Aftermath of Irene: Planning & Communication Saved Lives

 It is before 6 a.m. and I am on my porch having a cup of coffee, listening to the whine of chainsaws in the distance.  Surveying the damage, we have lost a few branches, the largest conveniently landing on the sidewalk, ready to be taken away.  It is the day after Hurricane Irene, the hurricane of 2011, that has claimed relatively few lives thanks to planning and great communication on the part of emergency management agencies and first-responders.

From personal experience during my stint in law enforcement administration, there is a fine line at times, between planning and paranoia.   For the naysayers the preparations were overblown and dire predictions yet another attempt to scare the populace.  I disagree, as I was explaining to a friend, ironically during the storm, timing and clarity of message is needed to effect the movement, certainly the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from areas of danger to safety.   I credit leaders like Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and others for clearly and frequently providing information to the public throughout this event.

In speaking to relatives about the lack of preparation or even knowledge of what was happening in 1938’s Great Hurricane which claimed over 600 lives, the situations then was the very opposite of what happened this past weekend.  Most people were prepared with water, flashlights, batteries and other emergency preparations.  What was especially impressive were the few individuals whose attitude towards danger often results in placing first responders in danger, often without need.  As we clean up we are fortunate that more destruction did not take place.