When it comes to emergencies and disasters, people tend to have short memories. Much of this is human nature. When something bad happens and we’re in the thick of it we generally do whatever’s necessary to deal with the situation. But once the crisis has past we want to move on with our lives. That’s fine because it’s certainly not healthy to wallow in despair over something that has already come and gone. But I say again that people have short memories. And I don’t mean that literally. I simply mean that we tend to forget how bad something really was. California’s recent drought is a case in point.