Quote: Working in the Rain

“We cannot wait for the storm to blow over; we must learn to work in the rain.”  Jennifer Granholm  The Great Recession has had some significant impacts to government as we know it.  I’ve lived through at least four and this last one will have lasting ramifications.  Unlike others in the past I don’t think we’ll have the “normal” recovery and resumption of how things were done previously.  We are in the transition to a “new normal.”

 

I would pretty much eliminate the thought of “when things get better” from your mind.  The quote above pretty much summarizes how we function in the Pacific Northwest.  The rain is continuous, so get used to it and learn to function in the environment. 

 

The extreme grant funding program that followed the terrorist attacks for 9/11 is ending and state and local government funding has pressures from multiple fronts.  As emergency managers we are going to need to learn to survive with what we have.  Instead of going it alone we must capitalize on our community partners and the good will and efforts of average citizens.  Our efforts will need to focus on building community capacity from where and when we can find it.  Social media is one tool we can use in those efforts, but good old relationship building and information sharing should be the foundational elements in how we spend our time and resources.