Responders to Public Disasters

When a public disaster unfolds first responders jump to help. Police arrive to cordon off traffic and pave the way for arrival of fire fighters, ambulances, and maybe even a SWAT team. They do this to protect the public and reduce harm to those not directly affected. Yet.

Earthquakes are such a disaster. Forest fires are another example. Brush fires, too. Residents in a threatened area are evacuated to save lives. Again, protecting the public against further harm.

Snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and a host of other disasters create misery, loss of life, injury and a lot of property damage. Public disorder may even erupt if sensitive issues are uncovered and social justice is questioned. Troublemakers often enter such scenes to make matters worse, craft a public message that is misleading, or simply to take advantage of looting.

Emergency responders are trained to address each of the above. Their job is to serve and protect the public, those who are directly affected and those who are threatened with expanding harm.

A health epidemic is another public emergency. Health sciences personnel study the situation and if illness, disability, or death are possible, they alert other responders and advise protective actions that will protect the public.

COVID-19 is such a case. It has spread worldwide. It has caused all affected nations to partially shut down business as usual to contain public interaction and spread of disease. Meanwhile, other scientists and healthcare workers strive to learn more about the disease, its trajectory of growth and regional spread. Speed of infection is researched. Treatments to cure patients of the disease are tried and experimented with. Records are kept and studied to determine which treatments work best for many varying conditions and patient types.

Over time, best treatments are identified and applied. Care is taken to determine if the disease is morphing into different strains and producing more threats and instability. Will the old treatments work with the newer form of the disease?  Only time and experimentation will tell.

Meanwhile, other scientists research potential vaccines to knock out the virus and help nations get back to some semblance of normal. It is a long process and takes time.

During all of this healthcare workers continue to slog through new and old cases to lessen human suffering and avoid death and disability from the more severely infected patients.

Elected officials have the tough job of reading all the evidence even as it changes to craft a response that will keep citizens healthy and alive. Institutions are closed – schools, libraries, parks, even some activities of hospitals, workspaces, public concerts and gatherings, and yes, even bars and restaurants are curtailed or mandated closed temporarily.

These are tough issues and tough times. Commercial interests are curtailed, damaged, maybe even destroyed. Some businesses can survive emergency closure for a while, but not for long. Others can change how they operate and survive on drastically reduced revenues and business volumes. Unemployment rises. Businesses fail. Bankruptcies soar. Public unrest begins its slow seethe and finally boils over.

It is understandable. The fear, the hurt, the injury both physical and psychic. The loss of income and ability to earn an income to support family and home. Anxiety accelerates. Mental health issues arise. What do people do? What can they do?

We humans can only watch and wait and do the best we can to survive all the threats. The last thing we should do is blame someone for doing the right thing for the common good. Making COVID a political issue is a travesty. No one person is to blame for this.

We have been worried about pandemics happening for some time. We have prepared ourselves for these days and found such preparations not good enough. All we have is actions to contain the disease and protect the still healthy from those infected. Contain and defeat the disease even when we don’t have enough information or tools for the job.

We do what we have to. Staying home. Wearing masks. Washing hands. Working from home. Helping others worse off than ourselves.  This is what we can and must do. We are protecting ourselves and families. It protects others, too. That’s the beauty of wearing masks. It works both ways.

Thanks to officials at all levels of public service. You are doing a wonderful job – thankless but necessary. Have heart that one day the people will know you saved the day doing unpopular but effective tasks.

November 6, 2020