The "Crisis Response Team" of a tiny little Minnesota town put together a book to help children deal with disasters. Let's learn and grow together.

Sure, 9/11 happened a thousand miles away from Albert Lea, Minnesota, and the town is in no danger of a terrorist attack, but fires and floods happen everywhere, and it is good to help children deal with them. It is even better to help the children with a dark and unintentionally hilarious pamphlet of misery and apocalyptic doom.

The vagueness of referring exclusively to an unspecified incident—"the disaster"—lends the proceedings an especially ominous tone. "Draw a picture of yourself before the disaster" is practically a late Leonard Cohen lyric. This book is the best. "You might think you made the disaster happen, but you didn't." Cormac McCarthy and P. D. Eastman entered a room and only this book came out.


This little tableau is called "The Mediated Life," or "An Evening At Dick Cheney's House."

Sadly some people (FEMA) didn't enjoy this book and it has been taken down from their website.


They just give those awards out to anyone these days.


Color your entire life as you know it washing away!


Color God's Wrath at Iowa's Supreme Court.


Not lying: we would buy a print of this page.