IMPLAN Blog

America has had a long and sometimes troubled relationship with its energy sources—it’s not just your imagination. A lot is said nowadays about the rise in renewable energy and the downfall of traditional fossil fuels. But when it comes to making the switch to solar or other renewable energy sources, the United States might be torn between two lovers. But don’t give up on us—despite the storied history, there’s still a lot of road ahead.

Since we’re currently in the middle of tornado season and on the heels of a prediction of an active 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season, this would be an appropriate time for a discussion on natural disasters.

I’ve seen first-hand the destruction of natural disasters. I experienced Hurricanes Fran and Lloyd, plus the 2011 Super Outbreak of tornadoes while living in North Carolina and Alabama, respectively. It doesn’t take long after surveying the debris and downed trees or hearing the stories of survivors to realize the emotional and physical impacts of these events. But one thing that’s often talked about but harder to pin down is the economic impacts from nature’s fiercest displays of force.

That being said, let’s pose the question: “What results and trends can we expect when a natural disaster event occurs in a given region?” Seems simple enough, right? Well, the answer might be a little more complex than you’d expect.

Technology has been scary lately if you’re employed in manual labor.

Every few weeks in the news cycle it seems as though apocalyptic headlines like “Technology could kill 5 million jobs by 2020 ” or “Robots will destroy our jobs – and we're not ready for it ” creep above the fold.