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COVID-19: America, Never Prepared, Always Behind the Power Curve

Investing in the future for what "might happen" has never been a priority.

Anyone working in emergency management has lived this battle of trying to get the funding needed to be prepared for future disasters that are not knocking government's front door right now. It is one of the curses that we live with day in, and day out.

I remember one King County councilmember always asking me, when will be be done getting ready for the next disaster? Have we not spent enough money by now to be ready? Government being what it is, when he died, our new $30M Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center was named after him. 

Then when I was at the Port of Tacoma and lined up a Port Security Grant -- which I got an exemption for the 25% cash match for -- because it was a multi-port disaster exercise series, a commissioner voted no! As she said, "I remember we did a big exercise six years ago, we don't need another one." It still passed, as she was the lone no vote. Later, I actually ran against her in a Port Commissioner race and -- she beat me. But, I gave her a scare. 

This Washington Post article looks at our national attitudes toward disaster preparedness. If you are in the emergency management biz, you won't find any big surprises. See, America was unprepared for a major crisis. Again.

As I've shared many times before, "The lessons will continue to be taught until they are learned." I expect similar outcomes in the future. Call me a pessimist! 

 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.