I've always said, no matter how poorly the disaster response has gone, stand up and thank people for their contributions and claim victory. It will work in 99 percent of the cases. There are however, some circumstances when it won't work.
Which brings me to snowstorms — which I've written about a lot in the past, and then to the COVID-19 testing situation here in the United States. The problem with snowstorms is that the snow seems to fall "everywhere" so every person has instant situational awareness for how the response is being handled. Can I get out of my driveway? Can I drive to work or school? No number of rosy statements from the head elected official is ever going to overcome the person looking out their window and not seeing any results.
This then is the same situation with the COVID-19 test kits where over a month ago, the statement was made, "Anyone who wants to get tested can get tested." Well, that was not a true statement back then, it is not a true statement today, and it will not be a true statement for many weeks to come. And, people when they go to get testing or know someone who is trying to get tested will verify to everyone they know — "I can't get tested!" The disconnect between "testing is not an issue" to "I can't get tested" is the same situational awareness that gets mayors fired after a blizzard or just a big snowstorm. They of course don't get immediately terminated, but their "terms in office" do come to an end.
Lesson: Be careful about what you claim when the verification of those claims are being accomplished by tens of thousands of people everywhere.
