Letters from Our Readers

Readers respond to John Seabrook's piece on floods, Eyal Press's article on the National Restaurant Association, and Adam Gopnik's essay on the history of gambling in New York. John Seabrook's piece on the increasing frequency and formidable power of river flooding is both moving and scientifically instructive (" The Flood Will Come, " July 28th). I served as Vermont's commissioner of health for eight years, during which time I participated in the state's annual flood-disaster response, and I believe it's important to expand the public-safety discussion so that it includes the protection of human health and wellness. Climate change poses the biggest threat to public health, and storms and floods have abundant immediate impacts: drinking-water contamination; mold damage to homes and businesses; the spread of infectious disease; soil erosion that affects food quality; and limitations on recreation, transportation, and medical-care access. Climate change is also a major source of stress on the population's mental health, and on the country's already fragile mental-health system.