In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, the “MTSU On the Record” radio program examined government’s role in responding to natural disasters.

Dr. John Vile

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College and a prolific author and editor of books on American government, first aired Sept. 25 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and online at www.wmot.org. You can listen to their conversation above.

“Governmental Responses to Natural Disasters in the U.S.: A Documentary History,” a book edited by Vile, includes readings from presidential addresses and orders, judicial decisions and disaster relief agencies, among other items.

It provides historical and philosophical context dating back to Biblical and classical eras and includes information relating to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, Hurricane Katrina and climate change.

“Events that used to take a month or two to even hear about … are now on our screens at night or the next morning,” Vile said. “I think there’s a lot more political pressure (to help disaster victims), and, of course, we’re a much more integrated society in terms of integration and transportation.”

The book was published and the radio interview was recorded before Hurricane Florence’s attack on the coasts of the Carolinas earlier this month.

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about “MTSU On the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

U.S. National Guard members search for survivors in the flooded streets of downtown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in this August 2005 photo by the U.S. Air Force. MTSU professor John Vile’s new book documents governmental responses to U.S. natural disasters from the nation’s founding to the present day. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force via Encyclopedia Britannica)