eastern Coast. It has caused for so much attention because of how big and powerful the storm is expected to be. Connecticut Governor, Dan Malloy, even shared that, "this is the most catastrophic event that we have faced and been able to plan in any of our lifetimes". To add, the National Guard suspects that this giant storm will affect over 60 million people. With such a big disaster on its way the government has laid out very clear steps on what to know about the storm and how to prepare for it. For example, they explain where and when Sandy is expected to hit, Monday night near the coast. Also they clarify which people are most in danger, people from South Carolina all all the way up to Maine. This list continues to explain more how to prepare, what each state is doing individually to prepare, and what types of transportations are shut down.
      This clear and focused information the government is giving is a sharp contrast to the acts or laws that we are going over in class. The acts we have analyzed have been very vague and broad, like the Smith Act of 1940 and the Alien Sedition Act of 1789, because the government tries to protect the public. However, a natural disaster creates about the same if not more damage than a war. As such, I wonder why the government chooses to be so general and vague during times of war, but not during a natural disaster?

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