Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, author of the new book \u201cRethinking Readiness: A Brief Guide to Twenty-First-Century Megadisasters\u201d and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University\u2019s Earth Institute, discusses what today\u2019s tragedies reveal about the future, why uncertainty should not impede action, and how local community solutions provide a valuable framework for coping with catastrophes.