Why Catastrophes?
Much of our society has been forever changed by sudden, disastrous episodes of violence, some even with worldwide effects. The worst of the worst of these events are known as catastrophes, and their impact on our planet, our culture, and our lives is undeniable. Since catastrophes can take many forms, it’s not enough just to react when one occurs. In order to prepare ourselves for future events, we need to research, discuss, and examine catastrophes of all kinds. It’s only by looking to the past that we can learn, and through understanding historic catastrophes we can become our own first line of defense against catastrophes in the future.
Jess & Carlos Phoenix
The first time they met, Jess and Carlos talked about the potential for mining Helium-3 on the moon. That was a good early indication of how dynamic their relationship would become, and in the 10 years since that first encounter they’ve been busy.
Jess and Carlos married in 2010, have given a home to more than a dozen rescue animals (including dogs, cats, birds, and even ex-racehorses), lived in 3 countries, co-founded the environmental science research nonprofit Blueprint Earth, and Jess ran for United States Congress (while Carlos served as her campaign treasurer). Carlos is an internationally-recognized expert in cybersecurity and business, and Jess is a volcanologist who frequently appears on television discussing all kinds of natural hazards, including climate change.
Early in their relationship, Carlos started calling Jess “omnicidal” for her detailed descriptions of how different hazards can kill you depending on where you live. Jess thinks she inherited her fascination with things going wrong from her parents, via their careers as FBI agents. Every time she works on active volcanoes, she still hears her dad’s voice saying, “head on a swivel!” Jess and Carlos have helped evacuate numerous horses from some of California’s most severe wildfires, and are actively dreading California’s extended wildfire season.
Carlos is a native Californian, and has lived and worked in more than a dozen countries. He is actively involved as the Board President for Blueprint Earth, serves as Treasurer for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City, and is a Member of The Explorers Club.
Jess is originally from New Jersey (Jersey represent!), and spent her youth in NJ, VA, and CO. She’s lived in 10 states and realizes that moving to California for graduate school in 2007 was one of the best decisions she could have made. She’s the Executive Director of Blueprint Earth, an elected Fellow in The Explorers Club, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
