Richard then asked who had experience with disasters.
What is the name of the federal agency responsible for dealing with disasters?
And "until quite recently I think I've managed to cope with disasters, etc. fairly well".
Tuesday's performance kept returning to scenarios of airplane travel, with disasters looming.
"They have experience in dealing with disasters; you don't," Hamed said.
"She has charities alleviating hunger and helping with disasters," his wife added.
Databases may not be as glamorous as helicopters, but they could be just as valuable in coping with disasters.
In his own way, Mr Abramowitz has made the same pilgrimage, from dealing with disasters to addressing their cause.
The Bush administration seems intent on flouting Congress's mandate to restore the primacy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in dealing with disasters.
Now that most have found emergency locations, they are seeking longer-term answers on how to cope with disasters, which by their nature are unpredictable.
But Mr. Thomas has the largely unruffled mien of one who has spent a career dealing with disasters, albeit on a smaller scale.
