Amanda Ripley Author of The Unthinkable

With Australian wildfires claiming at least 171 lives, Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd, declared the fire zone a “crime scene.” Police believe arsonists may be to be blame for the uncontrollable fires.  Witnesses talk of makeshift morgues in the street.

But what is equally concerning about this horrific and devastating event is not necessarily how or why the fire was started, but rather why traditional warnings systems failed to work as planned. 

John Handmer, a wildfire safety expert, tells MSNBC that getting out early is the best form of defense against spreading wildfires:

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Why do we experience each disaster as if it were our first disaster?

Each time, reporters like myself cover floods and fires and storms as if they have never happened before...as if we aren’t wearing the exact same Wal-Mart slicker we got two years ago in Florida. We survey the damage, we speculate on the causes and we scour the government for someone to blame.

We treat regular people with the same fresh eyes, marveling at their resourcefulness each and every time. I noticed a classic example recently in the New York…

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