Pacific's response to the Snow/Ice Storm

The performance of Pacific City Council President Leanne Guier during the recent snow and ice storm deserves applause.  She stepped up to the plate, took charge and worked to meet the needs of the Citizens of Pacific.  This is what an elected official is supposed to do.

Like the Captain of the Costa Concordia, an elected official must put the needs of those in their care ahead of their own.  Unlike the captain of that ill-fated cruise ship she did not abandon her post and took charge, opened the Senior Center as a warming shelter and checked on vulnerable citizens who were still without power.  This demonstration of her putting the citizens first deserves applause and appreciation.

When an emergency occurs, it is easy for many people to just take care of their own needs, maybe those of their neighbors and if possible some vulnerable citizens they may know.  Elected Officials must look at emergencies on a much different scale.  They have legal and moral obligations to take all appropriate steps to protect lives and property, prevent or limit damage to the environment and to preserve the economic viability of local business.  A Declaration of Emergency is often required to authorize the extraordinary assistance and work of city staff and emergency personnel.  Although the City of Pacific’s response is under the Incident Command System, elected leadership is required for overall direction, legal authority and to make sure the needs of all citizens are met.  As policy leaders are the only group that deals with all aspects of an emergency (Police, Fire, Public Works, Administration, Citizens), they need to realize the importance of their actions.  Every example of a failure in emergency and disaster response is a result of a failure of policy leaders to do their job.

There were some issues that the city will need to address as they go through the After Action Review / Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) process.  The key is to identify where these issues were, identify the cause of the problems and then fix these gaps with a proactive improvement plan.  The key to this process is not to assign blame but to fix problems.  The training gaps, logistical issues and resource problems can all be addressed in this process.  No amount of planning will deal with every issue during an emergency.  A strong situational awareness and the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstance are important. But if you adopt the philosophy of constantly looking to improve, the citizens of this city and of this nation will always be better off.